The Spaghetti Gazetti website has received 14,500 hits in the past 50 days. The majority of our hits are to the main page.
Most hits represent someone arriving at the homepage which contains all of the posts from the past seven days. Additional hits are not recorded as people scroll up and down the page reading the posts, which is what the majority of visitors do, so we can reasonably estimate that the majority of hits represent unique individual visitors to the site and can not be significantly broken down into a smaller number of people visiting a high number of pages. About 5% of the hits are from me and members of my family as we update the site.
The average number of hits to the website since July 10th has therefore been 290 a day and the traffic has been consistant throughout July and August, the busy holiday period.
Thanks for dropping by, your comments and suggestions are welcome in helping me to improve the site. The site is totally independent, non profit making and entirely voluntary. Many of my posts and articles will also appear in The Gazette series of magazines which is a commercial publication published by Westpoint Printing Ltd, but Spaghetti Gazetti is totally independent of The Gazette or of any other company or organisation.
Make sure you put my email address ( info@bignbostin.com ) on your mailing list for news and events in the West Midlands and send me your organisation's website link if you are interested in a mutual exchange of links. I am always interested in receiving reviews and reports on community, arts and heritage events, societies and projects.
This is a great and historic region but one which isn't always good at promoting itself and therefore gets a bad press from certain quarters of the national media, though mainly from Jeremy Clarkson - a fact I often reflect upon as I am standing in the book aisle of Asda considering whether or not to purchase his latest book and hence have an enduring gap on my bookshelf between Kate Clanchy and Jonathan Coe.
...I digress.
Spaghetti Gazetti aims to promote the whole region including the rural communities of the shire counties, so please continue to support me with an occasional visit. I try to update the site every day and am grateful for your participation.
Pete
Saturday, 30 August 2008
Stone faced response to Brian's offer
Dear Editor
Some time last year, there was great concern about the weathered state of the War memorial in Church Hill, Coleshill and the Town Council were being badgered to do some restoration. Nothing was done, so I wrote to the Council and offered my services to do it. I am only an amateur, but I have done quite a lot of stone restoration. To give them some idea of my capabilities, I found a lump of sandstone, carved a very crude face on it, as if it was badly weathered and then built up half the face to normality (picture above).
I took the letter and the stone to the Clerk in the Council Office at the Town Hall and I have never had any reply at all, which I think is very rude.
Last week, the stone was returned to me, but not directly. A friend of mine was in the Town Hall, and the Clerk gave him the stone to return to me. No letter or any comment..
You really would have thought that a note would not have been too much trouble. "No thank you very much"
Regards
Brian Teall
.
Editor: I am no expert but from the photograph above I would suggest that Brian has got a very high level of stone craftsmanship skills here. What a shame the local council in Coleshill haven't recognised his skills as I am certain there will be others who will.
Send me your links
If I haven't put your organisation's link in the right hand column of the website, please send me a reminder (along with the website link).
Can be community, arts and heritage organisations or individuals. Mainly interested in sites that have a relevance to the prevailing themes of the website but can be commercial organsiations as long as you can demonstrate a relevance under one of the link headngs.
Pete Millington
info@bignbostin.org.uk
Can be community, arts and heritage organisations or individuals. Mainly interested in sites that have a relevance to the prevailing themes of the website but can be commercial organsiations as long as you can demonstrate a relevance under one of the link headngs.
Pete Millington
info@bignbostin.org.uk
Archaeology tour at St Johns Museum, Warwick
Thursday 11 Sept
Archaeology store tour
Behind the scenes tours of the stores. Come and see what’s not on display. After the tours stop and speak to the archaeologists and ecologists who work at Field Services, see some interesting objects from the area.
11.00amand 2.00pm
Warwick Activity Centre – St Johns Museum
Rebecca Williams 01926 412034
Archaeology store tour
Behind the scenes tours of the stores. Come and see what’s not on display. After the tours stop and speak to the archaeologists and ecologists who work at Field Services, see some interesting objects from the area.
11.00amand 2.00pm
Warwick Activity Centre – St Johns Museum
Rebecca Williams 01926 412034
History tours at St John's House Museum, Warwick
Wednesday 3 Sept
Join the Keeper of Social History for a tour of the recently refurbished St John’s House Museum.
Find out who used to live in the house and what it has been used for since itwas built in 1641.
Cost £2.507.30pm – 9.00pm
St Johns Museum
Rebecca Williams 01926 412034
Join the Keeper of Social History for a tour of the recently refurbished St John’s House Museum.
Find out who used to live in the house and what it has been used for since itwas built in 1641.
Cost £2.507.30pm – 9.00pm
St Johns Museum
Rebecca Williams 01926 412034
Family Fun at Kingsbury Water Park
Sunday 28 Sept
Fantastic Fun with Words
Kingsbury Water Park Fun Day
A day for the whole family to end the festival in the north of the county of Warwickshire. Artists include Ian Billings, Clive Cole and actors from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Come and join the fun!
Cost £2.50 for a family ticket. There is a £2.50 parking charge for the Water Park.
11.00-4.00pm
Kingsbury Water Park
Stella Thebridge 01926 476624
Fantastic Fun with Words
Kingsbury Water Park Fun Day
A day for the whole family to end the festival in the north of the county of Warwickshire. Artists include Ian Billings, Clive Cole and actors from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Come and join the fun!
Cost £2.50 for a family ticket. There is a £2.50 parking charge for the Water Park.
11.00-4.00pm
Kingsbury Water Park
Stella Thebridge 01926 476624
MIKE BROWN BOOK LIFTS THE LID ON FIFTIES FASHION AND POST WAR STYLE
With the 50s set to make another fashion comeback next season, author, broadcaster and fifties aficionado Mike Brown is publishing a book sure to delight designers, social historians and anyone with an interest in this style-defining decade.
'The 1950s Look: Recreating the Fashions of the Fifties' takes the reader on a tour of the trends and signature styles of the era - from Audrey Hepburn chic to high school prom queen.
Published by Sabrestorm ( http://www.sabrestorm.com ), the book is priced at £16.99 and will be available from September 1, 2008.
Moving forward a decade from his successful book 'The 1940s Look', Mike Brown deconstructs the key elements of iconic 50s fashions, as well as shedding light on the origins of many items of clothing now taken for granted on today's high street. Over 144 pages, with more than 300 full colour photographs and pictures, readers can learn about the new synthetic wonder fabrics, the Trapeze dress and the Teddy Boys' quiff, pedal pushers and drain pipe trousers.
Prime Minister Harold Macmillan famously summed up the mood of the fifties when he told the country: "You've never had it so good." Cinched waists and full, layered skirts celebrated femininity and the availability of luxurious fabrics after the restrictions of the previous decade.
The success of fashion houses such as Dior signalled the rise of chic Italian and French styling, and this was the decade that denim jeans arrived in the UK from the USA. An eclectic British style began to emerge from these influences, and with it a whole new breed - the teenager.
Author Mike Brown says: "The 1950s was a decade of decadence - a rebellion against wartime restrictions and rationing. As people turned their backs on the privations of the drab war years, exciting new fashions and daring styles from overseas found a place in British homes. In the decade of the Coronation, the conquest of Everest and the Festival of Britain, the second Elizabethan age had arrived, and with it came optimism for a bright future."
Meticulously researched and lavishly illustrated, this retrospective is essential reading for anyone interested in social history and fifties design, and would make a great gift for grandparents to look back fondly at the 1950s. Chapters include: formal and informal fashions; couture house to homemade; hairstyles and make-up; the figure; and accessories. 'The 50s Look' is available from Sabrestorm (ISBN 9780955272332), online at www.1940.co.uk, www.Amazon.co.uk, or through bookshops such as Waterstones, WH Smith, and many more.
'The 1950s Look: Recreating the Fashions of the Fifties' takes the reader on a tour of the trends and signature styles of the era - from Audrey Hepburn chic to high school prom queen.
Published by Sabrestorm ( http://www.sabrestorm.com ), the book is priced at £16.99 and will be available from September 1, 2008.
Moving forward a decade from his successful book 'The 1940s Look', Mike Brown deconstructs the key elements of iconic 50s fashions, as well as shedding light on the origins of many items of clothing now taken for granted on today's high street. Over 144 pages, with more than 300 full colour photographs and pictures, readers can learn about the new synthetic wonder fabrics, the Trapeze dress and the Teddy Boys' quiff, pedal pushers and drain pipe trousers.
Prime Minister Harold Macmillan famously summed up the mood of the fifties when he told the country: "You've never had it so good." Cinched waists and full, layered skirts celebrated femininity and the availability of luxurious fabrics after the restrictions of the previous decade.
The success of fashion houses such as Dior signalled the rise of chic Italian and French styling, and this was the decade that denim jeans arrived in the UK from the USA. An eclectic British style began to emerge from these influences, and with it a whole new breed - the teenager.
Author Mike Brown says: "The 1950s was a decade of decadence - a rebellion against wartime restrictions and rationing. As people turned their backs on the privations of the drab war years, exciting new fashions and daring styles from overseas found a place in British homes. In the decade of the Coronation, the conquest of Everest and the Festival of Britain, the second Elizabethan age had arrived, and with it came optimism for a bright future."
Meticulously researched and lavishly illustrated, this retrospective is essential reading for anyone interested in social history and fifties design, and would make a great gift for grandparents to look back fondly at the 1950s. Chapters include: formal and informal fashions; couture house to homemade; hairstyles and make-up; the figure; and accessories. 'The 50s Look' is available from Sabrestorm (ISBN 9780955272332), online at www.1940.co.uk, www.Amazon.co.uk, or through bookshops such as Waterstones, WH Smith, and many more.
LOCAL BUSINESS LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO SAVE SHARKS
LUSH LAUNCH CRUELTY-FREE SHARK FIN SOAP
Local People and Businesses Asked to Help End Global Shark Fin Trade
Birmingham - With the world's shark populations teetering on the brink of extinction due to the global demand for shark fin soup and other shark products, Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, in conjunction with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, are launching a hard-hitting global campaign to protect these important marine animals.
As part of the campaign Lush has written to local restaurants in Birmingham asking them to remove shark fin soup from the menu; to GNC asking for them to remove shark supplements from their shelves; and to the National Federation of Fish Friers asking them to urge their members to stop selling shark - also known as 'rock salmon' (letters available upon request).
Lush are also asking their customers to boycott these businesses until they stop selling shark products. Lush has created a new product especially for the campaign, Shark Fin Soap, which is a blue soap made with seaweed and sea salt with a cardboard shark fin sticking out the top. Lush will be making 11,416 bars of the soap (the number of sharks killed each hour), with all proceeds going to Sea Shepherd.
Throughout the UK, in each of Lush's 88 stores, there will be a video display in the store windows showing footage of sharks being pulled from the water and having their fins sliced off only to be thrown back into the ocean still alive. As a charity Sea Shepherd directly intervenes on the high seas to stop illegal shark finning and Lush shop staff will be supporting these "pirates of compassion" by dressing as pirates in the store, giving customers information about the plight of sharks and urging them to avoid shark products and support Sea Shepherd's work:
When: 12noon, Wednesday 3 September
Where: Lush, 31 Corporation Street
A staggering 100 million sharks are killed every year for their fins (used in shark fin soup), flesh (15,000 fish and chip shops in the UK sell shark), cartilage (for "healthcare" supplements) and oil (used in cosmetics). The escalating cost of shark fins has led to a dramatic increase in the number of sharks being killed, which means that 90% of the world's population of sharks has already been wiped out; the time for action to save sharks is now. The UK is partially to blame for this slaughter, with 30% of the global sharkfins being taken out of EU waters and hundreds of restaurants across the country selling shark fin soup, which often retails for £50 a bowl. Already, retailers have responded to activist pressure-top London restaurant Hakkasa has removed shark fin soup from the menu and Holland and Barrett has discontinued their shark cartilage capsules.
Sea Shepherd's Captain Paul Watson said, "Sharks have shaped evolution in our oceans for 450 million years, and their diminishment has already been the cause of severe damage to global oceanic eco-systems. Shark species extinctions will cause irreparable damage."
Watson adds, "If we can't save the sharks, we will fail to save our oceans, and if our oceans die, civilisation and humanity will die. Lush and Sea Shepherd recognize that we need to save the sharks if we are to save ourselves, and we are working together to make this happen."
Andrew Butler, Campaigns Manager, Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics added, "Lush area campaigning company, and we have already tackled issues such as animal testing, human rights and environmental protection. But with 100 million sharks being killed every year and time fast running out for the remaining 10% of the global shark population, the campaign against shark finning and long lining is perhaps our biggest challenge yet."
Butler adds, "We want our staff and customers to help by avoiding all shark products and supporting Sea Shepherd's vital work."
For more information about the campaign, please visit http://www.lush.co.uk/ or http://www.seashepherd.org/
Local People and Businesses Asked to Help End Global Shark Fin Trade
Birmingham - With the world's shark populations teetering on the brink of extinction due to the global demand for shark fin soup and other shark products, Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics, in conjunction with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, are launching a hard-hitting global campaign to protect these important marine animals.
As part of the campaign Lush has written to local restaurants in Birmingham asking them to remove shark fin soup from the menu; to GNC asking for them to remove shark supplements from their shelves; and to the National Federation of Fish Friers asking them to urge their members to stop selling shark - also known as 'rock salmon' (letters available upon request).
Lush are also asking their customers to boycott these businesses until they stop selling shark products. Lush has created a new product especially for the campaign, Shark Fin Soap, which is a blue soap made with seaweed and sea salt with a cardboard shark fin sticking out the top. Lush will be making 11,416 bars of the soap (the number of sharks killed each hour), with all proceeds going to Sea Shepherd.
