From West Midlands Ambulance Service:

A motorcyclist has been rushed to hospital after he was in collision with a car in Birmingham.

The collision happened outside a charity shop near the junction of Bristol Road South and Rochester Road in the Northfield area.

An ambulance and a rapid response vehicle were sent to the scene after a number of 999 emergency calls at about 5.20pm (Monday).

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “When ambulance staff arrived they found a car that had damage to the bonnet and windscreen.

“The rider of the motorcycle, a 22 year old local man had suffered multiple injuries to his shoulder, pelvis and wrist.

“He was immobilised before being taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham on blue lights.

“The driver of the car, a man, was uninjured.”

 Ambulance in Motion by Benjamin Ellis on Flickr

Update: If you didn’t make this workshop, there is a second chance for you to take part. Emma and Elaine will be holding a similar free workshop in Frankley Library on Wednesday 29th February between 12 – 3 pm . Thanks to Marion Chute from Frankley Library for the info. 

From Emma Bowen, Ikon Gallery. FREE Workshop TOMORROW as part of Birmingham City Council’s Arts Champions scheme:

Join Emma from the Ikon Gallery and Elaine the cellist from Birmingham Contemporary Music Group for an afternoon of drawing to music on Tuesday 21 February at Allens Cross Community Centre 12-2pm. The afternoon is FREE and everyone is welcome, so bring your friends and family along to listen to this incredible artist and get creative in the process.

For more info please call Emma on 0121 248 0708.

Allens Cross Community Centre,
Tinkers Farm Road, B31 1RH

Image by Paul Conneally on Flickr | Click for original

West Midlands Police have arrested two men after a man suffered serious head injuries at  Masshouse Private Members Club on Sisefield Road in Walkers Heath on Saturday.

The 42 year old man is still in hospital in a critical but stable condition following the incident at around 1am on Saturday  (18th February).

A 25-year-old man was arrested and has been charged with section 18 wounding. He was remanded in custody to appear at Birmingham Magistrates this morning (Mon 20th February).

Last night a second man, aged 26, was also arrested on suspicion of assault. He remains in custody where he continues to help police with their enquiries.

UPDATE 21st February: The second man has now been charged with grievous bodily harm and remanded in custody to appear at Birmingham Magistrates this morning (21 Feb).

Officers are appealing for witnesses to the incident. If anyone has any information which may be relevant to the investigation they are urged to contact Detective Inspector Harrison at Force CID on 101 or independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

—

Read more:

Man suffers serious head injuries outside Kings Norton club

Alvechurch C of E Middle School website

A man has died and several passengers injured following a coach crash near Reims in Northern France in the early hours of Sunday (19th February) morning.

The coach was one of two returning pupils from Alvechurch Church of England Middle School, Birmingham Road, Alvechurch from a half term skiing trip along with other tour passengers.

According to the BBC News website, “Local sources said the dead man was aged 61. Five people were seriously injured and 22 suffered minor injuries after the coach left the motorway.”

People worried about family and friends can contact the Foreign Office helpline for information:  0207 008 1500.

——

UPDATED 17:50 

The family of teacher Peter  Rippington, who died in the crash, have issued a statement via the Foreign & Commonwealth Office:

“We ask that our privacy is respected and that we are left to grieve with our friends and family. We, as a family, are devastated at the tragic loss of Peter, a wonderful husband, father, son, brother, son-in-law, brother-in-law, uncle, friend and teacher.

“We are still extremely concerned about the health of his wife, Sharon, who was injured and is still recovering in hospital in France. Sharon is accompanied by her daughter Amy, who escaped the incident with minor injuries.

“Until they are safely home we ask that our privacy is respected and that we are left to grieve with our friends and family.”

Several other passengers

West Mercia Police and Worcestershire County Council have issued a joint statement regarding the incident. Both are working with Alvechurch Middle School to provide support. 

Superintendent Steve Cullen said: “This is a very sad incident and I want to express our sympathy to all those affected by the crash.

“I also want to reassure local people that we are doing all we can to help and support the families of the children and members of staff involved. Specially trained family liaison officers have been put in place at the school and a dedicated support team of experienced officers are liaising with the FCO.

“Local policing officers from the Alvechurch area are also on the ground and supporting the school and local residents in any way they can.”

Cllr Liz Eyre, Lead Member for Children’s Services said: “We are shocked and saddened about the accident early this morning.  Our thoughts are with those involved and their families.

“The County Council’s Crisis Support team are working closely with the school to provide support and advice to the parents, carers and of course the passengers returning back from the school trip.”

The school is planning to open tomorrow, where teachers and specially trained staff will continue to provide support to those affected.

Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said: ““Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with everyone involved in or affected by the tragic coach crash in Northern France earlier today. The French authorities are investigating the accident and we are working closely with them.”

Nine people remain in hospital, including one girl from the Alvechurch school who is in a coma in a hospital in Paris. Her friends have been asking Twitter users to #PrayforSuzie

People worried about family and friends can contact the Foreign Office helpline for information:  0207 008 1500.

Messages of support are being shared on twitter using the #RIPMrRippington and #prayforsuzie hashtags

B31 Voices extends best wishes to anyone involved in the incident, their families and their friends and anyone who has been affected.

——

Read more about the accident on:

Foreign & Commonwealth Office website

BBC News website

BRMB website

Birmingham Mail

Birmingham Post

Image by Paul Conneally on Flickr | Click for original

Police were yesterday appealing for information from witnesses to an incident which happened in the early hours of Saturday (18th February) morning outside a Kings Norton club.

A man was discovered with serious head injuries outside the Masshouse Private Members Club, Sisefield Road in Walkers Heath.

One man has been arrested in connection with the incident and is helping police with their enquiries.

If anyone has any information which may be relevant, they are urged to contact Det Insp Harrison at Force CID on 0345 113 5000 or independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Fire crews from Kings Norton and Northfield stations were called to an accident in Middleton Hall Road, Kings Norton just after 3pm yesterday (Wednesday 15th February).

