Share Your Number 11 Bus Stories
As part of Healing Arts Week, No.11 Arts is celebrating 100 years of Birmingham’s iconic Number 11 bus route through a creative community storytelling project.
The Number 11 is much more than a bus route. Connecting communities across Birmingham, it has been part of everyday life for generations, carrying people to work, school, appointments, family visits, and countless memorable moments. We are interested in exploring how the route has shaped local communities, wellbeing, identity, and connections between people and places.
We want your stories
We are currently collecting stories, memories, reflections, and creative responses from people who have a connection to the Number 11 route. Whether you have travelled on the bus for decades, have a memorable journey to share, or would simply like to reflect on what the route means to your community, we would love to hear from you.
Contributions can take many forms, including:
- Personal memories and stories
- Reflections on community and local identity
- Thoughts on health, wellbeing, and connection
- Poetry, songs, short pieces of writing, or other creative responses
Recordings are informal and conversational and will form part of a series of short audio pieces bringing together voices from across the Number 11 route.
The finished works will be shared through the OVERHEAR app, a location-based audio platform that connects stories to places. There is also the possibility of QR codes being installed along the route, allowing passengers and local residents to listen to the recordings and discover the stories of communities connected by Birmingham’s famous outer circle bus.
Get involved
If you would like to get involved or know an individual or community group that may be interested, please get in touch by the 22nd June 2026. We would be delighted to hear from you and help ensure that the voices and experiences of Birmingham’s communities are part of this centenary celebration.
To find out more or arrange a recording, please contact Sienna Curness at siennacurness@hotmail.com.