Throughout the UK, in each of Lush's 88 stores, there will be a video display in the store windows showing footage of sharks being pulled from the water and having their fins sliced off only to be thrown back into the ocean still alive. As a charity Sea Shepherd directly intervenes on the high seas to stop illegal shark finning and Lush shop staff will be supporting these "pirates of compassion" by dressing as pirates in the store, giving customers information about the plight of sharks and urging them to avoid shark products and support Sea Shepherd's work:
When: 12noon, Wednesday 3 September
Where: Lush, 31 Corporation Street
A staggering 100 million sharks are killed every year for their fins (used in shark fin soup), flesh (15,000 fish and chip shops in the UK sell shark), cartilage (for "healthcare" supplements) and oil (used in cosmetics). The escalating cost of shark fins has led to a dramatic increase in the number of sharks being killed, which means that 90% of the world's population of sharks has already been wiped out; the time for action to save sharks is now. The UK is partially to blame for this slaughter, with 30% of the global sharkfins being taken out of EU waters and hundreds of restaurants across the country selling shark fin soup, which often retails for £50 a bowl. Already, retailers have responded to activist pressure-top London restaurant Hakkasa has removed shark fin soup from the menu and Holland and Barrett has discontinued their shark cartilage capsules.
Sea Shepherd's Captain Paul Watson said, "Sharks have shaped evolution in our oceans for 450 million years, and their diminishment has already been the cause of severe damage to global oceanic eco-systems. Shark species extinctions will cause irreparable damage."
Watson adds, "If we can't save the sharks, we will fail to save our oceans, and if our oceans die, civilisation and humanity will die. Lush and Sea Shepherd recognize that we need to save the sharks if we are to save ourselves, and we are working together to make this happen."
Andrew Butler, Campaigns Manager, Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics added, "Lush area campaigning company, and we have already tackled issues such as animal testing, human rights and environmental protection. But with 100 million sharks being killed every year and time fast running out for the remaining 10% of the global shark population, the campaign against shark finning and long lining is perhaps our biggest challenge yet."
Butler adds, "We want our staff and customers to help by avoiding all shark products and supporting Sea Shepherd's vital work."
For more information about the campaign, please visit http://www.lush.co.uk/ or http://www.seashepherd.org/
Are you brave enough for the Great British Ghost Hunt?
Make-A-Wish Foundation UK is challenging those who claim they are not afraid of the dark to sign up for this year’s Great British Ghost Hunt, taking place from 9.00pm on Saturday 11 October 2008 in Caldicot, Ludlow and Stratford-upon-Avon, in aid of the leading wishgranting charity which grants wishes to children and young people fighting life-threatening illnesses.
Participants brave enough to take part in this hair-raising event will join experienced mediums and clairvoyants at reputedly haunted locations across the country, where they will have the chance to use authentic ghost hunting and psychic equipment to track down ghostly activity.
Participants brave enough to take part in this hair-raising event will join experienced mediums and clairvoyants at reputedly haunted locations across the country, where they will have the chance to use authentic ghost hunting and psychic equipment to track down ghostly activity.
In Wales and Western England, ghost hunts will be taking place at three spectacular locations:
The Bell Hotel, Ludlow- mysterious footsteps are said to have been heard on many occasions, sightings of a little girl and heavy fire doors opening and closing by themselves. These are just three of the alleged phenomena that occur in this beautiful old building, dating back to 1343.
The Falstaff Experience, Stratford-upon-Avon - a number of dominant spirits are said to be active in this property including an archer from the time of Henry VIII and a serial murderer from the 18th century.
Llanthony Secunda Manor, Caldicot – this 12th century manor is steeped in mystery with the feeling of being watched, footsteps heard all over the house, hot and cold spots in various parts of the house and puddles appearing for no apparent reason.
There are around 90 places available and tickets are selling fast. Registration is £20 per person and all attendees are asked to raise a minimum of £100 sponsorship.
For more information about The Great British Ghost Hunt, or to take part, please contact Jennie Mould, Wales and Western England Regional Manager at Make-A-Wish, on 01527 64406 or email jennie.mould@makeawish.org.uk
Results from each ghost hunt will be entered into a competition to battle it out for the title of UK’s Most Haunted Venue 2008. The current title is held by The Galleries of Justice in Nottingham’s Lace Market, where ghostly activities included an apparition of an Elizabethan boy, unexplained drops in temperature, flashes of light and several strange sounds.
The event is being organised in conjunction with ghost hunting specialists, Fright Nights, and all money raised will go towards granting more magical wishes to children and young people in the UK.
Make-A-Wish aims to be granting 1,000 wishes a year by 2010. If you know of a child who could benefit from a truly special wish, or to find out more about the charity and volunteering, please visit www.make-a-wish.org.uk.
Friday, 29 August 2008
Bonsai Show at Birmingham Botancial Gadrens
Sunday 31 August: Bonsai Show10.30am - 4.00pm.
Sales and lectures.
Normal entry to Gardens applies.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses, Westbourne Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 3TR.
www.birminghambotanicalgardens.org.uk
Sales and lectures.
Normal entry to Gardens applies.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses, Westbourne Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 3TR.
www.birminghambotanicalgardens.org.uk
Live & Local events in Warwickshire's community venues
A West End hit, a unique American folk trio and an epic jungle romance are coming to small venues in Warwickshire
Live & Local announces the new season of professional shows in community venues across Warwickshire.
Jenny Clarke of Live & Local said ‘with a sell-out West End hit, a cracking music line up and the best of the UK’s rural touring companies, this will be one of our most varied and exciting seasons yet. Our website www.liveandlocal.org.uk can show you what’s on down the road or in the most distant corner of Warwickshire.
The season kicks off with the West End sell-out show, Lies Have Been Told by one-man tour-de-force, Philip York. It’s an insight into the rise and fall of newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell and the mysteries that surrounded his death. See this hit show at Eathorpe Village Hall on Sat 13 Sept. This is followed by The Cheeky Chappie, an honest and touching portrayal of the mischievous and popular variety entertainer Max Miller. Catch it at Bedworth Heath Leisure and Activity Centre on Thurs 25th Sep.
Other theatrical highlights include The Other Woman (Warwickshire College (Rugby Centre), Wed 8 Oct and Atherstone Village Hall, Fri 10 Oct), a heart-warming play inspired by stories about families in south Wales who gave refuge to conscientious objectors during the First World War and Health and Stacey (Pailton Village Hall, Sat 18 Oct), a side-splitting comedy caper about a man stranded on an island with his ex-girlfriend - it's an accident waiting to happen!
A varied musical line-up is on offer too beginning with the unique American folk trio, The Groanbox Boys who describe their music as ‘Old Time Gypsy World Folk Blues’. Get ready for a stomping night that will leave you roaring for more. See the boys at Preston on Stour Village Hall on Fri 26 Sep. Returning after a successful debut with Live & Local last year are the young, all male brass quartet, The Brassketeers, who bring a new, contemporary edge to brass music – and they don’t mind dressing up too! See them at Hatton Village Hall on Sat 27 Sep, Lighthorne Village Hall on Sat 10 Oct or Bulkington Village Centre on Sat 18 Oct.
From marimbas to chimes and dustbins, the Drum Blondes guarantee a fun and upbeat night that appeals to all ages. Get into the rhythm at Bedworth Heath Leisure and Activity Centre on Thu 6 Nov. Finally, for a feisty night of swing and good old American funk, check out The Steve Steinhaus Swing Band at Atherstone Village Hall on Sat 18 Oct.
Live & Local also welcomes a new venue in Warwickshire this year; Hurley Village Hall’s first show is Irish Harp and Guitar presented by Maire Ni Chathasaigh & Chris Newman, a beautiful harp and guitar duo who bring a sizzling night of music and song from the Celtic, classical and bluegrass traditions. This show is also going to Stretton under Fosse Village Hall on Fri 21 Nov.
Full details of the season are on the Live & Local website www.liveandlocal.org.uk or by requesting our What’s On leaflet on (01926) 402173.
Live & Local announces the new season of professional shows in community venues across Warwickshire.
Jenny Clarke of Live & Local said ‘with a sell-out West End hit, a cracking music line up and the best of the UK’s rural touring companies, this will be one of our most varied and exciting seasons yet. Our website www.liveandlocal.org.uk can show you what’s on down the road or in the most distant corner of Warwickshire.
The season kicks off with the West End sell-out show, Lies Have Been Told by one-man tour-de-force, Philip York. It’s an insight into the rise and fall of newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell and the mysteries that surrounded his death. See this hit show at Eathorpe Village Hall on Sat 13 Sept. This is followed by The Cheeky Chappie, an honest and touching portrayal of the mischievous and popular variety entertainer Max Miller. Catch it at Bedworth Heath Leisure and Activity Centre on Thurs 25th Sep.
Other theatrical highlights include The Other Woman (Warwickshire College (Rugby Centre), Wed 8 Oct and Atherstone Village Hall, Fri 10 Oct), a heart-warming play inspired by stories about families in south Wales who gave refuge to conscientious objectors during the First World War and Health and Stacey (Pailton Village Hall, Sat 18 Oct), a side-splitting comedy caper about a man stranded on an island with his ex-girlfriend - it's an accident waiting to happen!
A varied musical line-up is on offer too beginning with the unique American folk trio, The Groanbox Boys who describe their music as ‘Old Time Gypsy World Folk Blues’. Get ready for a stomping night that will leave you roaring for more. See the boys at Preston on Stour Village Hall on Fri 26 Sep. Returning after a successful debut with Live & Local last year are the young, all male brass quartet, The Brassketeers, who bring a new, contemporary edge to brass music – and they don’t mind dressing up too! See them at Hatton Village Hall on Sat 27 Sep, Lighthorne Village Hall on Sat 10 Oct or Bulkington Village Centre on Sat 18 Oct.
From marimbas to chimes and dustbins, the Drum Blondes guarantee a fun and upbeat night that appeals to all ages. Get into the rhythm at Bedworth Heath Leisure and Activity Centre on Thu 6 Nov. Finally, for a feisty night of swing and good old American funk, check out The Steve Steinhaus Swing Band at Atherstone Village Hall on Sat 18 Oct.
Live & Local also welcomes a new venue in Warwickshire this year; Hurley Village Hall’s first show is Irish Harp and Guitar presented by Maire Ni Chathasaigh & Chris Newman, a beautiful harp and guitar duo who bring a sizzling night of music and song from the Celtic, classical and bluegrass traditions. This show is also going to Stretton under Fosse Village Hall on Fri 21 Nov.
Full details of the season are on the Live & Local website www.liveandlocal.org.uk or by requesting our What’s On leaflet on (01926) 402173.
British Lord Mayor to visit Pakistan and Bangladesh
The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Abdul Rashid, is planning an official tour of Pakistan and Bangladesh in October 2008. As Birmingham’s First Citizen, the Lord Mayor represents a population of more than 1.5 million, of which an estimated 300,000 can trace their roots back to the Indian sub-continent.Birmingham is the most ethnically-diverse city in Britain, with more than a third of the population identifying themselves as non-white. (This is higher than London, Manchester, Bradford, Leeds and Dewsbury.) Cllr. Rashid is of Kashmiri heritage, and will be the first Lord Mayor to make an official visit to the Indian sub-continent in six years.
The Lord Mayor commented: “Birmingham is the UK’s Second City. However, we are first in terms of diversity. I’m proud to represent such a culturally-diverse population, which serves as a model of community cohesion for other parts of the country. Hundreds of thousands of our citizens have a connection to the Indian sub-continent. I think it’s important for me, as a representative of those citizens, to promote Birmingham to their countries of cultural origin.”
He continues: “I believe that my official visit to Pakistan and Bangladesh will be an opportunity to raise international awareness of the social, cultural and economic contribution that has been made by Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi immigrants to the UK as a whole. The message I will take with me is that Birmingham is a great place to live. We also want to encourage people from around the world to visit us, and for foreign businesses to invest in the profitable opportunities Birmingham has to offer.”
Baron Bhatti of Ballencrieff, a lifelong resident of Birmingham, is just one prominent citizen who supports The Lord Mayor’s work. He explains: “I’m very proud that Chauhdry Rashid, who has served as my local Councillor for more than 20 years, has been given the honour of representing our fair City to the wider world. His planned tour of the Indian sub-continent is a wonderful show of respect to communities that have been integral to Birmingham’s economic success. And I’m sure that he will be welcomed with open arms by the residents of Sylhet, Dhaka, The Punjab and Azad Kashmir.”
The Lord Mayor is also planning official visits to India and the West Indies, in recognition of the cultural connection many Brummies have with those regions. Birmingham has a large Afro-Caribbean community in excess of 50,000.
About The Lord Mayor
Councillor Chauhdry Abdul Rashid hails from Dadyal in the Pakistani province of Azad Kashmir. He left school at the age of 13 and emigrated to the Lake District town of Workington, where he lived for eight years. Cllr. Rashid moved to Birmingham in 1963, and has been active in the City’s social, cultural and educational development for more than 45 years.
The Lord Mayor believes passionately in the value of education and, despite the scholarly disadvantage he suffered, he has continually strengthened his academic credentials since his arrival in the UK, eventually achieving a Bachelors in Social Science from Wolverhampton University (in 1987).
The Lord Mayor has served as Governor at many local schools and colleges. Today he is honoured to serve as Chancellor of Birmingham City University.
In 1962, Cllr. Rashid married Shafait Begum, his wife of over 45 years, who is First Lady of the City of Birmingham, in her official capacity as Lady Mayoress. She has supported The Lord Mayor’s work for almost half a century, during which time he has strived to improve the lives of Birmingham’s residents.
Further information about The Lord Mayor of Birmingham is available at www.lordmayor.org.
About Birmingham
Birmingham is the UK’s second largest city, with a population of more than 1.5 million people. Due in part to its inland central location, Birmingham is a major transport hub on the UK’s motorway, rail, and canal networks. The city is often referred to as “The Heart of England”.
Birmingham’s Conservative-led City Council is the largest local authority in the UK, and the largest government council in Europe. The city has 120 councillors representing 40 wards, and is represented in Parliament by 11 MPs.
Birmingham has made a valuable contribution to Britain’s political, economic and cultural history. Famous residents have included Neville Chamberlain (former Prime Minister), JRR Tolkien (author of Lord of The Rings), WH Auden (poet), Barbara Cartland (novelist), Tony Hancock (comedian) and Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes).
Birmingham is home to the Cadbury’s chocolate factory, the world-famous Bull Ring shopping complex, and the International Convention Centre (ICC) which will play host to the 2008 Conservative Party Conference.
