Video: Westside BID Blue Collar Breakfast celebrates the unsung heroes of the pandemic

Westside BID Blue Collar Breakfast is a special event celebrating many of the unsung heroes of the pandemic. The annual event is an opportunity to say a simple thank you to those workers who have kept our city going - especially during recent difficult times with the pandemic.

BirminghamWorld went along to meet the organisers to hear about this year’s event held earlier in December.

‘We’ve been supporting the Blue Collar Breakfast for 15 years’

Carl Russell, General Manager of Figure of Eight says: “For the last 15 years, we’ve hosted the West Side BID Blue Collar Breakfast. We’ve done this for over the years just to really welcome them. And obviously, with the open invite that they give us, we obviously happy to host them.”

‘It’s my favourite event of the year’

Elaine Weir, Business Liaison Manager for Westside BID says: “Well, what we normally do is we find out who our blue collar workers are in the area. And I just get a list together, and I’ll contact their bosses and just invite them along.

“And we’ve done that every year. And then I’ll walk down the street and actually speak to them directly, just to make sure that they’ve had the details and come along.

“They do a job that often goes unnoticed and unthanked and it’s that time of year when we get to just show them how much we appreciate them. Just give them something, just to make them smile make them happy. So it’s a lovely event - my favourite event of the year actually.”

‘It’s our way of saying thank you for getting Broad Street into the shape we want it to be’

Mike Olley, General Manager of Westside BID says: “The initial idea was sparked because we just felt that we were missing a trick, we were missing out on celebrating the people who actually did the work that we put the effort into - after all the clever people, if you like, who fashioned the designs and came up with the various procedures and processes they want.

“So we felt it was important, some 15/16 years ago to say thank you guys, thank you girls for helping out and getting Broad Street into the shape that we want it to be.

“And with that people are here today who are building the tram, we’ve had people out here who keep bringing the place nice and clean. We’ve had police officers out here, we’ve had people from all walks of life, this is an opportunity for them just to come together in a way and just sit down for an hour or so just just to receive a warm welcome.”

‘So often its the senior figures who get all the praise - it’s great to say thank you to the workers’

Carl Chin, Social Historian, says: “I’m delighted to be here this morning at the Figure of Eight to support the Westside BID in saying thank you to the workers. Because so often it’s the senior figures of any organisation they get all the praise and all the kudos.

“So for me, it’s very important to support Mike and Elaine and Louisa and all the others who want to say thank you to the men and women who really keep Broadstreet going,”

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