Hi everyone!

I’m Sally Xerri-Brooks, and I’m the Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Manager for major capital projects on campus. The Green Heart is one of the most significant areas I work on, so I spend a lot of time thinking about it and supporting its development. I do this by engaging with staff and students, as well as the local community. I work closely with the Estates department and contractors carrying out the all-important work to make the Green Heart a reality and I help make sure people know what is happening at each point in the project.

Every day I attend a range of meetings with key people across the University and across the city. I also get to go on site and see crucial bits of landscaping and building work as it happens, which I really enjoy. I make sure we have pictures and progress reports that I can share with everyone who is affected by the work.

I cannot wait for the Green Heart to be completed. One of the things I am really looking forward to is seeing the water features when they are in place. The consultation with staff and students told us that there was a real desire to get moving water onto campus to create flow and relaxation on campus. Ultimately, I’m looking forward to seeing the space used and people gaining holistic benefit from it. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows.”

Hi everyone,

I’m Fiona Woolston and I am the Community Relations and Public Affairs Assistant at the University of Birmingham. My role is incredibly varied; one day I can be liaising with a local MP or community group, the next I can be creating University VR experiences or developing content for digital channels and publications. I am also responsible for many of the day-to-day communications for the Green Heart.

If you read this blog, follow us on Twitter, browse our website or have emailed our Green Heart email account, you have been communicating with myself. My role is to ensure that you are kept up-to-date with the latest Green Heart developments, and have the opportunity to get involved and shape your space; remember the Paving Poll? Have you had a look at our video yet, it was great fun to make!

I am really excited to see the Green Heart come alive over the next two years. I am most impressed by the effort to create a natural and environmentally friendly landscape; for both people and wildlife. I cannot wait to see 160 new trees planted on campus and the huge array of flowers that will blossom, and all the wildlife that those plants will attract. I hope the Green Heart will successfully attract hedgehogs (as intended) as I have never seen one in the wild.

“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?”

Hi everyone,

I’m Sam Williams and I am the Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Manager for major estates development projects on the University of Birmingham campus. And what could be more major than transforming 12 acres of land at the heart of a busy University campus?

Me and my colleagues in Communications and PR have been working hard to gather your feedback about the Green Heart in order to inform the plans; with the Green Heart Consultation Results released last week. We’re also pleased to share the latest project updates with you across our various communication channels including Twitter, our website and Intranet. We also organise Green Heart public engagement events and create resources so that you can get a better idea of what the Green Heart will be and get involved in its development.

The Green Heart project is hugely exciting and aims to bring numerous benefits to our campus community, transforming the experiences of our students, staff and visitors. I’m particularly excited about the new performance space! The surveys we ran told us that students, staff and visitors were all excited to enjoy outdoor performances of theatre, music and dance. So we’re planning a tiered grass auditorium to create a unique entertainment experience that’s free and open to all. I can’t wait to see the space bustling with activity in the sunshine in 2019!

The office robot probably won’t feature in the Green Heart