About the office of Lord Mayor
The Lord Mayor of Birmingham is the civic head of the City Council. The position is a ceremonial role that is granted to a serving Councillor by fellow members of the City Council, and is normally held for one year. Traditionally, after one year of service, The Lord Mayor will take on the role of Deputy Lord Mayor for a further year, so as to provide support for their successor.
The correct style of address for The Lord Mayor of Birmingham is “The Right Worshipful”, which is to be used on all official correspondence.
Birmingham University - thinking grrreen update
Register FREE for The Big Debate Today! Four leading speakers, an empowered audience and new research will make for a compelling debate on the role of young leaders within today's businesses."Young Leaders or Green Saviours" represents an opportunity for leaders in the city to evaluate the role of their teams in addressing the needs of sustainability in the workplace. Each audience participant will be linked to a keypad to contribute to a live debate, chaired by the BBC's special correspondent Richard Bilton. Our speakers will be responding to key findings from the research, taken from 200 of Birmingham's business practioners. To join us for this interactive feature which will be broadcast live via Birmingham Post's online register today visit www.thebigdebatebirmingham.co.uk.
Enter our Grrreen sticker competition and get FREE tickets to Grand Design Live
Win free tickets to Grand Designs Live by entering the Birmingham City University sticker competition. 12 humorous, peel able stickers have been produced to encouraging individuals to vocalise issues and capture them using the latest mobile phone and web based technology. We are inviting you to consider green issues in your daily life and comment on the action you seek to address by thinking, finding, responsibly sticking, photographing, uploading your images to our flickr group pool and exchange your views with other participants. On 10th - 12th October 2008, Birmingham City University are working in collaboration with Grand Designs Live at the NEC in Birmingham to promote My Grrreen Shed. My Grrreen Shed will empower people to reconsider the classic garden shed as a sustainable, environmentally friendly structure. Want the chance to go to Grand Designs Live for free? To join in with the competition and get your stickers email Charmaine Stint.
Thursday, 28 August 2008
Trip back in time to 1940s Nuneaton
Nuneaton's Riversley Park Museum and Art Gallery will be bringing the Second World War back to life next month with an exhibition about life during the early 1940s.
Characters Major Thompson and Private Flavell will be visiting the museum on Saturday, September 6 between 11am and 4pm. The duo will be awaiting enemy aircraft with a Bren Gun and a working air raid siren to alert civilians to take cover.
There will also be an ARP policeman checking identity papers and strictly enforcing the blackout.
Visitors can find out about the role of a soldier during the war and feel the weight of a helmet, rifle and pack.
People will also be able to see the extra kit that an officer would carry and have an opportunity to see how the war was fought on the Home Front and what civilians had to cope with every day throughout the war and children can make a gasmask which they can then take home.
Visit the Museum's website for more information:
http://www.nuneatonandbedworth.gov.uk/leisure-culture/museums-galleries/museum-and-art-gallery
Characters Major Thompson and Private Flavell will be visiting the museum on Saturday, September 6 between 11am and 4pm. The duo will be awaiting enemy aircraft with a Bren Gun and a working air raid siren to alert civilians to take cover.
There will also be an ARP policeman checking identity papers and strictly enforcing the blackout.
Visitors can find out about the role of a soldier during the war and feel the weight of a helmet, rifle and pack.
People will also be able to see the extra kit that an officer would carry and have an opportunity to see how the war was fought on the Home Front and what civilians had to cope with every day throughout the war and children can make a gasmask which they can then take home.
Visit the Museum's website for more information:
http://www.nuneatonandbedworth.gov.uk/leisure-culture/museums-galleries/museum-and-art-gallery
Thomas sets a new world record
Thomas the Tank Engine has set a new world record at the Drayton Manor theme park in Staffordshire by travelling along the world's longest train set track.
The 1.1 mile (1.8km) track was built by the toy company Tomy and breaks the previous record for the longest model train track of 1.65km, set in Japan in 2006.
It took Thomas 2.5 hours to travel the length of the track, which consists of 10,530 pieces. If built to full scale, the track would measure 89 miles.
Percy and Henry are reported to be sick with envy, whilst Gordon was unavailable for comment.
The 1.1 mile (1.8km) track was built by the toy company Tomy and breaks the previous record for the longest model train track of 1.65km, set in Japan in 2006.
It took Thomas 2.5 hours to travel the length of the track, which consists of 10,530 pieces. If built to full scale, the track would measure 89 miles.
Percy and Henry are reported to be sick with envy, whilst Gordon was unavailable for comment.
Samaritans launches new guidelines for more sensitive suicide reporting
Emotional support charity Samaritans is launching a new set of media guidelines to help journalists with the sensitivities of reporting suicide and self-harm incidents.
With 6,000 suicides every year in the UK, suicide is a subject that will continue to attract extensive media interest but research shows that media portrayal can have an effect on suicidal behaviour, particularly amongst young, vulnerable people.
Jeremy Paxman, Samaritans supporter and author of the introduction to the new guidelines, said: “Reporting of suicide and self-harm is clearly a difficult area. Journalists are under pressure to file reports which are of the moment and in the public interest but there remains the responsibility not to glamorise the story or intrude on the grief and shock of those affected.
“Samaritans new guidelines aim to help journalists resolve personal and professional reporting dilemmas and de-stigmatise suicide and self-harm to improve better public understanding of the complexity of the issues involved.”
Madeleine Moon, MP for Bridgend, said: “Samaritans’ media guidelines are indispensable for responsible journalists wanting to ensure they do not add to the pain and distress of the bereaved or influence the emotionally distressed. They should be part of the highway code of journalism.”
Samaritans revised guidelines feature additional sections on new media and suicide, working with bereaved individuals, families and communities, useful resources on understanding suicide and up-to-date facts and statistics. The guidelines have been endorsed by Professor Keith Hawton, Director of the Centre for Suicide Research, Oxford University, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Press Complaints Commission, Ofcom, Bebo, Hollyoaks, The Sunday Times, The Observer and The Scottish Daily Mail.
To order a copy of the guidelines contact Samaritans’ press office on 0208 394 8300 or log on to www.samaritans.org
With 6,000 suicides every year in the UK, suicide is a subject that will continue to attract extensive media interest but research shows that media portrayal can have an effect on suicidal behaviour, particularly amongst young, vulnerable people.
Jeremy Paxman, Samaritans supporter and author of the introduction to the new guidelines, said: “Reporting of suicide and self-harm is clearly a difficult area. Journalists are under pressure to file reports which are of the moment and in the public interest but there remains the responsibility not to glamorise the story or intrude on the grief and shock of those affected.
“Samaritans new guidelines aim to help journalists resolve personal and professional reporting dilemmas and de-stigmatise suicide and self-harm to improve better public understanding of the complexity of the issues involved.”
Madeleine Moon, MP for Bridgend, said: “Samaritans’ media guidelines are indispensable for responsible journalists wanting to ensure they do not add to the pain and distress of the bereaved or influence the emotionally distressed. They should be part of the highway code of journalism.”
Samaritans revised guidelines feature additional sections on new media and suicide, working with bereaved individuals, families and communities, useful resources on understanding suicide and up-to-date facts and statistics. The guidelines have been endorsed by Professor Keith Hawton, Director of the Centre for Suicide Research, Oxford University, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Press Complaints Commission, Ofcom, Bebo, Hollyoaks, The Sunday Times, The Observer and The Scottish Daily Mail.
To order a copy of the guidelines contact Samaritans’ press office on 0208 394 8300 or log on to www.samaritans.org
Be a volunteer in Coventry
Dear Editor,
It’s that time of the year when the children are going back to school – but what about the adults?
If you can spare a couple of hours a week and would like to volunteer within the school environment, we have just the role for you. The British Heart Foundation (BHF) urgently needs to find more Schools Co-ordinators in Coventry. You will help to make a real difference to the work of the charity and the health of our children.
We’re looking for enthusiastic people who enjoy talking to teachers and pupils about heart health and supporting our fundraising activities such as our popular Jump Rope for Heart skipping programme. We’ll provide the training and resources and need good communicators, who are confident speakers, energetic and enthusiastic about raising funds for the nation’s heart charity.
Whatever motivates you – perhaps you want to gain experience within a school environment, keep you mind active until retirement or do something for a worthwhile cause – join us and become a highly valued member of our team. You’ll have a wonderful time meeting new people, developing new skills and having fun. You will be amazed at what you can achieve and you will be helping the charity to raise vital funds for pioneering heart research, educational material and care projects.
The work of the BHF is essential – we’re working to beat the UK’s biggest killer but we can’t do it on our own, we need more volunteers. Please give me a call on 0121 353 2087 or email me at stokesd@bhf.org.uk for more details.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Donna Stokes
Volunteer Manager
British Heart Foundation
It’s that time of the year when the children are going back to school – but what about the adults?
If you can spare a couple of hours a week and would like to volunteer within the school environment, we have just the role for you. The British Heart Foundation (BHF) urgently needs to find more Schools Co-ordinators in Coventry. You will help to make a real difference to the work of the charity and the health of our children.
We’re looking for enthusiastic people who enjoy talking to teachers and pupils about heart health and supporting our fundraising activities such as our popular Jump Rope for Heart skipping programme. We’ll provide the training and resources and need good communicators, who are confident speakers, energetic and enthusiastic about raising funds for the nation’s heart charity.
Whatever motivates you – perhaps you want to gain experience within a school environment, keep you mind active until retirement or do something for a worthwhile cause – join us and become a highly valued member of our team. You’ll have a wonderful time meeting new people, developing new skills and having fun. You will be amazed at what you can achieve and you will be helping the charity to raise vital funds for pioneering heart research, educational material and care projects.
The work of the BHF is essential – we’re working to beat the UK’s biggest killer but we can’t do it on our own, we need more volunteers. Please give me a call on 0121 353 2087 or email me at stokesd@bhf.org.uk for more details.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Donna Stokes
Volunteer Manager
British Heart Foundation
The Big Ballet
The Big Ballet is Back, Bigger than Ever
20 Stone Russian Ballet Stars set for extensive UK Tour
Having been a huge success in 2007 and spring ‘08, Russia’s alternative ballet company, The Big Ballet - comprising 16 female dancers each weighing a strict minimum of 17 Stone – is returning to the UK with an even bigger autumn tour of 33 venues, presented by Amande Concerts UK, including a performance at the Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa, on Thursday, 2 October.
Alexej Ignatow, a producer for Amande Concerts, comments “We are delighted to bring back this superb Russian show to UK audiences - The Big Ballet proved to be a big hit in 2007 and spring 2008. When such attention is continuously paid to issues of size and weight, we felt that being larger is not necessarily a restriction and we were right. The Big Ballet is enjoyed by people of all sizes”.
With dancers weighing an average 20 Stone, The Big Ballet is a show like no other in the world. All performed on a black-box stage, with hand-made costumes, the first section of the show is a parody of popular classical ballets. The second section is rather more fast-paced as the larger-than-life dancers perform to more contemporary music, such as Robbie Williams, Tom Jones’s ‘Sex Bomb’ and (continuing the Russian theme) ‘Go West’ by Pet Shop Boys, and even perform to one ‘number’ in tight leather ‘biker gear’.
Dion Clements, publicist for The Big Ballet UK tour, claims “Whether you admire the fuller figure or not, there is absolutely no denying the raw power emanating from the stage when 16 large ladies perform choreographed routines in sync to thunderous music – I’ve witnessed audiences go wild for this troupe”.
The Big Ballet was established fourteen years ago by top Russian choreographer, Panfilov. As a young man Panfilov had secured his position as one of the most influential choreographers in ballet. Never one to shy-away from controversy, Panfilov decided he was going to prove two things to the world; firstly, that people of larger build are able to move with similar grace, dignity and flare as traditional dancers, and secondly, that he would be able to create a professional ballet troupe out of dancers with no previous experience. Hailing from Perm, a beautiful city with two million inhabitants in Russia’s Ural Mountain range, also home to two of ballet’s pre-eminent geniuses, Peter I. Tchaikovsky and Serge Diaghlev, The Big Ballet was formed by Panfilov to challenge social standards in a world where slenderness and beauty seems obsessive – in testament to Panfilov’s achievement, The Big Ballet continues to be a massive success long after his renowned murder in 2002.
Often asked how they retain weight during such rigorous training sessions and demanding tour schedules, The Big Ballet’s co-Prima Ballerina, Ekatarina Yurkova, comments “We eat normal amounts of food, and the same kind of food, as everybody else – our size is in our genes. We had the opportunity and, under one of the world’s leading choreographers, we gained the ability and confidence to take to the stage and show that we are as good at professional dance as thin people”.
Fellow Prima, Tatyana Gladkaya jokes “You definitely have to have a sense of humour to be in The Big Ballet, but we still take our work very seriously. Having said that, it’s easy to do the splits with 120 kilos of down-force”
To book tickets for The Big Ballet’s performance in Leamington Spa, contact the Box Office on telephone 01926 334418 or visit http://www.thebigballet.co.uk/ for more details.
20 Stone Russian Ballet Stars set for extensive UK Tour
Having been a huge success in 2007 and spring ‘08, Russia’s alternative ballet company, The Big Ballet - comprising 16 female dancers each weighing a strict minimum of 17 Stone – is returning to the UK with an even bigger autumn tour of 33 venues, presented by Amande Concerts UK, including a performance at the Royal Spa Centre, Leamington Spa, on Thursday, 2 October.
Alexej Ignatow, a producer for Amande Concerts, comments “We are delighted to bring back this superb Russian show to UK audiences - The Big Ballet proved to be a big hit in 2007 and spring 2008. When such attention is continuously paid to issues of size and weight, we felt that being larger is not necessarily a restriction and we were right. The Big Ballet is enjoyed by people of all sizes”.
With dancers weighing an average 20 Stone, The Big Ballet is a show like no other in the world. All performed on a black-box stage, with hand-made costumes, the first section of the show is a parody of popular classical ballets. The second section is rather more fast-paced as the larger-than-life dancers perform to more contemporary music, such as Robbie Williams, Tom Jones’s ‘Sex Bomb’ and (continuing the Russian theme) ‘Go West’ by Pet Shop Boys, and even perform to one ‘number’ in tight leather ‘biker gear’.