A female casualty was trapped in a car following a collision with a refuse lorry. Fire crews removed the roof of the car before  the casualty was transferred to hospital by ambulance.

West Midlands Fire Service, West Midlands Ambulance Service and West Midlands Police were all in attendance.

It had been reported on twitter that there was an accident in the area.

Image by Ian Britton on Flickr

Oli Smith | image copyright West Midlands Police

A 23 year old man will appear in court in Birmingham today charged with the murder of 23 year old Oliver “Oli” Smith from Kings Norton.

Oli died in hospital on Sunday following a single stab wound to the chest. A 23 year old man was arrested following the incident in Larkhill Walk, Druids Heath. He has not yet been named by West Midlands Police.

Read more:

All posts tagged with “Oli Smith”

There are two fun events over the next few days to provide half term entertainment for youngsters.

On Thursday 16th February from 10.30am there will be a fun event, sponsored by Cadbury, at Frankley Library. The event will consist of team games and will suit children aged 8 and over.

Saturday 18th February sees a Table Football Knockout Competition at Frankley Community Leisure Centre between 11 – 3pm.

For more information call Frankley Library on 0121 464 7676 

Image by Rik Lomas on Flickr - click for original

West Midlands Police have today released the name of the man who died as a result of a stabbing incident in Larkhill Walk, Druids Heath on Sunday (12th February).

The victim has been named as Oliver “Oli” Smith, a 23 year old man from Sisefield Road in Kings Norton. 

Oli’s family paid tribute to him: “Oli was a loving father and son, tragically taken from us. He will always be missed and never forgotten”

23 year old Oli Smith died following a single stab wound | image copyright West Midlands Police

Following the incident, Oli was taken to hospital by paramedics but died later in hospital. A forensic post-mortem revealed that he died as a result of a single stab wound to the chest.

A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He remains in custody helping police with enquiries after detectives were granted a warrant of further detention yesterday afternoon (Tuesday 14 February).

Detective Inspector Shelly Reynolds, who is leading the investigation, said: “We want to ensure that the person responsible is brought to justice so I would still ask anybody who witnessed the incident or has any information that might help us to get in touch as soon as possible.”

Anybody who witnessed the incident is asked to contact Force CID in Harborne on the non-emergency 101 number. Alternatively call independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

—

Read more:

Murder investigation launched following Druids Heath death

From West Midlands Police:

Residents around Weoley Ward are being offered free security marking for their bicycles by the local neighbourhood team.

Officers have organised three marking sessions, where people can bring along their bike and have it marked for free.

The security marking only takes minutes and involves engraving the owner’s postcode and house number on the bike, then protecting the marking with a layer of lacquer.

The sessions are being held at the Shenley Community Police Base, 9 Shenley Green, Shenley Lane, B29 4HH on:

• Tuesday 14 February 11am – 1pm
• Thursday 16 February 11am -1 pm
• Friday 17 February 4pm – 6pm

PCSO Sarah Swift is helping to co-ordinate the bike marking, she said: “This is an idea opportunity for local people to get their bikes marked, especially if they have had a new bicycle for Christmas.

“It is completely free, only takes a few minutes and you don’t need to make an appointment.

“Not only does property marking deter thefts, but if a bike is stolen it will help us locate it and return it to its rightful owner.”

For further information about the bike marking sessions or for crime prevention advice please contact your local neighbourhood team on 101. Alternatively you can visit www.birminghamsouthpolice.org.uk or follow them on twitter

Image by Michael Lokner on Flickr | Click for original

Press release from West Midlands Police:

Police have launched a murder enquiry after a man was found injured in the Druids Heath area of Birmingham yesterday afternoon (Sunday 12 February).

Officers were called to Larkhill Walk at around 2pm by the ambulance service.

A 23-year-old man was found in the street and was taken to hospital where he later died. He is not being identified at this stage.

A forensic post-mortem took place this morning and revealed that he died as a result of a single stab wound to the chest.

A 23-year-old was arrested in the early hours of this morning on suspicion of murder and is currently in custody helping detectives with their enquiries.

An area of Larkhill Road has been cordoned off as well as an address in Stonehenge Croft.

Anyone who thinks they have any information which could help the investigation should call Force CID in Harborne on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

by Ian Britton on Flickr | Click for original

Many people love the idea of spending a romantic evening with their beloved on Valentine’s Day. On the other hand, some people just hate the whole cheesy idea of it. And what to do if you’re single?!

This year, there could be an answer! A special “Escape the Cheese” event is to be held this Tuesday evening, all in aid of the Northfield Orchards project.

We asked Tim and Rachna to tell us more:

B31 Voices: Why?!

Rachna: I just don’t like Valentine’s day. I’ve never been a fan of flowers and big pink hearts, but I especially never liked the way Valentines makes people feel inadequate or bad if they don’t celebrate it in some way. So, when Tim was looking for someone to help him organise an alternative Valentine’s day event I jumped at the chance to help out.

Tim: I’m a bit of a romantic myself, but Valentine’s has never really worked for me. It all feels a bit too artificial. So I thought: let’s get people together on the 14th, but let’s do something different.

B31 Voices: Why “Escape the Cheese”?

Rachna: We were in the initial planning stages of the event and we’d been pulling together all the ideas of things we didn’t want our event to be and everything we came up with was all the usual red hearts and flowers. So once we had our list of what we wanted to avoid, with cheese in big letters, we just had to come up with a name. All the names that came to mind at first were really cheesy so I just started to think “How can we avoid the cheese? How can we escape it?” and there you go.

B31 Voices: Why Northfield Orchard as beneficiary?

Tim: We really wanted to raise money for a good local project – something where people could see the difference on their doorsteps. So we asked a few people for ideas and the Northfield Orchards project was our favourite. We really like the idea of fruit trees springing up all around Birmingham!

