r/brum

Hi,
we’re four guys, and we’ve put together Westminster’s restaurant scene in an app called Vota. The concept is simple: you see two places side by side (for example Famille vs. Kachina Southwestern Grill), you choose the place you’d rather go to, and the ranking updates instantly. The more people vote, the more accurate the list gets over time. There are still a few duplicates here and there, but I’m continuously cleaning up the data.

Here’s the iPhone version, with categories that actually fit Westminster’s food scene:
https://apps.apple.com/app/vota-restaurant-ratings/id6744969212

And here’s the Android version (finally live):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.vota.app

P.S. I’m not from Westminster (I live in Gothenburg). I’m not collecting data, not selling anything, and the app does not use AI-generated content. I’m posting in a few different subreddits because we now support more regions, and I genuinely want honest feedback from people who actually know the area.

For this artpiece I decided to imbue some expressionist elements, mostly within the figures and the foreground, as I had thoroughly enjoyed depicting people in such a manner for a previous college project. And I have also combined the expressionist elements with my regular tight compositions and far more detail focused cityscape paintings.

I hope you enjoy the combination :)

Title of Artwork : “Centre City”

Medium : Acrylic on Board

If you’d like to see more artworks like this or fancy commissioning a painting feel free to visit my Instagram account in my bio :)

I'm cleaning local areas if I have some spare time. Each time travelers come and go from our park I go to clean it up too as they leave piles or garbage for wind to blow. I went there yesterday a few hours after they left and there were loose dogs running about. Sad story but they were taken care of by the locals.

There is a Chinese on the Stratford road in Shirley that has been there for as long as I can remember - but also it hasn’t been open in probably 20 years!! I’m pretty sure I remember going in a few times as a child because my grandparents live really close by, but since probably about 2007/08 it’s been closed.
The floor is scattered with letters, the curtains have always been open, the sofas that were there 20 years ago still remain… but there’s nobody there!
The upstairs flat seems to have been taken over by pigeons too!

I’ve moved away from the area and I only go back a few times a year, but I looked on google maps and saw that in 2024 the curtains were drawn - signs of life🫪

The photos show 2008, 2015, 2022 and 2024.

Does anyone know anything more about this place?

Last Thursday me and my family lost our whole house to the fires in Birmingham. We have two young children and they are struggling aswell but honestly they are the reason I'm still here, as I lost my dad in March and my nan the night after the fire, 2026 is really testing me!

We did have house and contents insurance and currently dealing with them, they are looking to rehouse us as the house has been determined inhabitable and needs to be demolished, but they are only offering unsuitable travellodge or place in Wolverhampton which is no good for work and once the kids go back to school.

We have contacted water who have closed our account and council won't do anything about council tax until we have policy number which was in the house.

We just don't know what the next steps are or what to do? Can anyone share some advice please