Dion Clements, publicist for The Big Ballet UK tour, claims “Whether you admire the fuller figure or not, there is absolutely no denying the raw power emanating from the stage when 16 large ladies perform choreographed routines in sync to thunderous music – I’ve witnessed audiences go wild for this troupe”.
The Big Ballet was established fourteen years ago by top Russian choreographer, Panfilov. As a young man Panfilov had secured his position as one of the most influential choreographers in ballet. Never one to shy-away from controversy, Panfilov decided he was going to prove two things to the world; firstly, that people of larger build are able to move with similar grace, dignity and flare as traditional dancers, and secondly, that he would be able to create a professional ballet troupe out of dancers with no previous experience. Hailing from Perm, a beautiful city with two million inhabitants in Russia’s Ural Mountain range, also home to two of ballet’s pre-eminent geniuses, Peter I. Tchaikovsky and Serge Diaghlev, The Big Ballet was formed by Panfilov to challenge social standards in a world where slenderness and beauty seems obsessive – in testament to Panfilov’s achievement, The Big Ballet continues to be a massive success long after his renowned murder in 2002.
Often asked how they retain weight during such rigorous training sessions and demanding tour schedules, The Big Ballet’s co-Prima Ballerina, Ekatarina Yurkova, comments “We eat normal amounts of food, and the same kind of food, as everybody else – our size is in our genes. We had the opportunity and, under one of the world’s leading choreographers, we gained the ability and confidence to take to the stage and show that we are as good at professional dance as thin people”.
Fellow Prima, Tatyana Gladkaya jokes “You definitely have to have a sense of humour to be in The Big Ballet, but we still take our work very seriously. Having said that, it’s easy to do the splits with 120 kilos of down-force”
To book tickets for The Big Ballet’s performance in Leamington Spa, contact the Box Office on telephone 01926 334418 or visit http://www.thebigballet.co.uk/ for more details.
Why West Midlands Safari Park should cut their carbon footprint
We took the kids to West Midlands Safari Park yesterday thinking that it might be quiet following two busy bank holidays. It's a great day out generally but what a nightmare trying to drive around the park to see the animals.
It was bumper to bumper all the way round. People were driving across the grass to cut each other up, the rangers were moving people on every time you stopped to look at or feed the animals (so at the end of the trail you still have your expensive box of grass pellets intact because the opportunties to feed the animals are so limited) and there was a continual smell of burning hand brakes and gear boxes. As for the poor animals, they must be continually breathing in car fumes.
There are even signs at the front entrance entrance saying "no alcohol or fireworks to be brought into the park". Now doesn't that indicate to you that they have clearly had issues with people carrying all manner of inappropriate stuff around the park in their cars? It must be a very difficult situation to monitor for staff. Is this why they have so many young rangers driving up and down in four-by-fours with zebra livery, burning up yet more fuel in order to try to protect the inhabitants from the real wild animals?
Of course the great advantage of safari parks over zoos is that the animals get relatively more space to roam around than they do caged up. The disadvantage is that anything closely resembling a natural habitat is completely runied by a two lane traffic jam for the whole four miles of the trail. Who can blame the animals for hiding behind the longest clump of grass they can find, therefore providing less opportunity to observe them close-up than you'd get in a zoo.
Why is it in this day and age of being more mindful of the environment, safari park directors haven't thought of a way to cut out all of this awful traffic pollution in their parks? As far as I am concerned it is colluding with our innate idleness and reliance on the motorcar in order to bring in as many visitors and generate as much revenue as possible in the most convenient way for both visitor and park owner, but flies in the face of any commitment by either party to the nature of our planet.
Why not get the visitors to leave the cars at the front entrance and enable people to walk around the park safely by providing raised walkways between picnic areas, viewing platforms, learning and information areas, hides and habitat viewing areas, perhaps a little train or tram to link main enclosures? Keep the fences to protect both the animals and public from each other, perhaps provide a mobility option for disabled people, parents of babies and older people but in general kick the public out of their cars into the open air.
It works with the hippo enclosure and the adjacent viewing platform, so why not extend the same concept to the whole park?
We get closer contact with the animals, fresh air and physical exercise. The animals keep their spacious enclosures, but lose all the car fumes and unnatural spectacle of thousands of motor cars, coaches, minibuses etc, trundling past them all day long. Both animals and people will get to have both their physical and mental health improved big time.
A safari park designed soley around observation from a moving motor car now runs the risk of becoming as outmoded a concept as a zoo with a pacing tiger in a 12 foot cage.
Come on West Midlands Safari Park, there is plenty of evidence that conservation and the environment are genuine concerns of the park and as I said at the start it is a great day out and there are some exciting projects going on in terms of conservation of species, close-up experience of smaller creatures, breeding programmes for unusual species etc., so can we see some innovation in terms of ditching the cars and reducing the park's carbon footprint! How good would that be?
It was bumper to bumper all the way round. People were driving across the grass to cut each other up, the rangers were moving people on every time you stopped to look at or feed the animals (so at the end of the trail you still have your expensive box of grass pellets intact because the opportunties to feed the animals are so limited) and there was a continual smell of burning hand brakes and gear boxes. As for the poor animals, they must be continually breathing in car fumes.
There are even signs at the front entrance entrance saying "no alcohol or fireworks to be brought into the park". Now doesn't that indicate to you that they have clearly had issues with people carrying all manner of inappropriate stuff around the park in their cars? It must be a very difficult situation to monitor for staff. Is this why they have so many young rangers driving up and down in four-by-fours with zebra livery, burning up yet more fuel in order to try to protect the inhabitants from the real wild animals?
Of course the great advantage of safari parks over zoos is that the animals get relatively more space to roam around than they do caged up. The disadvantage is that anything closely resembling a natural habitat is completely runied by a two lane traffic jam for the whole four miles of the trail. Who can blame the animals for hiding behind the longest clump of grass they can find, therefore providing less opportunity to observe them close-up than you'd get in a zoo.
Why is it in this day and age of being more mindful of the environment, safari park directors haven't thought of a way to cut out all of this awful traffic pollution in their parks? As far as I am concerned it is colluding with our innate idleness and reliance on the motorcar in order to bring in as many visitors and generate as much revenue as possible in the most convenient way for both visitor and park owner, but flies in the face of any commitment by either party to the nature of our planet.
Why not get the visitors to leave the cars at the front entrance and enable people to walk around the park safely by providing raised walkways between picnic areas, viewing platforms, learning and information areas, hides and habitat viewing areas, perhaps a little train or tram to link main enclosures? Keep the fences to protect both the animals and public from each other, perhaps provide a mobility option for disabled people, parents of babies and older people but in general kick the public out of their cars into the open air.
It works with the hippo enclosure and the adjacent viewing platform, so why not extend the same concept to the whole park?
We get closer contact with the animals, fresh air and physical exercise. The animals keep their spacious enclosures, but lose all the car fumes and unnatural spectacle of thousands of motor cars, coaches, minibuses etc, trundling past them all day long. Both animals and people will get to have both their physical and mental health improved big time.
A safari park designed soley around observation from a moving motor car now runs the risk of becoming as outmoded a concept as a zoo with a pacing tiger in a 12 foot cage.
Come on West Midlands Safari Park, there is plenty of evidence that conservation and the environment are genuine concerns of the park and as I said at the start it is a great day out and there are some exciting projects going on in terms of conservation of species, close-up experience of smaller creatures, breeding programmes for unusual species etc., so can we see some innovation in terms of ditching the cars and reducing the park's carbon footprint! How good would that be?
Midlands Sporting Achievements remembered in Rare Archive Film
Wolverhampton’s Light House Cinema will host The Film Archive Relay, a special archive screening recalling the competitive streak of Midlanders in Action, on Friday 26 September at 7pm. The programme of archive film, spanning the 1930s to the 1970s, will look back at our great Midlands sporting heritage as part of the Cultural Olympiad Launch weekend celebrations taking place across the region between 26 - 28 September.The films have been curated by the Media Archive for Central England (MACE). This is a free event.Among the films will be an interview with Wolverhampton’s Tessa Sanderson at home in Wednesfield and a film featuring Netherton's Jumping Joe Darby who was able to jump a canal in a single bound.
Light House Marketing Coordinator Lindsay Wiggin said, “Our archive film screenings at Light House are always very popular and this one will be no exception! With Great Britain now gearing up for London 2012 it is important to celebrate our heritage, culture and people aswell as our sporting achievements. This heritage screening will give us a glimpse into our past and look back at important sporting moments, including some sports which have become consigned to the history books. Arrive early to avoid disappointment!”
Philip Leach of MACE will also be on hand at the screening to talk about the region’s film archive. This screening is the first of a ‘relay’ of screenings across the West Midlands including Warwick Arts Centre on Saturday 27 September, 6.30pm and Old Market Hall, Shrewsbury Sunday 28 September, 4.30pm.
A MACE and ScreenWM Partnership in collaboration with Light House, Warwick Arts Centre and Old Market Hall, Shrewsbury. See www.macearchive.org.uk for info. The Film Archive Relay will take place at Light House Cinema on Friday 26 September at 7pm and is a free event. Please arrive early to avoid disappointment. Light House is located in the historic Chubb Buildings in Wolverhampton City Centre.
For further information contact Light House Box Office on t. 01902 716055 / e. info@light-house.co.uk or visit www.light-house.co.uk
This month's 'PuterTutor article from Caroline
Keeping in touch.
Recently a friend of mine moved to Canada prompting me to think about keeping in touch with people in far off places. There are a number of computer applications that can be used to keep in touch with friends and family, here or abroad. Some of these are free to use. There isn’t enough space to talk about all the available options, but here is a rough guide.
Email: The internet equivalent of writing a letter, just a lot faster. Usually you are provided with an email address when you sign up to an ISP. Alternatively you can get free ones at www.yahoo.co.uk and www.hotmail.com.
Instant Messaging: IM is talking through typing but in real-time. This means that the person you are talking to is at another computer, receiving your message and instantly typing a reply. You can carry on a conversation at a pace dependant on you typing speed and knowledge of texting short hand. For example, “c if u cn rd ths wrds” (see if you can read these words). There are several different IM programs but the most prolific are Yahoo! Messenger and MSN aka Windows Live Messenger. These are simple to download from the internet. You need to signup to use the service but this is free of charge.
SKYPE: Whilst Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! also offer the facility to speak and use webcams many people opt to use SKYPE (www.skype.com). Once you have signed up for a free account this program allows you to talk as if on the telephone to someone anywhere in the world for free as long as they use SKYPE too. You can use a simple headset microphone and ear piece or you can buy a special phone. If you want to see them, then a webcam is essential. You can use SKYPE to phone anyone (landline or mobile) but you will be charged for this service.
Inclusive Calls: Many ISPs now offer free evening and weekend calls as part of your Internet package. Or free daytime calls for an additional fee. BT for instance offer a second telephone number and effectively a second line through your broadband which could prove useful if you have teenagers at home.
By Caroline, The ‘PuterTutor.
Recently a friend of mine moved to Canada prompting me to think about keeping in touch with people in far off places. There are a number of computer applications that can be used to keep in touch with friends and family, here or abroad. Some of these are free to use. There isn’t enough space to talk about all the available options, but here is a rough guide.
Email: The internet equivalent of writing a letter, just a lot faster. Usually you are provided with an email address when you sign up to an ISP. Alternatively you can get free ones at www.yahoo.co.uk and www.hotmail.com.
Instant Messaging: IM is talking through typing but in real-time. This means that the person you are talking to is at another computer, receiving your message and instantly typing a reply. You can carry on a conversation at a pace dependant on you typing speed and knowledge of texting short hand. For example, “c if u cn rd ths wrds” (see if you can read these words). There are several different IM programs but the most prolific are Yahoo! Messenger and MSN aka Windows Live Messenger. These are simple to download from the internet. You need to signup to use the service but this is free of charge.
SKYPE: Whilst Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! also offer the facility to speak and use webcams many people opt to use SKYPE (www.skype.com). Once you have signed up for a free account this program allows you to talk as if on the telephone to someone anywhere in the world for free as long as they use SKYPE too. You can use a simple headset microphone and ear piece or you can buy a special phone. If you want to see them, then a webcam is essential. You can use SKYPE to phone anyone (landline or mobile) but you will be charged for this service.
Inclusive Calls: Many ISPs now offer free evening and weekend calls as part of your Internet package. Or free daytime calls for an additional fee. BT for instance offer a second telephone number and effectively a second line through your broadband which could prove useful if you have teenagers at home.
By Caroline, The ‘PuterTutor.
Walsall continues to gear up for third Fashion Show
The Town Centre Management Partnership have stepped up the plans for the third Walsall town centre Fashion Show at the Saddlers Centre on Sunday 7th September.
15 stores have now confirmed for the show, which promises to be the best ever and will take place from 1.00pm to 3.00pm and they will come together to put on a great show on the day, with the majority of the models being familiar faces from local stores.
The event has the theme of ‘Real fashion for Real People’ and we have teamed up with Beacon Radio to organise a total makeover competition where one lucky lady will get the opportunity to receive a total makeover on the day.
The makeover will include make up and hair by top stylists and an outfit up to the value of £400 from Debenhams. Further information and entry details are available from the Beacon website at www.beaconradiowestmids.co.uk
There will also be a demonstration from Fitness First on the day, an appearance from the Acorns Hospice santas and a free prize draw which anybody present will be able to enter.
Karen Sands, chair of the Walsall Town Centre Management Partnership said “We are really excited about the new total makeover element of the show and the participation of 15 stores and over 100 models means that this will be the biggest and best Fashion Show we have ever organised”.
15 stores have now confirmed for the show, which promises to be the best ever and will take place from 1.00pm to 3.00pm and they will come together to put on a great show on the day, with the majority of the models being familiar faces from local stores.
The event has the theme of ‘Real fashion for Real People’ and we have teamed up with Beacon Radio to organise a total makeover competition where one lucky lady will get the opportunity to receive a total makeover on the day.
The makeover will include make up and hair by top stylists and an outfit up to the value of £400 from Debenhams. Further information and entry details are available from the Beacon website at www.beaconradiowestmids.co.uk
There will also be a demonstration from Fitness First on the day, an appearance from the Acorns Hospice santas and a free prize draw which anybody present will be able to enter.