You can join Rachna and Tim and other like-minded people on Tuesday 14th February, 6.30 – 8.30pm, Urban Coffee Company, Church Street , B3 2NP  

Tickets: £2 (booked in advance via Eventbrite) or £3 if you just turn up. (18+ only)

The night combines good company with live music from ragtime blues good-timers The Mellow Peaches, spoken word and a raffle with fantastic prizes from companies like Lush and Birmingham’s Electric Cinema (see the Facebook page for a peek).

All to raise money for the Northfield Orchards project to plant trees which will one day grow into local orchards.

Read More:

Northfield Orchards project 

Escape the Cheese on facebook

Escape the Cheese on twitter

Venue: Urban Coffee Company

Image by Len Matthews on Flickr - click for original

More local residents are experiencing new problems with their refuse collections.

An anonymous resident of Nuthurst Road, off Groveley Lane in Longbridge, contacted B31 Voices a few days ago concerned about the changes in collection dates recently implemented by Birmingham City Council.

She wrote:

“I live in B31 and the council have changed all our refuse collection dates. Around my area our refuse and recycling is collected on a Monday. They’ve now moved it to a Friday. Their leaflet wasn’t clear, and said that “your collections will remain unchanged until 6 February and will then be as follows…. (Friday 10th)

It wasn’t clear if a normal collection would be done on Monday 6th or not. Even I was confused and most people put their bags out as normal for a Monday collection. There wasn’t.. The pavements and grass verges are covered in refuse bin bags and recycling boxes. Obviously residents are too dim to take their bags back in again but even if the bin men do turn up on Friday (doubtful if snow is forecast) recycling still won’t be collected until 17 February. There’s rubbish everywhere already, it’s an absolute disgrace. The area is an eyesore.

We have loads of problems here with missed collections, bin men dropping rubbish and then not picking it up, bin men blocking the roads with piles of bin bags they’ve collected. Most of us have had about enough of the rotten service we get…”
Longbridge councillor Ian Cruise also contacted us yesterday about this same problem.

Cllr Cruise said: “I have been in touch with fleet and waste management about the change of days of refuse collection. Many residents in the ward have not had the info leaflet through the door.”

The Nuthurst Road resident has contacted us again today saying that a collection has been made today, but not the bags were taken and some of the closes off Nuthurst Road were missed altogether.

If you are having any problems with refuse collection since the change of collection days, let us know below.

You can also address your concerns to Councillor Cruise by emailing him on Ian.Cruise@birmingham.gov.uk

Press release from Amey -

Northfield youngsters who faced being left without a place to play are smiling again after potholes in their playground were repaired by Amey employees – including one who had kicked a ball around on the very same surface almost 45 years previously.

The playground at Meadows Primary School had developed a number of potholes which meant the surface was not especially conducive to ball games, while puddles formed after rain took a long time to drain. Meadows governor, Ken Wood and the school’s business manager Cheryl Goode decided something needed to be done to repair the surface before it became too much of a problem – and asked Amey, who work in partnership with Birmingham City Council to maintain the roads in the city, if they could assist.

When account director Richard Fryer heard of the plea for help, he realised it was the same school that had come to his rescue and looked after him for several weeks in 1967 when he went to stay with his older sister nearby as both his parents were in hospital. He was delighted to finally be able to repay the favour and help today’s generation of pupils.

He said: “I have fond memories of my time at Meadows, and so I was only too happy for our staff to see what they could do for the school. I hope the pupils will enjoy the playground now and leave the school with plenty of happy memories too.”

A team of employees from Amey, led by construction manager Mick Flanagan, spent two days at the school patching up the playground, at no charge to the school, using an infrared repair method which recycled the asphalt already in place on the ground by heating it to create a smooth surface.

The team also removed some large imitation pencils which were dividing the ball games area in two and making it difficult for full sized games to take place. Cheryl said: “The state of the playground before meant that it was difficult to do all of the activities we wanted to – not to mention the big puddles we would get after rain. But thanks to Amey, we now have a lovely smooth surface which is much better for playing ball games. We’re really grateful to them for their hard work – it’s made a big difference.”

Councillor Ken Wood added: “We had no idea of Richard’s link to the school when we asked if Amey could help out – but it was a lovely coincidence and made it seem even more appropriate to join forces to repair the surface. We were delighted that they were so willing to assist us.”

(Left – right ) - Cheryl Goode, business manager at Meadows School, Mick Flanagan, construction manager at Amey, Joanne Shore, Amey depot manager, Meadows governor Ken Wood, Richard Fryer, Amey account director, and nine-year-old Rebecca Goode watch on as Caleb Philpott, ten, tries out the new playground surface.

Birmingham City Council have today announced that they have achieved a freeze in council tax for another year as they outlined budget spending cut proposals.

As part of a government offer, councils were offered a grant from central government to the value of around a 2.5% rise in council tax. To receive the grant, aimed at encouraging and assisting councils to help reduce budgets and contribute to the national deficit, the city council had to work out ways to reduce its spending by a further £69 million in the financial year 2012/2013.

As part of their budget review, Birmingham City Council encouraged residents across the city to participate in a public consultation which ran from October last year until early January 2012. 87% of responders to the public budget consultation supported a freeze in council tax.

Today, council leaders have announced that, following the results of the consultation, the budget spending cuts will be met and council tax for 2012/13 will see no increase.

The two main areas of spending cuts will be in the Adults and Communities directorate with a cut of almost £30 million and the Children, Young People and Families directorate with a reduction of around £22.5 million.

The reduced budget for CYPF includes a cut of £5.3 million to children’s centre provision and £4 million from the Connexions youth advisory service. Three of the city’s six Connexions offices have already closed and the Northfield and Yardley branches are now threatened, which will leave just one central office for the whole city.

The consultation saw 3000 responses including nearly 1500 completing an online survey, almost 400 attending public meetings and around 550 individual written responses.

