Description:Text: Malcolm Dick
In 1985 Handsworth was the most deprived district in Birmingham and among the most deprived 10% in England and Wales. Deprivation, according to the Department of the Environment was represented by six indicators: unemployment, overcrowding, households lacking the exclusive use of basic amenities, single-parent households, pensioners living alone and families of ethnic origin. 70% of Handsworth people came within these categories. Its male unemployment rate was 46%. The clear evidence of deprivation focused people’s minds. Development plans and the injection of money to improve the environment led to a physical enhancement in much of the area. Leisure centres were built, training and job opportunities were created and initiatives by local communities and individuals were encouraged. The opening of Matthew Boulton’s Soho House as a Museum commemorated Handsworth’s contribution to science, industry and technology. The Handsworth Carnival became an important celebration of the area, including the creative contribution of the Caribbean to music, dance and textile design.
Police training included learning more about local cultures and an increasing proportion of individuals from minority communities were recruited. New building at Handsworth College enhanced educational opportunities. The creation of the Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha Gurdwara provided the Soho Road with a distinguished major landmark. Local people were recognised for their achievements, amongst them Esmé Lancaster, who was awarded an MBE in 2000 for her role in the Young Mothers’ Relief Association. Handsworth’s image began to change and more importantly, the lives of many of its local people improved. By 2001, unemployment had fallen to 21%, higher than the Birmingham and national figures but better than the situation fifteen years before.
See Sources and Further Reading:
Murphy, Tale for Two Cities…
www.birmingham.org.uk (A-Z list, Census 2001, Handsworth)
(photograph shows Soho House hosting community activities for the Digital Handsworth Project launch)