Karen Sands, chair of the Walsall Town Centre Management Partnership said “We are really excited about the new total makeover element of the show and the participation of 15 stores and over 100 models means that this will be the biggest and best Fashion Show we have ever organised”.
DO YOU BAKE THE BEST BUNS, COOK CRACKING CAKES OR ARE YOUR FLANS FABULOUS?
THE HUNT IS ON TO FIND THE BEST AMATEUR PUDDING CHEF IN BIRMINGHAM!
Are your desserts more delicious than James Martins? Would Delia be envious of your perfect puddings? If you think your desserts are divine PUDZ wants to hear from you!
PUDZ, a fantastic range of indulgent puddings from frozen desserts specialist Greencore Frozen Foods, is searching Birmingham for pudding enthusiasts to take part in a UK search to find the Amateur Pudding Chef of the Year.
The search has already visited Leeds and Manchester with two delicious desserts beating off stiff competition to win the regional title and now the search is in Birmingham!
To enter, dessert-lovers need to submit their best recipe for any type of dessert, to the email or postal addresses below, and five will be selected to take part in the regional bake-off.
The Birmingham bake-off will take place at Birmingham College of Food on 18th September where Birmingham’s very own Amateur Pudding Chef of the Year will be crowned.
The search will then travel around the UK and culminate in a live, all expenses paid, grand final bake-off at the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen in London on Thursday November 13, 2008.
The five finalists from Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol and Glasgow will each prepare their pudding, which will then be judged by top celebrity chef, Mich Turner.
The winner will be crowned the Amateur Pudding Chef of the Year 2008 and receive a fantastic weekend away at the Pudding Club. They will also win a cooking lesson with top cake chef, Mich Turner, who has baked cakes for the Queen, Sir Paul McCartney and Madonna amongst others, and been described by Gordon Ramsey as ‘the Bentley of cake makers.”
PUDZ spokesperson, Kelly Eastwood comments: “This is a great opportunity for everyone who is passionate about puddings to put their tried and tested family favourites or their own special secret recipe to the test. We are looking for a ‘masterchef’ of the pudding world and look forward to receiving the delicious recipes. The final prize is an amazing opportunity for some ‘one on one’ tuition from Mich and a trip to the mecca for puddings lovers – the Pudding Club!”
Entrants must be over 18 years old and recipes can be sent to PUDZ Amateur Pudding Chef of the Year, Brazen PR, 27 Great Ancoats Street, Manchester, M4 5AJ or emailed to pudz@brazenpr.com by 12th September 2008.
Are your desserts more delicious than James Martins? Would Delia be envious of your perfect puddings? If you think your desserts are divine PUDZ wants to hear from you!
PUDZ, a fantastic range of indulgent puddings from frozen desserts specialist Greencore Frozen Foods, is searching Birmingham for pudding enthusiasts to take part in a UK search to find the Amateur Pudding Chef of the Year.
The search has already visited Leeds and Manchester with two delicious desserts beating off stiff competition to win the regional title and now the search is in Birmingham!
To enter, dessert-lovers need to submit their best recipe for any type of dessert, to the email or postal addresses below, and five will be selected to take part in the regional bake-off.
The Birmingham bake-off will take place at Birmingham College of Food on 18th September where Birmingham’s very own Amateur Pudding Chef of the Year will be crowned.
The search will then travel around the UK and culminate in a live, all expenses paid, grand final bake-off at the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen in London on Thursday November 13, 2008.
The five finalists from Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Bristol and Glasgow will each prepare their pudding, which will then be judged by top celebrity chef, Mich Turner.
The winner will be crowned the Amateur Pudding Chef of the Year 2008 and receive a fantastic weekend away at the Pudding Club. They will also win a cooking lesson with top cake chef, Mich Turner, who has baked cakes for the Queen, Sir Paul McCartney and Madonna amongst others, and been described by Gordon Ramsey as ‘the Bentley of cake makers.”
PUDZ spokesperson, Kelly Eastwood comments: “This is a great opportunity for everyone who is passionate about puddings to put their tried and tested family favourites or their own special secret recipe to the test. We are looking for a ‘masterchef’ of the pudding world and look forward to receiving the delicious recipes. The final prize is an amazing opportunity for some ‘one on one’ tuition from Mich and a trip to the mecca for puddings lovers – the Pudding Club!”
Entrants must be over 18 years old and recipes can be sent to PUDZ Amateur Pudding Chef of the Year, Brazen PR, 27 Great Ancoats Street, Manchester, M4 5AJ or emailed to pudz@brazenpr.com by 12th September 2008.
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Art at Compton Verney
Jack B. Yeats
Oskar Kokoschka
Compton Verney, Warwickshire
Press view: Friday 26 September; Exhibition dates: 27 September-14 December 2008
Jack B. Yeats
Masquerade & Spectacle: The Circus and the Travelling Fair
The painter Jack B. Yeats (1871-1957), brother of poet W.B. Yeats, had a long fascination with the circus and travelling fairs of his native Ireland. This exhibition brings together paintings and drawings which reveal a world of fantasy and illusion, exploring Yeats’ unique interpretation of the spectacular. With their exhilarating use of paint, and often partly abstract in form, the works explore the psychological tensions of performance and the artistic process of expression itself. Yeats only became fully recognised after the Second World War, and this exhibition offers a rare insight into the work of Ireland’s most renowned twentieth-century painter.
The exhibition features a number of important works including Double Jockey Act (1916); The Singing Clown (1928); The Grand Conversation was under the Rose (1943); Alone (1944); The Last Dawn but One (1948), and A Cavalier’s Farewell to his Steed (1949). Yeats was particularly fascinated by the clowns’ world of comedy, mystery and song, and the poetic titles of his paintings hint at the personal motivations and emotions of the characters depicted. Yeats’ figures are often solitary and marginalised by society. The sources of this lie in his memory and his preference for working alone, but his experiments with colour and paint application guaranteed him an important place in Irish Modernism, and won him international acclaim and the friendship of artists such as Oskar Kokoschka. Masquerade and Spectacle has been organised in collaboration with the National Gallery of Ireland and is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue.
Oskar Kokoschka
Exile and New Home 1938-1980
Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980) emerged out of the Art Nouveau movement in Vienna, but his energetic and spontaneous painting style reveals the influence of Van Gogh and the Berlin art scene, rather than the decorative style of Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele, his Viennese compatriots. Kokoschka came to Britain in 1938 following the surrender of Czechoslovakia to Germany, and then moved to Switzerland in 1953. The exhibition focuses on the artist’s late works, drawn from an intensely creative period where he fully developed his distinctive style of working. Kokoschka’s early work had emanated from personal experiences, whereas the later work became increasingly politically motivated, and this exhibition traces his odyssey through the war-torn Europe of the twentieth-century.
Exile and New Home focuses on Kokoschka’s labelling as a degenerate artist by the Nazi’s, his escape and exile to London, and his subsequent visits to Cornwall and Scotland. The exhibition features political and satirical works, landscapes, cityscapes, portraits, works inspired by literature, theatre and the circus, and his final paintings. Whether working in oils, watercolours or pencils, Kokoschka’s rhythmic treatment of colour and light created the distinctive mood of his subject matter, and in the late paintings, light finds expression as a dynamic emotional charge, revealing a poignant moment of inner understanding. Exile and New Home is organised in collaboration with the Albertina in Vienna, Austria, and is the first major presentation of the artist’s work in England since the Tate exhibition of 1986.
Oskar Kokoschka
Compton Verney, Warwickshire
Press view: Friday 26 September; Exhibition dates: 27 September-14 December 2008
Jack B. Yeats
Masquerade & Spectacle: The Circus and the Travelling Fair
The painter Jack B. Yeats (1871-1957), brother of poet W.B. Yeats, had a long fascination with the circus and travelling fairs of his native Ireland. This exhibition brings together paintings and drawings which reveal a world of fantasy and illusion, exploring Yeats’ unique interpretation of the spectacular. With their exhilarating use of paint, and often partly abstract in form, the works explore the psychological tensions of performance and the artistic process of expression itself. Yeats only became fully recognised after the Second World War, and this exhibition offers a rare insight into the work of Ireland’s most renowned twentieth-century painter.
The exhibition features a number of important works including Double Jockey Act (1916); The Singing Clown (1928); The Grand Conversation was under the Rose (1943); Alone (1944); The Last Dawn but One (1948), and A Cavalier’s Farewell to his Steed (1949). Yeats was particularly fascinated by the clowns’ world of comedy, mystery and song, and the poetic titles of his paintings hint at the personal motivations and emotions of the characters depicted. Yeats’ figures are often solitary and marginalised by society. The sources of this lie in his memory and his preference for working alone, but his experiments with colour and paint application guaranteed him an important place in Irish Modernism, and won him international acclaim and the friendship of artists such as Oskar Kokoschka. Masquerade and Spectacle has been organised in collaboration with the National Gallery of Ireland and is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue.
Oskar Kokoschka
Exile and New Home 1938-1980
Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980) emerged out of the Art Nouveau movement in Vienna, but his energetic and spontaneous painting style reveals the influence of Van Gogh and the Berlin art scene, rather than the decorative style of Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele, his Viennese compatriots. Kokoschka came to Britain in 1938 following the surrender of Czechoslovakia to Germany, and then moved to Switzerland in 1953. The exhibition focuses on the artist’s late works, drawn from an intensely creative period where he fully developed his distinctive style of working. Kokoschka’s early work had emanated from personal experiences, whereas the later work became increasingly politically motivated, and this exhibition traces his odyssey through the war-torn Europe of the twentieth-century.
Exile and New Home focuses on Kokoschka’s labelling as a degenerate artist by the Nazi’s, his escape and exile to London, and his subsequent visits to Cornwall and Scotland. The exhibition features political and satirical works, landscapes, cityscapes, portraits, works inspired by literature, theatre and the circus, and his final paintings. Whether working in oils, watercolours or pencils, Kokoschka’s rhythmic treatment of colour and light created the distinctive mood of his subject matter, and in the late paintings, light finds expression as a dynamic emotional charge, revealing a poignant moment of inner understanding. Exile and New Home is organised in collaboration with the Albertina in Vienna, Austria, and is the first major presentation of the artist’s work in England since the Tate exhibition of 1986.
Digital Dystopia
Project X Presents
Digital Dystopia
£10Ticket Outlets: Jibbering Records, www.theticketsellers.co.uk
BUSK, Gough Street, Birmingham, B1 1HN
Saturday Sept 13 2008
8pm - 3am
www.projectxpresents.com
info@projectxpresents.com
Project X Presents, the Birmingham based creative network will present their fourth and latest event in a brand new location in central Birmingham on Sept 13 2008.The Digital Dystopia performance will further develop and explore the group's remarkable "Omnimedia Experience" format - in which audiences enter a strange and custom designed wonderland of sound, light and interaction for an unforgettable evening of enchantment.
The main body of the event takes place in one special room - in which the audience is surrounded by three stages housing a seamless procession of music and spoken word - all carefully sequenced by the group and woven into a continual mix of sound. The musical effect becomes greater than the sum of each special part as each contributes to the whole, like a unique opera show written in collaboration by the collective mind of a variety of talented performers.
Visual screens will envelop the room, manned by a team comprising some of the most talented visual artists and VJs in the region, each producing work specific to the event and the music.A separate room offers a change of pace and the chance for the audience to engage further with the event, interacting with giant toy-like installations offering a fun, different and tactile experience.
Dancers and physical theatre performers will lead the audience on a journey of discovery to confront the possibilities of a dystopian future:Are ID cards, ubiquitous CCTV surveillance and mass addiction to television and the Internet all omens of a future society controlled by fear and strangled by bureaucracy?
Project X Presents is an independent network of creative individuals, artist lead and dedicated to the development of creativity and expression. have an abundance of experience between them, not least the delivery of three previous event, at the Epic Skate Park, Rainbow Warehouse and Concrete.
Project X Presents events are engaging and entertaining. The unique collaborations between performers, artists, technicians and musicians they entail result in a joyous sense of occasion and celebratory atmosphere - one of the many attractions of the shows.
You can’t bottle it - but you can be part of it!
In keeping with our previous work, this project will birth an entirely new venue on the Birmingham scene - more details to follow very soon!
This unique and engaging experience will feature:SubSource - www.subsource.co.uk - A frenetic concoction of Electro and BreakBeat executed with fearsome Punk Rock energy. SUBSOURCE are PUNKBREAKS. Subsource serve frenzied sermons of primeval beats and their live shows are controlled collisions of musical sub genres.
360 – www.360.uk.com - one of Birmingham biggest bands - a fantastic 8 piece fusion of ska, funk, reggae and all things good and all things Birmingham.
Reginald D Hunter – www.reginalddhunter.co.uk
- possibly the best and most challenging comic in the UK today - provocative, bold and piercingly perceptive. Triple Perrier Nominee.
Free Control – www.myspace.com/freecontrol - progressive trip hop
Cellardoor – www.myspace.com/cellardoorsound - thunderous post rock
DJ Marc Reck – www.marcreck.com - dex-efx-drums, eclectic and breaks
Rich Batsford – www.richbatsford.com - mesmeric piano
Mixmaster Morris – www.myspace.com/theirresistibleforce - big chill ambient supremo
Lil Ms Vix Buzzfox – www.vix.uk.com - sleazy slinky rockabilly
Aa’shiq al Rasul – www.aashiqalrasul.com - spiritually uplifting Qawwali masters
Khalgani - www.myspace.com/khalgani - post-apocalyptic tribal fusion danceand much, much more!
Xx
Digital Dystopia
£10Ticket Outlets: Jibbering Records, www.theticketsellers.co.uk
BUSK, Gough Street, Birmingham, B1 1HN
Saturday Sept 13 2008
8pm - 3am
www.projectxpresents.com
info@projectxpresents.com
Project X Presents, the Birmingham based creative network will present their fourth and latest event in a brand new location in central Birmingham on Sept 13 2008.The Digital Dystopia performance will further develop and explore the group's remarkable "Omnimedia Experience" format - in which audiences enter a strange and custom designed wonderland of sound, light and interaction for an unforgettable evening of enchantment.