In their budget review for 2012/13, due to be presented to full council on Monday (February 13th 2012), Birmingham City Council will reveal where savings will be made. Council leaders claim that modern, efficient services will make the best possible use of taxpayer money.

Cllr Mike Whitby, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “The nation still faces an unprecedented financial challenge as efforts to tackle the structural deficit continue, and Birmingham will play its full part in meeting the challenge head on.

“But we are also mindful that we have to deliver the best possible services to a city of a million people – it is massive task but we are presenting a budget that protects the vulnerable, encourages investment, improves job prospects and makes sure that Birmingham continues to be a clean, green and safe city.

“Our zero per cent Council Tax increase – delivered now for the second year in a row – in particular protects those on low and fixed incomes, pensioners and the vulnerable. For all Birmingham people this will mean, effectively, more money in their pockets to spend on their priorities.

“Our plans for the year ahead build on ensuring Birmingham is a regional centre of growth. We have a proud history of innovation, entrepreneurship and resilience in times of hardship, and the budget for the year ahead will ensure the city is in the best possible position for this to continue.”

Cllr Paul Tilsley, Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council, added: “Drawing up a budget in such challenging times is not an easy task, but the savings we need to make next year are comparable with what we expected when we set our last budget 12 months ago.

“But by staging the most extensive period of budget consultation ever undertaken in Birmingham, we have sought to identify the things that people value the most, and present a package of proposals that best serves those needs and wishes.

“As a result it is hugely encouraging that our four key priorities have attracted overwhelming public support and that we have been able to assemble a package of savings and efficiencies which do not resort to drastic measures, as experienced elsewhere in the public sector.

“Put simply, the city will continue to be provided with quality services. The eligibility criteria for receiving adult social care will remain the same, bins will still be emptied weekly and no libraries are to be closed – indeed the new Library of Birmingham will be completed in 2013.

“In addition, leisure centres and swimming baths will remain open, roads will continue to be repaired and children will still be educated at our schools.”

Labour candidate for Longbridge Jess Phillips said: “I am flabbergasted by the statement from Cllr Tilsley that the consultations “sought to identify the things that people value the most, and present a package of proposals that best serves those needs and wishes”. This in no way represents the budget consultation event that I attended where the public were angered at the suggestion that they should pick which services mattered least to them. I witnessed extreme anger at the suggestion that a mother fighting for her children centre should be asked to suggest cuts from services to vulnerable elderly people to protect the thing she cared about. The idea that there was any level of “overwhelming public support” at these consultations, suggests to me that Cllr Tilsley and Cllr Whitby think what amounts to an angry bun-fight and a dissatisfied and emotional audience is how we, their citizens give them the thumbs up. I suppose it is difficult for them to judge if an angry mob is in fact a happy compliant audience as I do not recall their attendance at these meetings.

“I went along to the consultation hoping it would be an opportunity to talk about innovative ideas of how to retain services with new approaches, but what actually happened was we were presented with a series of suggested cuts and asked to pick what mattered to us. Birmingham City Council undoubtedly faces difficult decisions and national governement cuts to budgets that we would all prefer did not have to happen, but, from the consultation that I attended, it is grossly misleading to suggest that the mandate for these cuts came from the people.The Tory led coalition council should take responsibility for where the axe will fall and not suggest that they listened to us.” she said.

Jess added: “Birmingham City Council had a real opportunity to co-design services and hear from services users, residents and citizens about what needed to change and what they could or could not live without, instead they asked us to rob services from our neighbours for our own benefit, it was a shambles!”

Read more from the Birmingham City Council newsroom

The Council House, Birmingham by Rick Harrison on Flickr | Click for original

Press release from West Midlands Police:

Gavin Gibson | image copyright West Midlands Police

A LONGBRIDGE man is beginning a two and a half year jail term after admitting handling stolen goods and the possession of drugs.

On the evening of Monday 13 June 2011 officers on patrol in Longbridge stopped a red Honda Civic on Central Avenue after they spotted the driver acting suspiciously.

Whilst speaking to the driver, officers noticed a strong smell of cannabis coming from inside the car and a subsequent search revealed a quantity of heroin and cannabis.

The driver, 31-year-old local man Gavin Gibson, was arrested for the possession of drugs.

As a result of the arrest and further intelligence work, officers then searched Gibson’s home address at The Doweries, Rubery. During the search numerous items of stolen property were recovered included laptops, game consoles and a thermal imaging camera. A substantial quantity of cannabis was also found, along with a large amount of cash.

Further investigation work revealed that the camera, worth over £50,000, had been stolen in a burglary from Birmingham University in July 2010.

Gibson appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday 7 February 2012 and pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods and possession of class A and class B drugs. The judge handed down a 30 month sentence.

Commenting on the sentencing, PC Danny Wilson from the Local Priority Team at Bournville police station, said: “Thanks to fantastic work by local officers and a thorough investigation, a man who profited off the misery of others has now been taken off our streets.

“We hope that this substantial sentence sends out a clear message to the community that crime in any form does not pay, and that we will continue to target those individuals who feel they can carry out these type of offences”

Anyone with concerns about drugs or crime in their community is urged to
ring 101, or call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

You can also keep up to date with the latest news and appeals from South Birmingham by visiting www.birminghamsouthpolice.org.uk or by following officers on twitter www.twitter.com/bhamsouthpolice

Luke Dolan lives in Rubery. He blogs and is a member of The Black Bears. Here he shares his thoughts on the Lickey Hills and their importance in his life.

Lickey Hills - Woods | basegreen on Flickr | click for original

Many of my earliest memories are in someway connected to The Lickey Hills. I eventually knew them like the back of my hand and could, with painstaking detail, tell you where the “100 steps” could be found (though the number was somewhere closer to 127 as we always made a point of counting on our assent), how best to tackle the muddy path that ran adjacent to the golf course or the exact tree JRR Tolkien would sit under and create his own world of good and evil that would captivate many people for years to come.  There is little wonder why people have found it a place of great peace and a constant source of inspiration.

