01/06/2026
Handsworth community champion Nina Hayr is set to receive a special honour from the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster PCC during national Volunteers' Week (June 1-7) 👏 👏
The 71-year-old grandmother, social worker of 26 years, and leader of the Friends of Friary StreetWatch group will be celebrated alongside fellow volunteers at a dedicated awards ceremony hosted at West Midlands Police's Tally Ho! Tactical Training Centre on June 2.
Nina founded the Friends of Friary StreetWatch group back in 2018 following an infuriating encounter with a stranger who illegally dumped his van on the pavement near her home, blocking her from walking past with her two young grandchildren 😤
Refusing to let lawlessness dictate the state of her neighbourhood, Nina took action. “I am passionate about keeping my area clean and tidy,” Nina explained. “I don’t like it when people don’t follow the law.”
Today, Nina leads a dedicated team of seven local residents who conduct hour-long patrols twice every month.
While the group routinely intercepts issues like fly-tipping, illegal parking, drug dealing and criminal damage, Nina’s team recently faced an ultimate test: saving a local resident’s life 💜
“We were on our usual patrol and doing a spot of litter picking when a woman approached us asking us to call her an ambulance,” Nina recalled. “She said, ‘I want to kill myself. Call me an ambulance. Please’. We did and she got the help she needed. I will never forget that. Whatever comes our way, we have to deal with it.”
The StreetWatch project is a massive community-led success across the region. In 2025, 838 dedicated volunteers participated in 131 active StreetWatch groups across the West Midlands, collectively contributing a staggering 7,140 hours of high-visibility patrols 🚶♀️ 🚶
Local residents over the age of 18 who are interested in improving their local area, deterring anti-social behaviour and working closely with local police can learn more and register to volunteer by visiting the OPCC StreetWatch Volunteer page: https://www.westmidlands-pcc.gov.uk/careers/volunteer/streetwatch/