The main body of the event takes place in one special room - in which the audience is surrounded by three stages housing a seamless procession of music and spoken word - all carefully sequenced by the group and woven into a continual mix of sound. The musical effect becomes greater than the sum of each special part as each contributes to the whole, like a unique opera show written in collaboration by the collective mind of a variety of talented performers.
Visual screens will envelop the room, manned by a team comprising some of the most talented visual artists and VJs in the region, each producing work specific to the event and the music.A separate room offers a change of pace and the chance for the audience to engage further with the event, interacting with giant toy-like installations offering a fun, different and tactile experience.
Dancers and physical theatre performers will lead the audience on a journey of discovery to confront the possibilities of a dystopian future:Are ID cards, ubiquitous CCTV surveillance and mass addiction to television and the Internet all omens of a future society controlled by fear and strangled by bureaucracy?
Project X Presents is an independent network of creative individuals, artist lead and dedicated to the development of creativity and expression. have an abundance of experience between them, not least the delivery of three previous event, at the Epic Skate Park, Rainbow Warehouse and Concrete.
Project X Presents events are engaging and entertaining. The unique collaborations between performers, artists, technicians and musicians they entail result in a joyous sense of occasion and celebratory atmosphere - one of the many attractions of the shows.
You can’t bottle it - but you can be part of it!
In keeping with our previous work, this project will birth an entirely new venue on the Birmingham scene - more details to follow very soon!
This unique and engaging experience will feature:SubSource - www.subsource.co.uk - A frenetic concoction of Electro and BreakBeat executed with fearsome Punk Rock energy. SUBSOURCE are PUNKBREAKS. Subsource serve frenzied sermons of primeval beats and their live shows are controlled collisions of musical sub genres.
360 – www.360.uk.com - one of Birmingham biggest bands - a fantastic 8 piece fusion of ska, funk, reggae and all things good and all things Birmingham.
Reginald D Hunter – www.reginalddhunter.co.uk
- possibly the best and most challenging comic in the UK today - provocative, bold and piercingly perceptive. Triple Perrier Nominee.
Free Control – www.myspace.com/freecontrol - progressive trip hop
Cellardoor – www.myspace.com/cellardoorsound - thunderous post rock
DJ Marc Reck – www.marcreck.com - dex-efx-drums, eclectic and breaks
Rich Batsford – www.richbatsford.com - mesmeric piano
Mixmaster Morris – www.myspace.com/theirresistibleforce - big chill ambient supremo
Lil Ms Vix Buzzfox – www.vix.uk.com - sleazy slinky rockabilly
Aa’shiq al Rasul – www.aashiqalrasul.com - spiritually uplifting Qawwali masters
Khalgani - www.myspace.com/khalgani - post-apocalyptic tribal fusion danceand much, much more!
Xx
Tuesday, 26 August 2008
Fast Lane: fiction for the hoodie generation
Book Review by Pete Millingtono
There are two ways you can look at Martin Glynn's new series of books designed (in the words of publisher Franklin Watts) "specifically to appeal to teens who aren't keen on reading".
0
There will be those who will be shocked and affronted that a modern author should depart so far from the traditional scholarly view of what constitutes a proper English literature novel. That the battle between high-brow Oxbridge standards and the street culture of the ghetto has been lost, as a new generation of young people are indulged by the liberals and bleeding hearts and the standards of our once great civilisation suffer further erosion.
oo
Then there will be people with a more diverse view on the world, who recognise the innovation in Glynn's work - the fusion of the art form of 'comics' with creative literature that reflects the modern day experience of young people in an urban landscape.
0
Martin Glynn is an author, playwright and social researcher. Fast Lane is his new series of teen fiction books which deal with hard hitting subjects that affect many of Britain's young people. The text for the books is credited to Martin Glynn and Deborah Smith and illustrations are by Jade (Blood Bond) and Oliver Harud (Bad Brother) , although the author's name given on the covers of the books is Spike T. Adams, presumably a streetwise joint non de plume for Glynn and Smith?
o
Blood Bond is the story of a teenage boy named Devon whose two older brothers, Troy and Otis, roll with rival street gangs, the Viper Crew and the Endz Crew. Tension builds between the brothers until eventually someone pulls a gun and someone else gets killed. Lots of resonance here with the shocking stories of youth gun culture we hear on a daily basis now in today's media.
o
Bad Brother is the story of Tyler, a young man vexed at having his space invaded by his new stepbrother Alex. Things get out of hand when Alex appears to make a move for Tyler's girl but the story ends happily as the brothers finally bond during a crisis.
o
Both books are written in the first person narrative with all of the street jargon and cultural references of the teenagers at whom they are aimed:
o
"The crew stopped off at the chicken shop. Zee was there. He's older, runs with a different crew, but we're cool. I stayed back, chilling with Zee. I figured if I stayed out long enough Alex would be in bed when I got back. Me and Zee talked on a level for ages. A police car slid past. We touched fists and went our separate ways".
o
Story lines written by 'social researchers' and aimed at disenfranchised teenagers are bound to run the risk of being contrived at the very least, but these books do seem to be very genuinely in touch with the real issues and cultural references of the young generation of Britain. They also have good messages about relationships, about self reflection and indentity, and about young people trying to discern some sort of decent value system in the confusion and tension of a society that, when I was a teenager, Bob Marley described as the concrete jungle.
0
What I like most about the books though is the 'comics' style. Being a great fan of comics myself and a child who used to illustrate every sentence I ever wrote with a tiny picture instead of a full stop or comma (until my early school teachers with every good intention conditioned it out of me), I still have a huge enthusiasm for creative mediums which fuse together both art and literature, bursting to get out. One of my favourite books is Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics - The Invisible Art" which explores how words and pictures shared similar origins in our evolutionary past but took seperate developmental paths until, to the disgust of the purists in both disciplines, they have been reunited by modern artists and comics book author/artists.
o
Pictures in literature! What is the world coming to? But when was it written in stone that never the twain shall meet? And isn't it better that young people at least pick up a book which can be read in 15 minutes, than never pick one up at all?
0
At the risk of self labelling myself a liberal bleeding heart ...I think these books are totally cool!
o
Published by Franklin Watts, a division of Hanchette Children's Books
Open UP! Exhibition
Hi Everyone,
In October CAW (Community Arts Workshop) is going to hold an exhibition of creative work by people with experience of ‘mental health problems’. The aim of the exhibition is to raise awareness and to improve our mental health services.
Called ‘Open Up!’, the exhibition will be held at Leamington’s Old Art Gallery and will run from October 10th (World Mental Health Day) to October 31st.
The exhibition is being supported by Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust and Social Enterprise West Midlands.
During September we will be accepting creative work for the exhibition from across Coventry and Warwickshire.
Attached below is a ‘call for work’ for the exhibition.
If people could put a copy of the ‘call for work’ and exhibition poster (available on PDF from Fran's email address below) up in appropriate places and point them out to creative people who may like to participate then I’d be very grateful.
Thanks,
Fran Godwin - project manager
CAW
The Workshop
Clinton St
Leamington Spa
CV31 1PT
01926 888333
mail@communityartsworkshop.org
http://www.communityartsworkshop.org/
Community Arts Workshop
Open Up!
In October Community Arts Workshop is going to exhibit creative work by people with experience of ‘mental health problems’.
The aim of the exhibition is to raise individual and social awareness and to improve our mental health services.
The exhibition will be held in Leamington’s Old Art Gallery. We will be accepting work for the exhibition during September and may be able to collect it if necessary. If you would like to submit art work of any kind, painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, creative writing and poetry, craft, in fact anything creative at all, then please contact :-
Fran Godwin
The Workshop
Clinton St
Leamington Spa
CV31 1EW
01926 888333
07939 368691
Or preferably email : mail@communityartsworkshop.org
We are also looking for volunteers to curate the exhibition during October.
COMPETITION CALL TO ALL UK MUMS WITH CREATIVE BUSINESS IDEAS!
MumsClub.co.uk, the flourishing online community for entrepreneurial mums who work from home, is from the 1st September launching a national competition to search for the most creative home-based business ideas for mums. The competition is open to all mums; mums with businesses up and running, mums who are considering starting up a business, and mums who just fancy having a go at winning some of the great prizes on offer. There will also be a special prize of 12 months subscription to The Peter Jones Business Builder, an online business service for up-and-coming entrepreneurs created by Peter Jones, best known from Dragons' Den. The special prize will be awarded to an established Mumpreneur who best demonstrates how she intends to expand her business over the next 5 years. The total prize for the whole competition is £2,600!
Jane Hopkins, the mumpreneur behind MumsClub says:
“The competition is a bit of fun that aims to highlight the achievements of the growing number of mums who run businesses from home, and will hopefully inspire other mums to seriously consider fulfilling dreams of running their own business and encourage them to think up plausible business ideas. MumsClub is all about recognising the extra and demanding constraints that us mums have; we haven’t got time to search the internet looking for answers, so MumsClub is here to guide mums through by providing the essential business information and marketing tools needed to set up and build a thriving business from home.”
A group of established mumpreneurs will judge the competition and will be on the lookout for the most creative and original business ideas. Mums are welcome to enter as many ideas as they wish as long as their business concepts allow mum to be principally home-based to market, launch, and sell their products or services.
The overall winner will receive the services of a website designer who will create and host a website of their choice. The winner will also receive a huge bundle of other prizes kindly donated by mumpreneurs; from a custom made piece of hand or foot print art, a prepaid (and loaded) MasterCard, through to a range of useful business services including a practical business planning course and a year’s advertising on the MumsClub site. Four runners-up will receive a selection of goodies from mumpreneur businesses.
For full competition details and to download an entry form, mums need to go to http://www.mumsclub.co.uk/html/competition.html. Business ideas are to be no longer than 300 words each, and the competition closes on November 3rd at 23.30 pm. The winner and runners up will be announced on 1st December 2008.
Monday, 25 August 2008
TOP GARDENING TIPS FROM KIM WILDE
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This was a pleasant and unexpected surprise in my inbox this evening, some gardening tips from Kim Wilde. Kim advises:
Choose easy to grow veggies, especially if you are starting out. Lettuce and tomatoes don’t take much effort. If you are not blessed with a sun-lit garden, some herbs such as mint and parsley thrive in partial shade.
It may sound obvious but choose a plot in the sun and near a water source. If you don’t have much space you can grow vegetables in flowerbeds or patios / decking.
A good base for growing your own starts with good soil. Organic matter such as bark chippings, leaf mould or well rotted manure can also be used as mulch around plants, which will conserve moisture and suppress weeds. Apply onto cleared soil about 10cm (4 ins) deep in spring as the soil starts to warm, but just before weeds get going and avoid touching the stems of plants as this can encourage rotting.
Make sure you have researched what veggies will grow in your garden, what space it will need and grow seasonally. Plant summer lettuces between autumn cabbages as the lettuces will have been harvested by the time cabbages need the space.
o
For a true kitchen garden, bring the outdoors in and grow herbs such as chilli, coriander and basil that will grow on a sunny windowsill!
o
Note from the Editor:
I guess I should add that Kim's gardening tips are linked to a media release from the Magnet kitchen retailing company. As I am not being paid any money to advertise Magnet kitchens I can't really go down the line of sticking up logos and promotional stuff like that, but I thought the gardening tips from Kim were a nice touch and are of genuine community interest. But if you do happen to be thinking about a new kitchen... say no more!
SHOP TIL YOU DROP FOR CANCER RESEARCH UK
BIRMINGHAM and Solihull fashionistas are invited along to a special fashion show and shopping extravaganza to raise vital funds for Cancer Research UK.
The ‘Shop Til You Drop Fashion Show’ is being organised by the local fundraising group; Birmingham Cupiditas at Yardley Ex-Servicemens Club on Friday, September 5.
The glamorous event is an opportunity to see a catwalk show of all the latest fashions, and will also include the option to buy the outfits at special prices.
Tickets for the event are now on sale and are expected to sell out quickly. The tickets cost £5 each and include free entry into a prize draw to win a spa day at Hoar Cross Hall.
All funds raised from ticket sales will go direct to the charity, thanks to Yardley Ex-Servicemans Club providing the venue free of charge.
Karen Grice, Chair of the Birmingham Cupiditas fundraising group, said they were hoping to raise more than £1,000 from the event.
This is the group’s second event, following on from the hugely successful ‘Charity Wedding Ball’ in April 2008
Karen said: “Our ‘Shop Til You Drop Fashion Show’ is a great opportunity for ladies to do what they do best – shop - for a good cause!”
There will also be a raffle to raise extra funds for Cancer Research UK with some fantastic prizes, a bar open until late and the opportunity to purchase hot food throughout the evening.
Karen added “The support of the local people has been amazing, and of course we owe thanks to Yardley Ex-Servicemans Club who have helped us make this event a reality.”
Miranda Williams, Area Volunteer Manager for Cancer Research UK, said: “The charity relies almost entirely on voluntary donations to fund its groundbreaking research projects including local research at the Institute for Cancer Studies at the University of Birmingham.
“We’re delighted that the Birmingham Cupiditas team are continuing to raise funds for Cancer Research UK in such an enjoyable & unique way. I would urge anyone who can to support them on Friday September 5th as it promises to be another great night out.”
For further information or to purchase tickets please log onto http://www.birminghamcupiditas.8m.com/ or telephone Karen on 0121 783 1077 or email on karen.grice@ygt.org.uk
The ‘Shop Til You Drop Fashion Show’ is being organised by the local fundraising group; Birmingham Cupiditas at Yardley Ex-Servicemens Club on Friday, September 5.
The glamorous event is an opportunity to see a catwalk show of all the latest fashions, and will also include the option to buy the outfits at special prices.
Tickets for the event are now on sale and are expected to sell out quickly. The tickets cost £5 each and include free entry into a prize draw to win a spa day at Hoar Cross Hall.
All funds raised from ticket sales will go direct to the charity, thanks to Yardley Ex-Servicemans Club providing the venue free of charge.
Karen Grice, Chair of the Birmingham Cupiditas fundraising group, said they were hoping to raise more than £1,000 from the event.