I often find my self being captured most readily by literature that best describes the English countryside because I know, to an extent, that  I have witnessed the beauty first hand. We would run in sun bathed fields through to shaded trees all in an attempt to spot more rabbits than the evening before (25 was the record). All of this to a sound track of bird song and voices in the distance, perhaps doing the exact same thing.

I also took great interest in the man made ponds that were dotted around The Lickeys. The smaller and more obscure ponds had succumb to the creeping ravages of nature and time and were now the occasional drinking area for foxes rather than the place to spend idling Sundays for Victorian well to do people that I imagined lounging around them in the summers of the past. The duck pond was also a favourite of mine, but not for the ducks. Much more interesting guests included the heron that would occasionally stalk the waters or the large carp that would calmly blow bubbles and if you were lucky, let their large browny green backs break the water’s surface, but only momentarily, to give you just a fleeting glimpse of their identity.

Lickey Hills in spring | Sas Taylor on Flickr

Though the ponds served testament to it’s short term man made history, the hills themselves showed the true power of nature. Around the time “Walking with Dinosaurs” came out on television I, like many other kids, became passionate about these prehistoric beasts, of course my father would revel in showing us the fern bushes that litter the hills, a direct link to the time of T-Rex. The most special of the many routes to the visitor centre was the most challenging, a breathless march to the top of a hill. At the top you were greeted by two things; a bench and the valley. Who ever placed the bench so strategically must have been aware of both the walk to the bench and the view it gave. The valley was stunning. It was due to a glacier that had spent thousands of years slowly carving it’s way through the landscape inch by inch. Though the feat of such a thing has only really impacted me in later years I was still aware that I was witnessing the aftermath of something special. There was something much more exciting along the way, however, the play area.

Though I don’t visit those ancient hills as much as I used to, I still think about them. Recently the whole family went to scatter the ashes of my grandfather who, like my parents had with me, had taken his kids out and given them a world of memories and joy. It served as a constant reminder of the generations of people and their families those hills have silently bared witness too. As the ashes were taken by the wind and blown away we were served by perhaps the most striking view of all, Birmingham city, a city which we had all invested a part of our lives into.

Peace

Luke Dolan

What do the Lickey Hills mean to you? Where’s your favourite spot? Let us know in the comments below!

You can visit Luke Dolan’s regular blog site at http://lukedolan.wordpress.com/ as well as his band’s website at http://www.blackbearsonline.com/

Man at Sunset | Beacon Hill | Fiona Cullinan on Flickr | Click for original

Siôn Simon visiting traders at threatened Birmingham Wholesale Markets today

In May of this year, the eleven largest cities in the country will be given the opportunity to vote in a referendum on having an elected mayor. Potentially, elected mayors can make a greater contribution to achieving successful economic, social and environmental outcomes in their cities.

Before the referendum, we will be asking a number of local politicians for their views on the proposals to have an elected mayor for the city of Birmingham.

We asked former Erdington MP for Labour Siôn Simon, who supports the Yes to a Birmingham Mayor campaign, to introduce us to the idea and to tell us his views.

—–

B31 Voices: Why is this issue being raised at this time?

Siôn Simon: Because on 3 May, just a few short months away, there will be a referendum.
Voters will be asked:

“How would you like Birmingham to be run?
By a leader who is an elected councillor chosen by a vote of the other elected councillors. This is how the council is run now.
Or by a mayor who is elected by voters. This would be a change from how the council is run now.”

B31 Voices: How would Birmingham benefit from having an elected mayor?

Siôn Simon: When Advantage West Midlands was wound up last year, the Government took back all of its property and assets. However, in London they got to keep the assets of their equivalent organisation. And that’s because nobody stood up for us here, but in London the elected Mayor didn’t let the Government get away with it.

Growing up and going to school here, battling with the council bureaucracy as a Birmingham MP and as a citizen, I’ve seen how the current system lets us down: employment, skills and literacy, economic growth, life expectancy, social services, housing – all areas in which we under-achieve compared to other British cities. Just last month (Jan) a new report showed that two different parts of Birmingham have the highest levels of child poverty in the UK.

We are being let down by the council, which doesn’t work, and national Government, which doesn’t care. We need change. We need stronger leadership and we need solutions that work for Birmingham made here in Birmingham, not in London.

We’re starting to see that national Government is more likely to hand over powers, that’s both decisions and budgets, to cities with an elected Mayor.

But even without those powers, the transformational change is about having someone who was chosen by the people of Birmingham to represent them and to stand up for our city. An elected Mayor is an instantly recognised person, and their job it is to provide strong leadership. How many people in Birmingham can name the leader of the council or the chief executive?

The elected Mayor must take responsibility, instead of hiding behind layers of bureaucracy. They must be able to bring people together to get things done, even knock heads together when it’s for the benefit of the people of Birmingham. Being elected by the people gives a Mayor the mandate to take action on behalf of our city. They are responsible to the people, rather than a few dozen councillors, which means greater transparency and accountability. If they don’t do a good job, they’ll be kicked out at the next election.

B31 Voices: What powers would the mayor have? Would powers be taken away from elected councillors, especially cabinet members?

Siôn Simon: I’ve spent the last 18 months talking to thousands of Brummies about their hopes for our city. Many have said that not only would an elected Mayor need to do a much better job than the council, but that they would need extra powers too.

The Government held a consultation at the end of last year about the power elected Mayors should have. I submitted a 20 page response. You can read that, or the four-page summary, here.

I argued that many of the powers and budgets that currently lie with the national Government and other agencies in London, from the DWP, to housing, transport and the Arts Council, must be devolved here to Birmingham. I believe that solutions that work for Birmingham should be invented here in Birmingham.

But, as I said, it’s not just about the formal powers, but the informal powers that a Mayor has from being elected by the people. And a good, confident Mayor will trust the people of this city and push out power to them and their communities. This would lead to an enhanced role for city councillors, who understand the needs of the communities they serve.

