Tower block living: We're not slum people

Meet Tamika, Sarah and Lamin who are trying to make 15 high-rise blocks in Birmingham a better place to live.

Filmed and produced by Cath Mackie, Ciara Redman and Louise Brierley

Drone footage and filming by Joe Barrett

Edited by Matthew Jinks

1 September 2018

A flock of flamingos inside a building after their enclosure was damaged in a storm

Zoo storm damage could cost 'hundreds of thousands of pounds'

The enclosure at Dudley Zoo was badly damaged during Storm Goretti.

Birmingham & Black Country

Can Karen Carney make Strictly final?

Karen Carney has become a star on BBC One Saturday nights.

Birmingham & Black Country

A man in a blue coat and blue jeans with a small brown dog next to a tree taking a photograph

'There's a weather photograph anywhere you can be proud of'

Damien Walmsley has been a BBC Weather Watcher for a decade.

Birmingham & Black Country

Fireworks exploding on a double-decker bus in Birmingham

Barrage of fireworks launched at bus

Police investigating a number of fireworks incidents in Birmingham say they have arrested 10 people.

Birmingham & Black Country

A young girl who has burn injuries on her face is speaking into a green microphone

Burns survivor covers 4,218.5 miles for hospital

Elizabeth endured severe burns as a six month old, and has since undergone more than 100 operations.

Birmingham & Black Country

A woman in a black t-shirt with blond hair taking photographs on a canal bridge

'I like to see something different every day'

Lisa Reynolds has been a BBC Weather Watcher for four years.

Birmingham & Black Country

Asylum seeker danced after Rhiannon Whyte's death, jurors told

Video shows alleged killer dancing after victim's death, trial told

Rhiannon Whyte was stabbed 23 times in an attack in October 2024

Birmingham & Black Country

Presenter Trish stands in front of a dance class with Ashley Banjo

Dance group Diversity open studio in Birmingham

Diversity, known for winning Britain's Got Talent in 2009, open a studio in the Jewellery Quarter.

Birmingham & Black Country

Aerial view of huge steel bridge structure being moved into place. The structure is sitting on two platforms with a large red crane next to it. There is a modern looking tower block just behind it. The railway is visible to the right and the roads, carrying traffic can be seen, including a roundabout to the far left. There are other buildings and trees in the background

Huge HS2 viaduct slid into place over M6

Timelapse footage captures the slow progress as the 3,200-tonne structure is installed.

Birmingham & Black Country

Three black mannequins sitting in school-style desks, dressed up in green and black clothes

Birmingham students showcase at London Fashion Week

The event gives students the chance to present their designs on one of the industry's biggest stages.

Birmingham & Black Country

Timelapse footage captures HS2 bridge move

The bridge, weighing 1,631 tonnes, will form part of the approach to the new Curzon Street station.

Birmingham & Black Country

The family of Ozzy Osbourne (left to right) Jack Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne

Sharon Osbourne and family look at Ozzy tributes in Birmingham

Sharon was seen crying as she laid flowers at a tribute for her late husband.

Birmingham & Black Country

Ozzy Osbourne stands on the street where he grew up, he is dressed in black and wearing blue tinted glasses. Behind him is the road sign, Lodge Road, and you can see terraced homes.

Archive footage shows Ozzy's childhood return

In 1995 BBC Midlands Today took Ozzy back to his Brummie roots to his old house and school in Aston.

Birmingham & Black Country

An arm is tattooed with art that says 'UK Birmingham'. A figure is holding a cross that says 'Ozzy'.

Black Sabbath fans get tattoos to mark farewell gig

Vivid Ink tattoo shop says demand for the Black Sabbath themed art was "unexpected".

Birmingham & Black Country

Ozzy Osbourne, who has long brown hair and heavy eye make-up, wears a black leather jacket while sat on a black gothic throne

Watch: Ozzy Osbourne sings Iron Man at Black Sabbath's final gig

Fans sing Iron Man with Ozzy Osbourne during what Black Sabbath says was its last gig.

Birmingham & Black Country

Two women wearing cycle helmets look at each other while wearing glasses. The lady on the left has a grey top on, the one on the right a blue top. Behind them is a park with green grass and trees.

'Age is no barrier to learning how to ride a bike'

Sam Sahdra has taught 200 women to ride a bike which gives her a "boost of happiness".

Birmingham & Black Country

A man and woman dressed in a suit and wedding dress and scuba gear, with a dozen other people dressed as wedding guests and equipped with scuba masks and air tanks

Scuba couple tie the knot under water

Adam and Amy Harper meet through their mutual love of scuba diving.

Birmingham & Black Country

Piles of black bin bags laying on street

Thick stench and piles of bin bags: Birmingham bin strikes five weeks on

Bin bags have continued to pile up in many areas and attract rats and other vermin as the strikes continue

Birmingham & Black Country

BBC reporter David Lumb standing in front of a mobile bin collection point

'The stench is thick in the air'

Birmingham residents say the bin strike has left the city looking like a "Third World country".

Birmingham & Black Country

Sarah Julian kneeling down next to a huge pile of rubbish, pointing towards the middle of the pile

'Furious' Birmingham residents say 'no-one is listening' as rubbish pile grows

BBC reporter Sarah Julian is in Bordesley Green, Birmingham, as a mountain of rubbish containing cat litter and teeth marks continues to build.

Birmingham & Black Country