This is the group’s second event, following on from the hugely successful ‘Charity Wedding Ball’ in April 2008
Karen said: “Our ‘Shop Til You Drop Fashion Show’ is a great opportunity for ladies to do what they do best – shop - for a good cause!”
There will also be a raffle to raise extra funds for Cancer Research UK with some fantastic prizes, a bar open until late and the opportunity to purchase hot food throughout the evening.
Karen added “The support of the local people has been amazing, and of course we owe thanks to Yardley Ex-Servicemans Club who have helped us make this event a reality.”
Miranda Williams, Area Volunteer Manager for Cancer Research UK, said: “The charity relies almost entirely on voluntary donations to fund its groundbreaking research projects including local research at the Institute for Cancer Studies at the University of Birmingham.
“We’re delighted that the Birmingham Cupiditas team are continuing to raise funds for Cancer Research UK in such an enjoyable & unique way. I would urge anyone who can to support them on Friday September 5th as it promises to be another great night out.”
For further information or to purchase tickets please log onto http://www.birminghamcupiditas.8m.com/ or telephone Karen on 0121 783 1077 or email on karen.grice@ygt.org.uk
WELLARD LIVES ON AT DOGS TRUST OPEN DAY!
Dogs Trust Evesham hosts its annual Open Day on Sunday 31st AugustThe nation shed a collective tear last week when Albert Square’s hairiest resident went to the big kennel in the sky. But Dogs Trust is pleased to confirm that Wellard is alive and well and will be taking part in a canine stunt display team at their Evesham Open Day!
Opened by sports presenter Sue Barker, the event is set to be a real treat for dogs and dog lovers alike on Sunday 31st August. There is no entrance fee1 and the gates will open at 11am at the Rehoming Centre based at Pitchers Hill, Wickhamford.
Highlights of the day include a Fun Dog Show, dog displays, kennel tours, grand raffle and fun fair as well as food and craft stalls. Refreshments even include a chocolate tram!
Chris Slight, Dogs Trust Evesham Rehoming Centre Manager, says:
“We can promise a great day out for all the family whether they have two legs, or four! There will be all sorts of activities to keep everyone occupied and amused at Dogs Trust Evesham’s Open Day!”
Dogs Trust Evesham cares for over 150 dogs in the Rehoming Centre at any one time and the charity – through its network of 17 Rehoming Centres across the UK – cares for over 16,000 stray and abandoned dogs each year. Dogs Trust Evesham is urging anyone who is interested in attending the Open Day, visiting Dogs Trust Evesham or keen to find out more about rehoming a rescue dog to contact the Rehoming Centre on 01386 830613.
A poem for Autumn!
In case like me you were starting to get concerned about the absence of our Spaghetti Gazetti poet in residence, Albert Watson the bard of Hodge Hill, whom we haven't heard from for a couple of weeks... I'm pleased to announce he is back with a poem about the forthcoming Autumnal season. Albert adds " I guess Autumn will soon be upon us (mind you it would be nice to see the Summer first)"
Tis Autumn
Tis Autumn feel the chill in air,
Walk dewy grass pick, Conference pear.
Past the greenhouse through the gate,
My morning stroll around estate.
In the distance cows are lowing,
Because of mist half bodies showing.
Look Silver Birch, Horse Chestnut tree,
Changing now their dress I see.
A gentle breeze their leaves caressing,
Helps those trees in their undressing.
That wind will strengthen, strip them bare,
Prepared for snow, their winter wear.
That orb now rising, mellow glow
Highlights berries in hedgerow.
See enormous web’s been spun’
Dew glowing diamonds in the sun.
Climb over stile walk stubbled field,
It’s corn to harvester did yield.
Now we the nation will be fed,
My staple diet, fresh crust bread.
Across the way I see Church tower,
Hurry there within the hour.
The great pipe organ I will play,
It’s Harvest Festival at Church today.
(c) Albert. E. Watson.
Tis Autumn
Tis Autumn feel the chill in air,
Walk dewy grass pick, Conference pear.
Past the greenhouse through the gate,
My morning stroll around estate.
In the distance cows are lowing,
Because of mist half bodies showing.
Look Silver Birch, Horse Chestnut tree,
Changing now their dress I see.
A gentle breeze their leaves caressing,
Helps those trees in their undressing.
That wind will strengthen, strip them bare,
Prepared for snow, their winter wear.
That orb now rising, mellow glow
Highlights berries in hedgerow.
See enormous web’s been spun’
Dew glowing diamonds in the sun.
Climb over stile walk stubbled field,
It’s corn to harvester did yield.
Now we the nation will be fed,
My staple diet, fresh crust bread.
Across the way I see Church tower,
Hurry there within the hour.
The great pipe organ I will play,
It’s Harvest Festival at Church today.
(c) Albert. E. Watson.
HOLIDAY CLUB FOR OLDER GENERATION
A holiday club for older people took place at a Harborne church last week.
40 pensioners from the surrounding area took part in a series of activities as part of Prime Time at St John’s Church, in High Street, from Tuesday 19 to Thursday 21 August.
Hands-on flower arranging and computing, indoor games and a talk on hats were just some of the things on offer. Refreshments and lunch were served daily and each day concluded with a brief ‘thought for the day’.
Catriona Foster, Support Worker for Older People at St John’s, said: “People normally associate holiday clubs with young children, but we wanted to provide some fun activities for an older generation this summer.
“We transformed the church into a lounge area with comfy chairs and coffee tables to make a really welcoming environment for all our guests.
“It was a wonderful opportunity for them to join in a variety of activities, hear interesting speakers, learn new skills, meet friends and relax. The response has been fantastic and those who came along really appreciated the event.”
Prime Time is part of St John’s work to support older people in the parish..
40 pensioners from the surrounding area took part in a series of activities as part of Prime Time at St John’s Church, in High Street, from Tuesday 19 to Thursday 21 August.
Hands-on flower arranging and computing, indoor games and a talk on hats were just some of the things on offer. Refreshments and lunch were served daily and each day concluded with a brief ‘thought for the day’.
Catriona Foster, Support Worker for Older People at St John’s, said: “People normally associate holiday clubs with young children, but we wanted to provide some fun activities for an older generation this summer.
“We transformed the church into a lounge area with comfy chairs and coffee tables to make a really welcoming environment for all our guests.
“It was a wonderful opportunity for them to join in a variety of activities, hear interesting speakers, learn new skills, meet friends and relax. The response has been fantastic and those who came along really appreciated the event.”
Prime Time is part of St John’s work to support older people in the parish..
Physical Landmarks of the West Midlands
Barr Beacon
North Birmingham / Walsall
Once a site of druid sacrifices, the hill was used as the site for a beacon in times of the Spanish Armada and Napoleonic Wars
Cannock Chase
Staffordshire
6,000 acres of woodland and open countryside. Once a royal forest. Contains peat bogs, heathers, pine and larches. Attracts many moorland and game birds. Bounded by 4 rivers: Tame, Trent, Sow and Penk. Includes a very large reservoir which is well known for it's wild bird life
Clee Hills
Shropshire
Most mountainous part of the West Midlands, where the pastoral English lowlands meet the remote Welsh uplands
Clent Hills
North Worcestershire
335 acres. Highest point 1,000 feet. Pilgrimage site for the early Christian martyr St Kenelm
Dudley Castle Hill
Dudley
A military stronghold since Saxon times, has fascinating limestone caverns undeneath the hill which can be viewed via a canal tunnel.
Golden Valley
Herefordshire
Between the Wye Valley and the border of Wales lie the glorious Golden Valley and the English slopes of the Black Mountains - havens of peace and tranquility. A favourite haunt of the children's writer C.S.Lewis.
Kinver Edge
Staffordshire
High sandstone ridge, famous for it's fascinating cave dwellings
Lickey Hills
Worcestershire
Ancient range of hills near Longbridge to the south west of Birmingham. Donated to the people of Birmingham by the Cadbury family, a favorite recreational area for people from the city
Long Mynd
Shropshire
The Long Mynd is a 16km/10-mile flat-topped ridge just west of Church Stretton which, with the adjoining Carding Mill Valley, forms a 2,368ha/5,850-acre open access site under the care of the National Trust.
Malvern Hills
Worcestershire
A designated area of outstanding beauty, the Malverns is a distinctive north-south ridge which has the appearance of a miniature mountain range. Highest point Worcestershire Beacon (425m) with views of Wales and the Cotswolds.
River Avon
Warwickshire
A secluded cruising river which runs through Shakespeare country to Tewkesbury, where it meets the River Severn. One of Briatin's most relaxing waterways.
River Cole
Birmingham / Solihull
25 miles long, a north-east flowing river from Forhill, south west of Birmingham, it joins the River Blythe near Coleshill. A shallow river, well known for Sarehole Mill, a favourite haunt of Tolkien as a child
River Rea
Worcestershire / Birmingham
Birmingham's principle river upon whose banks the town was founded in Anglo Saxon Times. Starts in the Waseley Hills and travels through the centre of Birmingham on a 14 mile journey towards it's confluence with the River Tame close to Spaghetti Junction.
River Severn
Shropshire / Worcestershire
Rising in North Wales, at 219 miles long the Severn is Britain's longest river. It enters the sea at the Bristol Channel estuary. Famous for the phenomenon known as the tidal bore.
River Stour
Dudley / Worcestershire
Rises in the Clent Hills and flows through the Balck Country where it's waters provided the steam power for the Industrial Revolution
River Tame
Dudley / Sandwell / Staffordshire
North flowing river which eventually converges with the Trent and ends at the Humber estuary.
Rowley Regis
Dudley
A ridge of hills where the River Tame has several sources. Well known Black Country site of quarrying for many centuries.
Sandwell Valley
Sandwell
1,000 acres of parkland. Site of important archeological interest, findings have included traces of stoneage hunter gatherers who lived in the valley 8,000 years ago.
Staffordshire Moorlands
North Staffordshire
An area of moorland, forests, lakes rolling hills and crags. Includes The Roaches, a series of gritstone outcrops within the white peak area of the Peak District) rising to 505m (1656 ft) at it's highest point. Notable features in the Staffordshire Moorlands area include one half of Dove Dale, the Manifold Valley including Thor's cave, Wetton Mill, Longnor and Butterton.
Sutton Park
North Birmingham
2,400 acres of parkland, once a Royal hunting ground, now one of the country's largest municipal parks. Has a Roman road running through it's centre.
Wrekin
Shropshire
A distinctive wooded 407m volcanic hill topped by a prehistoric fort. Once the site of beacon fires which warned of the approaching Spanish Armada. Legend says that the Wrekin is the grave of a giant killed by his brother.
Wren's Nest
Dudley
Limestone ridge. International recognition as a site of high geological importance. Upper Silurian rocks contain fossilised corals, shells and trilobites including the Dudley Bug, a unique trilobite fossil which has only ever been found at Wren's Nest.
Wye Valley and Forest of Dean
Herefordshire
The Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley cover west Gloucestershire and parts of Monmouthshire and Herefordshire. The area is mainly rural and has a variety of different scenery including forests, steep river valleys and good agricultural land. The Wye Valley gorge is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and in the past has been an inspiration for many famous artists, poets and writers.
North Birmingham / Walsall
Once a site of druid sacrifices, the hill was used as the site for a beacon in times of the Spanish Armada and Napoleonic Wars
Cannock Chase
Staffordshire
6,000 acres of woodland and open countryside. Once a royal forest. Contains peat bogs, heathers, pine and larches. Attracts many moorland and game birds. Bounded by 4 rivers: Tame, Trent, Sow and Penk. Includes a very large reservoir which is well known for it's wild bird life
Clee Hills
Shropshire
Most mountainous part of the West Midlands, where the pastoral English lowlands meet the remote Welsh uplands
Clent Hills
North Worcestershire
335 acres. Highest point 1,000 feet. Pilgrimage site for the early Christian martyr St Kenelm
Dudley Castle Hill
Dudley
A military stronghold since Saxon times, has fascinating limestone caverns undeneath the hill which can be viewed via a canal tunnel.
Golden Valley
Herefordshire
Between the Wye Valley and the border of Wales lie the glorious Golden Valley and the English slopes of the Black Mountains - havens of peace and tranquility. A favourite haunt of the children's writer C.S.Lewis.
Kinver Edge
Staffordshire
High sandstone ridge, famous for it's fascinating cave dwellings
Lickey Hills
Worcestershire
Ancient range of hills near Longbridge to the south west of Birmingham. Donated to the people of Birmingham by the Cadbury family, a favorite recreational area for people from the city
Long Mynd
Shropshire
The Long Mynd is a 16km/10-mile flat-topped ridge just west of Church Stretton which, with the adjoining Carding Mill Valley, forms a 2,368ha/5,850-acre open access site under the care of the National Trust.
Malvern Hills
Worcestershire
A designated area of outstanding beauty, the Malverns is a distinctive north-south ridge which has the appearance of a miniature mountain range. Highest point Worcestershire Beacon (425m) with views of Wales and the Cotswolds.
River Avon
Warwickshire
A secluded cruising river which runs through Shakespeare country to Tewkesbury, where it meets the River Severn. One of Briatin's most relaxing waterways.
River Cole
Birmingham / Solihull
25 miles long, a north-east flowing river from Forhill, south west of Birmingham, it joins the River Blythe near Coleshill. A shallow river, well known for Sarehole Mill, a favourite haunt of Tolkien as a child
River Rea
Worcestershire / Birmingham
Birmingham's principle river upon whose banks the town was founded in Anglo Saxon Times. Starts in the Waseley Hills and travels through the centre of Birmingham on a 14 mile journey towards it's confluence with the River Tame close to Spaghetti Junction.
River Severn
Shropshire / Worcestershire
Rising in North Wales, at 219 miles long the Severn is Britain's longest river. It enters the sea at the Bristol Channel estuary. Famous for the phenomenon known as the tidal bore.
River Stour
Dudley / Worcestershire
Rises in the Clent Hills and flows through the Balck Country where it's waters provided the steam power for the Industrial Revolution
River Tame
Dudley / Sandwell / Staffordshire
North flowing river which eventually converges with the Trent and ends at the Humber estuary.
Rowley Regis
Dudley
A ridge of hills where the River Tame has several sources. Well known Black Country site of quarrying for many centuries.