Councillors must also have a much stronger scrutiny role in a Mayoral system than they currently have.

There is no proposal to reduce the number of councillors. It is a myth.

B31 Voices: What about the costs?

a) Of a referendum

Siôn Simon: Referendums will be held in 11 English cities on the same date as the local elections. The estimated cost in Birmingham is £322,000, which will come from central Government. (Localism Bill .pdf)

b) Would the mayor be salaried?

Siôn Simon: Yes.

c) Of reorganisation?

Siôn Simon: This would depend on how the elected Mayor organises the new administration. If I were the elected Mayor I would remove the role of the chief executive and guarantee that administration costs would be lower over the term than under the current system.

B31 Voices: What would be the process for selecting candidates?

Siôn Simon: Within Labour it will be a one member one vote postal ballot of all members of the Labour party in Birmingham. Other parties will select their candidates according to their rules, and independent candidates may also chose to stand.

B31 Voices: How long would the term of office be for the mayor?

Siôn Simon: Four years.

B31 Voices: If the public voted Yes to an elected mayor, when would the first election be?

Siôn Simon: 15 November.

B31 Voices: Will you be standing to be mayor yourself and why?

Siôn Simon: Yes, but this isn’t the time to talk about candidates. Now is the time to talk about the difference an elected Mayor could make in Birmingham and why people should vote yes in a referendum. I stood down as the Labour MP for Erdington in 2010 specifically to campaign for Birmingham to have an elected Mayor. It was my experience as an MP and Minister that lead me to realise that we need change in our city. And since stepping down, over 18 months ago, I’ve devoted my time to meeting thousands of individuals, stakeholders and businesses to find out what people want from an elected Mayor. I believe that 2012 will be an historic year for our city.

Many thanks to Siôn for answering our questions and providing a comprehensive insight into what an elected mayor might bring to Birmingham and how the system would work.

Would you like to see an elected mayor in Birmingham? Are you happy with the way things are run now? We’d love to hear your views.

—–

Read more:

Siôn Simon

Localism Bill .pdf

Yes to a Birmingham Mayor campaign

The ‘No’ campaign - “Vote No to a Power Freak”

Cory Youlden | Courtesy West Mercia Police

A man was today convicted for the murder of Rubery pensioner Paul Cox during a burglary at his home.

83 year old Mr Cox was discovered dead in his home in Waseley Road, Rubery Rednal on 3rd June 2011. His car, a Ford Focus, was stolen from his driveway and police appealed for sightings of the car in a bid to find the murderer. It was eventually found in Erdington after being set alight two days later.

Although admitting burgling the house and stealing Mr Cox’s car, Cory Youlden, aged 23 & formerly of Hagley Road, Birmingham, had previously denied the murder. Today he appeared before Worcester Crown Court where he changed his plea to guilty, admitting to the murder of Mr Cox.

Judge Robert Juckes QC adjourned sentencing until 27 February at Worcester Crown Court for the preparation of reports.

Mr Cox, who lived alone, was attacked by Youlden during the burglary and died as a result. The grandfather-of-two was found dead by police who were called to the scene by a concerned neighbour.

After today’s court hearing Detective Chief Inspector Paul Williamson of West Mercia Police said: “Elderly people are among the most vulnerable members of society and Mr Cox was just days short of his 84^th birthday (7 June) when he was killed in a burglary that went terribly wrong. He was targeted in his own home by Youlden who is an unscrupulous offender.

“When he was caught he initially denied having gone into Mr Cox’s house and tried to put the blame elsewhere. His lies and deceit led to other people being arrested.

“However as a result of the full and thorough investigation we carried out the weight of the evidence against him was overwhelming.

“We were preparing for this matter to go to a trial later in the month and Youlden’s decision to finally admit the full part he played in Mr Cox’s death at least spares the victim’s family from the extra anguish of that ordeal.

“They have already spent eight months waiting for justice to be served and while sentencing has yet to take place hopefully the outcome today will provide them with some solace and a degree of closure.”

Mr Cox’s family paid tribute to him shortly after his death. You can read their tribute here. 

Read more:

URGENT APPEAL to trace car after elderly man found dead in Rednal home

Family pay tribute as arrest made in Rubery Rednal murder investigation

Two further arrests in Paul Cox murder

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The possible results of car washing

This is not (unfortunately) a post about sporting opportunities or a great new leisure facility, more’s the pity, but about the careless behaviour of people running carwashing operations.

Walking along the Redditch road is not a pleasant experience at the best of times, but when you come across a skating rink with no way to avoid it, it’s downright dangerous! This is what is happening due to the inconsiderate actions of businesses based at West Heath Motors and the other ex-garage down near the roundabout in Kings Norton.

Their businesses are based on using water, but usually the runoff is not a problem as it goes into drains further down the road. Now, however, this water is freezing before it reaches the drain and creating a real hazard. They don’t want to deal with this themselves (we have tried speaking to the manager and asking him to do something) and just pass it on to the council, but surely this is a problem of their making and they should deal with it.

Surely, this would not bankrupt them and damage their operations that much, as it only applies for a few weeks a year. Any ideas on the legal situation and how to enforce them taking responsibility for the actions of their business would be appreciated.

By Steven Robertson

After long years of playing to a handful of fans in a multitude of darkened pubs all over the country, Birmingham based band The Musgraves are about to reap the benefit of all those hours spent bouncing up and down motorways in the back of a van. This Friday evening they will be appearing on the Graham Norton Show alongside guests Reese Witherspoon, Alex Kingston and Reginald D Hunter to play their insanely catchy new single “Last of Me”.

Unfortunately, what should have been a triumphant, and career-defining, occasion was tainted as the band woke up on the morning the show was due to be recorded to the news that the van which contained all of their instruments, stage clothing and kit had been stolen.