Sandwell Valley
Sandwell
1,000 acres of parkland. Site of important archeological interest, findings have included traces of stoneage hunter gatherers who lived in the valley 8,000 years ago.
Staffordshire Moorlands
North Staffordshire
An area of moorland, forests, lakes rolling hills and crags. Includes The Roaches, a series of gritstone outcrops within the white peak area of the Peak District) rising to 505m (1656 ft) at it's highest point. Notable features in the Staffordshire Moorlands area include one half of Dove Dale, the Manifold Valley including Thor's cave, Wetton Mill, Longnor and Butterton.
Sutton Park
North Birmingham
2,400 acres of parkland, once a Royal hunting ground, now one of the country's largest municipal parks. Has a Roman road running through it's centre.
Wrekin
Shropshire
A distinctive wooded 407m volcanic hill topped by a prehistoric fort. Once the site of beacon fires which warned of the approaching Spanish Armada. Legend says that the Wrekin is the grave of a giant killed by his brother.
Wren's Nest
Dudley
Limestone ridge. International recognition as a site of high geological importance. Upper Silurian rocks contain fossilised corals, shells and trilobites including the Dudley Bug, a unique trilobite fossil which has only ever been found at Wren's Nest.
Wye Valley and Forest of Dean
Herefordshire
The Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley cover west Gloucestershire and parts of Monmouthshire and Herefordshire. The area is mainly rural and has a variety of different scenery including forests, steep river valleys and good agricultural land. The Wye Valley gorge is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and in the past has been an inspiration for many famous artists, poets and writers.
resonance events present...The Heritage Orchestra at Town Hall Birmingham
resonance events present
THE HERITAGE ORCHESTRA PERFORMING THE MUSIC OF AMON TOBIN, LIZZY PARKS ALBUM LAUNCH (TRU THOUGHTS), PLUS DJ CRO & SPECIAL GUESTS
3 OCTOBER 2008
7.30PM - 2AM (LAST ENTRY MIDNIGHT)
TOWN HALL, BIRMINGHAM
£15 STANDING
ARTIST & EXCLUSIVE SPONSOR GIVEAWAYS, T-SHIRTS CDS AND MORE
Groundbreaking 40 piece ensemble The Heritage Orchestra lead an epic hip-hop, nu-jazz and broken beat experience at Town Hall Birmingham for second resonance events club night on 3 October.
Stunning jazz-soul singer Lizzy Parks, VJ Chromatouch and DJ Cro plus special guests will all be performing live over six hours in an evening of funky fresh variety with supporting partners hip NYC magazine Wax Poetics http://www.waxpoetics.com and US music, culture and clothing company RopeaDope http://www.rope-a-dope.com/
The Heritage Orchestra will be smashing their way through genres with dark and atmospheric orchestrations of music composed by cult DJ and producer Amon Tobin, under the guidance of inspirational conductor and musical director Jules Buckley.
Fresh from performances at the Big Chill with The Bays and Meltdown with Massive Attack, the London based collective have catapulted into the field of contemporary-classical crossover music weaving breakbeat, D&B and electronica into layers of strings and percussion. With an impressive list of sessions, collaborations and concerts to their name, the ensemble were signed to DJ Gilles Peterson label Brownswood following spectacular performances at London club Cargo and have worked with notable producers and musicians such as DJ Yoda, UNKLE and Bonobo.
'Five star on-stage heroics'
London Evening Standard
Lizzy Parks, one of the most talented and distinctive singers of the moment, launches her debut album'Raise the Roof' (Tru Thoughts) with an explosive live performance. Singing sweet blues and old RnB amongst other styles, Lizzy is charismatic and passionate with all the soul, groove and jazz you want, and then some. The former Birmingham Conservatoire student has featured as a guest vocalist with The Heritage Orchestra and performs regularly with the Nostalgia 77 Octet.
Released on pioneering label Tru Thoughts, home to Alice Russell, Hot 8 Brass Band and the Quantic Soul Orchestra, 'Raise the Roof ' is produced by Ben ' Nostalgia 77' Lamdin and will be available from 22 September.
'There ' s no doubt that this lady has that elusive ' it'' Jazz Jelly
DJ Cro is a constant influence in the local and national hip-hop scene for just under a decade having played for clubs and artists in the city as well as running the Main Ingredient Show on New Style Radio and writing for The Night Times. From working alongside UK stars like Roots Manuva, Jehst and Yungun to global supremos DJ Premier, Souls of Mischief, and Immortal Technique, this is a man who knows his beats, recently setting up Crate Escape Records.
An ardent supporter of home grown talent, Cro is part of a stable of artists including Moorish Delta 7, SonnyJim, Percy Filth and Taharka. He will be joined on stage by local boys Ko-Syne (Soulthump, Livebox), SPX (Kung Funk), Redbeard (Eat Good) and more, showcasing the fresh sounds of the city.
Resonance events is on 3 October from 7.30pm until 2am at Town Hall Birmingham, Victoria Square.
Tickets are priced at £15 and are available on the door and from:
Town Hall & Symphony Hall Box Offices, City Centre
http://www.thsh.co.uk/view/the-heritage-orchestra
0121 780 333
Jibbering Records, Moseley
Tel: 0121 449 4551
www.myspace.com/resonanceevents
www.theheritageorchestra.com
www.lizzyparks.com
www.myspace.com/djcrobirmingham
THE HERITAGE ORCHESTRA PERFORMING THE MUSIC OF AMON TOBIN, LIZZY PARKS ALBUM LAUNCH (TRU THOUGHTS), PLUS DJ CRO & SPECIAL GUESTS
3 OCTOBER 2008
7.30PM - 2AM (LAST ENTRY MIDNIGHT)
TOWN HALL, BIRMINGHAM
£15 STANDING
ARTIST & EXCLUSIVE SPONSOR GIVEAWAYS, T-SHIRTS CDS AND MORE
Groundbreaking 40 piece ensemble The Heritage Orchestra lead an epic hip-hop, nu-jazz and broken beat experience at Town Hall Birmingham for second resonance events club night on 3 October.
Stunning jazz-soul singer Lizzy Parks, VJ Chromatouch and DJ Cro plus special guests will all be performing live over six hours in an evening of funky fresh variety with supporting partners hip NYC magazine Wax Poetics http://www.waxpoetics.com and US music, culture and clothing company RopeaDope http://www.rope-a-dope.com/
The Heritage Orchestra will be smashing their way through genres with dark and atmospheric orchestrations of music composed by cult DJ and producer Amon Tobin, under the guidance of inspirational conductor and musical director Jules Buckley.
Fresh from performances at the Big Chill with The Bays and Meltdown with Massive Attack, the London based collective have catapulted into the field of contemporary-classical crossover music weaving breakbeat, D&B and electronica into layers of strings and percussion. With an impressive list of sessions, collaborations and concerts to their name, the ensemble were signed to DJ Gilles Peterson label Brownswood following spectacular performances at London club Cargo and have worked with notable producers and musicians such as DJ Yoda, UNKLE and Bonobo.
'Five star on-stage heroics'
London Evening Standard
Lizzy Parks, one of the most talented and distinctive singers of the moment, launches her debut album'Raise the Roof' (Tru Thoughts) with an explosive live performance. Singing sweet blues and old RnB amongst other styles, Lizzy is charismatic and passionate with all the soul, groove and jazz you want, and then some. The former Birmingham Conservatoire student has featured as a guest vocalist with The Heritage Orchestra and performs regularly with the Nostalgia 77 Octet.
Released on pioneering label Tru Thoughts, home to Alice Russell, Hot 8 Brass Band and the Quantic Soul Orchestra, 'Raise the Roof ' is produced by Ben ' Nostalgia 77' Lamdin and will be available from 22 September.
'There ' s no doubt that this lady has that elusive ' it'' Jazz Jelly
DJ Cro is a constant influence in the local and national hip-hop scene for just under a decade having played for clubs and artists in the city as well as running the Main Ingredient Show on New Style Radio and writing for The Night Times. From working alongside UK stars like Roots Manuva, Jehst and Yungun to global supremos DJ Premier, Souls of Mischief, and Immortal Technique, this is a man who knows his beats, recently setting up Crate Escape Records.
An ardent supporter of home grown talent, Cro is part of a stable of artists including Moorish Delta 7, SonnyJim, Percy Filth and Taharka. He will be joined on stage by local boys Ko-Syne (Soulthump, Livebox), SPX (Kung Funk), Redbeard (Eat Good) and more, showcasing the fresh sounds of the city.
Resonance events is on 3 October from 7.30pm until 2am at Town Hall Birmingham, Victoria Square.
Tickets are priced at £15 and are available on the door and from:
Town Hall & Symphony Hall Box Offices, City Centre
http://www.thsh.co.uk/view/the-heritage-orchestra
0121 780 333
Jibbering Records, Moseley
Tel: 0121 449 4551
www.myspace.com/resonanceevents
www.theheritageorchestra.com
www.lizzyparks.com
www.myspace.com/djcrobirmingham
Welcome to Spaghetti Gazetti
Send me your news about the West Midlands and I will cover it in Spaghetti:
Arts
Creative writing
Community
Culture
Diversity
Environment
Heritage
History
Museums
Music
Reviews
Social Enterprise
Theatre
Whats-on?
Contact me Pete Millington:
info@bignbostin.com
Arts
Creative writing
Community
Culture
Diversity
Environment
Heritage
History
Museums
Music
Reviews
Social Enterprise
Theatre
Whats-on?
Contact me Pete Millington:
info@bignbostin.com
Sunday, 24 August 2008
The Alphaspaghettical Guide to the West Midlands
Butler on his bikeMontage image created by Pete
B is for Butler, Tony
“On yer bike!” is a catch-phrase first heard on local radio in the 1970s and now intimately familiar to every sports fan in the West Midlands. This immortal three-word directive was at one time voiced on a regular basis by a man who has never suffered fools for longer than about 30 seconds, especially those with strong opinions about football which differed from his own, the belligerent Tony Butler. Tony is the man attributed with inventing the football phone-in on local radio station BRMB during the 1970s.
Tony Butler was born in Wolverhampton in 1935, his father was a farmer in Lower Penn and Tony’s first trip outside of Wolverhampton was on his sixth birthday when he was taken to Stourbridge for the day in 1941. The day trip left such an impression on Tony that his ambition from then onwards was to become an explorer. He attended Wolverhampton Grammar School and whilst still at school he became a part-time sports journalist for a Wolverhampton based news agency.
Butler came to Birmingham to work for the Birmingham Post and Mail and in 1973 he landed the job of Sports Editor at BRMB. No one was more shocked than Tony when the boss at BRMB, Keith Hayes agreed to try out Tony’s mad-cap idea of letting fans phone into the station with their views. The idea was an instant success and Tony immediately stamped his own style on the concept through his weekly Saturday afternoon post-match specials. In the days before radio stations got wise to the unpredictable nature of the general public (adding a time-delay between the caller’s real-time speech and transmission across the air waves), unsuspecting Tony was frequently caught out when disgruntled fans vented their spleens on his live programme with all of the expletives of the football terraces.
Since those pioneering days, Tony has admittedly become a more mellow presenter himself and generally leaves the frontline post-match phone-in to people that don’t mind sending their blood pressure sailing sky high every time some objectionable Blues, Villa, Baggies, Walsall or Wolves fan comes on air. But Tony can still hold his own on his mid-week evening phone-ins on BBC Radio WM. The football phone-in itself has become a massive business, with national stations like Five Live and Talk Sport making it a major chunk of their programming. But it’s roots in Britain were definitely with our Tony.
Also known for introducing the Butler prayer mat for fans listening to the big match at home and also for giving away such collectable delights to listeners as the Tony Butler Egg Cup, Mr Butler has become a living legend of West Midlands sporting journalism.
In 2007, he was honoured by the Sony Radio Academy with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Other interesting facts about Tony Butler:
Gone to the dogs!
Tony Butler used to race greyhounds at Hall Green stadium and his biggest disappointment in life was when his best dog, Farmer Brown, came third in the BBC TV Trophy after looking certain to win it.
Just don’t call him Robin!
On one of his radio shows in March 2005, Tony Butler confessed to listeners that his first name is actually Robin, but as a kid he chose to be called by his second name because he didn’t want his pals to think he’d been named after his dad’s farm which was called Robin’s Nest Farm.
Tony's fan
A 'Tony Butler Radio Legend!' group has been created on the Facebook website by David Witnall (he describes himself as Tony's "loyal fan and worshipper"). The pair are often to be seen riding their tandem out of the Mailbox car park half an hour after Tony goes off air.
Dark side of the theme tune
Tony Butler's famous theme tune was the instrumental piece "Theme From an Unmade Silent Movie" by the English record producer and musician Norman 'Hurricane' Smith. When Aston Villa also started using the track to play over their tannoy system before kick-offs in the late 1970s, Smith was said to have been displeased as he was a keen Spurs fan. Smith is better known for being engineer on 180 Beatles tracks and also produced early albums for Pink Floyd.
The Butler Quiz
Affectionately sent-up by Brummie comedian Jasper Carrott, the on air carry-on of the real life Mr Butler remains as amusing for his regular listeners as Jasper's lampoon version, especially the answers to Tony's quizes. During the 80s my dad (Geoff from Harborne) was a regular caller with the answers to Tony's breakfast show competitions and quizes. I don't recall him winning the egg-cup but it entertained him as he had a shave before going up the Rover. Tony's characteristically obscure quiz questions are typified by this one recalled on a local message board, "you'll find it on a beach?" to which the answer was "a plank of wood". You can gaurantee that Tony would have stretched it out for the entire programme and anyone phoning in with something like "is it a piece of drift wood Tony?" would have received the genuinely sincere response "no, you are close, but it's more than my job's worth to let you have it. Ok, right then, first scorer at Albion next Saturday and how many minutes?"
Find out more at the website links below:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/content/articles/2006/03/13/tony_butler_feature.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Butler
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Smith_(record_producer)
Other reference material used to research this page:
On Yer Bike by Tony Butler article in I Remember (Sunday Mercury Special) Sept 1995.
Butler still serving up treats on the airwaves by Malcolm Boyden, Brum’s The Word / The Parrs Wood Press 2003
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