The Musgraves: Matthew Bennett, Matt Foundling, Tom Farnell and Lesley Turner

B31 Voices speaks to Matt Foundling, pianist and Northfield native about the surreal events of that day:

Let’s start with the bad news. What happened with the van? How can people help?

The van was stolen around 630am on Monday 30th Jan from 199 Curborough Road in Lichfield. It had all our gear in for the Graham Norton Show, including our clothes! If any one spots a white Mercedes Sprinter, reg BD52 ARO, then let Lichfield police know. Or contact the band via Facebook.

Ok, on to the good stuff. How did the band form?

The singer, Matthew Bennett, and myself met at university where we worked on an album together for our third year project. We needed a drummer so I called in a mate of mine, Tom Farnell, to help us out. The three of us recorded the album and after we finished uni we wanted to continue the band as we felt it had potential. We auditioned for a violin player and found Lesley Turner. The Musgraves were born.

How would you describe your sound?

We call it Roots-Pop as we are inspired by a lot of roots music, folk, blues soul, and also love the feel of 50s and 60s popular music. We mainly use acoustic instruments but we still have a big sound and pack a punch.

How did the Graham Norton Show come about?

Graham Norton started to play us on his Radio 2 show and we started a bit of banter with him via various social networking sites. He loved our single, Last of Me, and decided to invite us onto his TV show to perform it live.

How was it rubbing shoulders with the stars?

It felt great! It was really surreal sharing the green room with such familiar faces. Everyone was so down to earth and couldn’t believe all our gear had been robbed on the morning of the show. I think they all thought it was a publicity stunt at first! It wasn’t.

Where do you see the band a year from now?

Playing more gigs than ever and recording the next album! As a band you live for the buzz you get from playing live, and it’s also important to keep the set fresh with new songs all the time.

Thanks for your time and good luck with the new single!

So there you have it, a bittersweet day if ever there was one! Hopefully things will only improve from now for this talented local band.

The Musgraves lost a guitar, violin, bass, keyboards and drums, plus other kit worth thousands of pounds. While the financial hit is bad enough, these are the tools of their trade after all, worse is the loss of instruments that were treasured friends, an extension of themselves as musicians and people.

Violinist Lesley expresses this perfectly: “I have lost a part of my heart, and my soul – I’ve played my violin since I was 13 years old and thought I’d have it when I was in my 80′s! It has been all over the world with me, it is my baby, my child, my love and it has been stolen away for no reason and by someone who knows nothing about violins, music or passion or working hard to achieve your dreams. Completely heartbroken.”

So to reiterate, if you can help in any way please contact Lichfield Police on 0300 123 4455 or get in touch with the band through Facebook.

You can check out the rather apt (and rather great) “Last of Me”, plus loads of other Musgraves songs and covers, on YouTube, and get in touch with the band via Facebook or Twitter.

The Musgraves can be seen on the Graham Norton Show this Friday, 3rd February – or if you are reading this after the event you can catch up with the show on BBC iPlayer.

Finally, if you want the chance to check the band out live before they hit the big time, they are playing this Friday at the Actress and Bishop in Birmingham.

by Steven Robertson

Inspired by his heritage and his work with the descendants of British Home Children in Canada, Northfield councillor Reg Corns has released a historical novel, The Famine and the Fear.

Councillor Corns’ mother was remarried to an Irish man following the death of his father, so his teenage years were influenced by the Irish community. He has five step sisters of dual Irish and English heritage.  He has also been working with the descendants of children deported to Canada  as part of the then government’s Child Migration Programme. Around 130,000 children from children’s homes from Britain were sent to former colonies between the 1920s and 1960s and many suffered abuse.

The Famine and the Fear is the story of the hardships faced by two Irish peasant farming families during and after the 19th century Great Irish Potato Famine. It is a story of struggle, separation and reconciliation.

Reg describes how his visits to Canada inspired him to look in to the history of the Irish Potato Famine: “I came across a reference to “Coffin ships”, something I had never heard of. It spoke of thousands of Irish families being succumbed to Typhus whilst being shipped to Canada to escape The Great Famine and were buried in mass graves on an island called Grosse Ile 30 miles from Quebec on the St Lawrence river.”

Reg has researched his book for five years and visited the Irish Memorial National Historic Site at Grosse Ile two years ago. The island was a quarantine centre for immigrants between 1832 and 1937 and was witness to much suffering. He said: “Given what happened there and my knowledge of the Great Irish Famine I felt there was a story to tell and this book is that.”

You can read more and buy a paperback copy of The Famine and the Fear on amazon.co.uk or through Authors Online which also sells an e-book version.

Two Kings Norton based police officers are battling it out in a twitter charity challenge.

When relatively new twitter user PCSO Ryan persuaded West Midlands Police colleague PC Sanghar to get signed up to the social networking site, they soon found themselves locked in a battle for followers. After some friendly banter between the two over who could gain the most, they decided it would be a great idea if their ‘dispute’ could benefit charities close to their hearts.

So began the official twitter follower charity challenge!

Kings Norton based company Finesse Windows have also pledged to double the winner’s donation by generously donating an extra £50!

L-R Ian Harrison (Triple Eight) & Guy Jones (MG Motors) with drivers Jason Plato & Andy Neate at MG

MG Motor UK announced last week that they are entering two MG6 GTs in this year’s British Touring Cars Championships.

The MG KX Momentum Racing team cars will be driven by successful BTCC driver Jason Plato and upcoming new driver Andy Neate.

Richard Burden (MP for Northfield) grabbed an interview with Jason Plato at yesterday’s press conference at MG in Longbridge. (Nice to know you’ve got an alternative career lined up, Richard … ! ;) )

Alive and kicking! | Neil Buchanan with Sorry Mum, the Shops were Shut

The “Art Attack Man”, ex-children’s tv presenter Neil Buchanan, will be in Rubery this coming Saturday to promote an exhibition of his very grown up art works.

The Liverpool born former Art Attack front man is exhibiting his debut fine art collection HOPE STREET, which includes 12 signed limited edition prints, at galleries around the country. This includes at Jamie Leigh Fine Art, which has recently relocated to a new gallery just across the road from their old home in New Road, Rubery.

Buchanan won two BAFTA awards for his work on the children’s programme Art Attack and was inspired to work on the Hope Street paintings by widespread rumours of his death on the internet back in 2008. Following these dark rumours, he began reflecting and recording the brighter days of his childhood growing up in “the great outdoor adventure playground” in Liverpool in the 1960s, when children were free to play outside, and HOPE STREET was born.

The artist’s visit to the Rubery gallery should put to rest rumours of his untimely death, which still persist in some dark corners of the internet! At the gallery reception, Buchanan will talk about the inspiration behind the paintings.

Neil Buchanan said: “There have been lots of reasons to feel hopeless during 2011 with the economy, so I want to bring a bit of hope to people’s walls and homes in 2012. HOPE STREET is the story of childhood and I hope to take the viewer on a special journey. This voyage doesn’t involve a long car ride or train trip, because my HOPE STREET is not a place, it’s a state of mind… and it’s a nice place to be. To walk down Hope Street all you need is the gift that only children truly possess in abundant measure – imagination!”

HOPE STREET is proof (if it were needed) that Buchanan’s talents stretch far beyond the boundaries of drawing cartoons, papier maché model making and his awesome ‘Big Art’ creations on Art Attack. He said: “I had six million young art critics every week on Art Attack and it was their opinions I cared about most. Normal people don’t have art hanging on their walls, they have pictures! The greatest honour will be if people like my HOPE STREET paintings enough to hang them on their walls. That will be the biggest approval rating for me!”

In these hard economic times, Neil will seek to bring a little reason to hope to visitors during his gallery visit. Customers who purchase a limited edition print from the HOPE STREET collection, will be given a ‘A Little HOPE’ canvas for FREE (normal RRP £75). Meanwhile, customers who want to buy ‘A Little HOPE’ during the afternoon will save £25 as they will be able to buy the mini canvas for just £50 and this will be accompanied by a free souvenir brochure, signed by Neil Buchanan, and normally priced at £10.

Neil Buchanan’s HOPE STREET limited edition art will be in Jamie Leigh Fine Art, 122 New Road, Rubery, West Midlands B45 9JR throughout the Spring. 

Neil will be at the gallery to talk to customers about his work between 2 – 4pm on Saturday 4th February, 2012.

Buying fruit from a street market

There has been a lot written about the council’s attempts to sell off the wholesale markets site in the centre of the Birmingham (see Our Birmingham for this) and the effect this would have on the vibrant street market that is such a feature of the city centre, but for those who live out in South Birmingham, is it enough to only have markets like this in the centre of town?

I’m not going to go into how much I hate supermarkets or the effect that they have on local small businesses in this post, but I have read a lot about this and am convinced that people are being denied the opportunity to fresh ingredients at reasonable prices by the dominance of big retailers.

What I wanted to ask people here is whether you think South Birmingham would benefit from having more street markets, too. There is an excellent Farmers Markets in Kings Norton, but as far as I know there isn’t anything further out and it’s only once a month. It quite a trek to have to go all the way into the centre of town to have to buy fruit and veg from a market, so would there be a point in having regular street markets in more places outside the centre of town?

I love the buzz that they provide and the way they bring all kinds of people together. You don’t get the kinds of guarantees of uniformity of size and quality that you do in a supermarket, but that’s half the fun. The dodgier quality items are still fine in soups, stews or conserves – a perfect form is rarely needed unless you’re doing some really ridiculous presentation for a Come Dine With Me type of dinner party.

I haven’t looked into what would be needed to get such things going, so it’s not a business proposition or a practical suggestion at this stage, but as someone who loves going to street markets, I was just wondering if other people feel the lack of them, too.

Colmers School & Sports College | Sas Taylor

Following an initial consultation last year, proposals for a sixth form at Colmers School have been submitted to the Local Authority and published for public consultation.

After consulting pupils, families, staff and neighbouring schools and colleges, a proposal outlining details of the planned sixth form was approved by the school’s governing body in mid-December.

The proposals will see the academically orientated sixth form opening in September 2013 and offering two set pathways of A level / A level equivalent study. The school hopes to recruit between 40 and 50 students in the first year.

The public consultation will take place over the next four weeks before the Local Authority make a final decision.

In a letter to families, headteacher Barry Doherty has encouraged people to submit their views to the consultation.

Consultation documents can be viewed on the school website (external link)

Views can be submitted to the Local Authority by Thursday 23rd February 2012:
Email: peter.speers@birmingham.gov.uk
Post: School Placement Planning Team, PO Box 15841, Birmingham, B2 2RR

Northfield MP Richard Burden (Labour) is calling on the government to rethink its approach to policing after figures released today show that police numbers have fallen to the lowest for a decade, including the loss of 1,077 officers across the West Midlands.

Police service strength statistics, published yesterday, show that there are now 8,000 fewer officers on the streets in England and Wales, at a time when personal crime, which includes theft and violence, has gone up by 11% – the biggest increase in a decade.

The West Midlands region suffers the largest reduction, losing twice as many police as the South East. And whilst the West Midlands Police Force has seen a reduction in police of 7.3%, Surrey has actually seen an increase of 3.8%.

Richard Burden said: “Police cuts affect all parts of the country but last year Birmingham Labour MPs warned that the West Midlands was going to be one of the hardest hit. This week’s figures show just that. The government is protecting leafy Surrey but slashing police in the West Midlands. Is this what David Cameron really means when he claims ‘we are all in it together’?

“I know that my constituents in Northfield are really concerned about the Conservative-led government’s 20% budget cuts to their local police. The government must change course. I hope MPs of all parties will join me in voting against the scale of these police cuts in the House of Commons on February 8th.”