Light House Cinema set to mark the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II with special archive film event

Light House Cinema in Wolverhampton will present an evening of archive film entitled Finest Hour to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II on Thursday 3 September, 6.30pm. The evening will begin with the original recording of the chilling voice of prime minister, Neville Chamberlain, announcing the failure of the negotiations with Germany over their invasion of Poland and telling the nation that the country was once more at war, and will then continue with a selection of films made immediately before and during the war, directed by Humphrey Jennings.

The screening will be followed by wartime music in Lock Works cafe bar at the centre. Tickets cost just £3 and can be booked in advance from Light House Box Office on 01902 716055. £1 from every ticket sold will be donated to the Royal British Legion. For more info visit http://www.light-house.co.uk/

Humphrey Jennings is widely considered as Britain’s greatest documentary director. His ‘finest hour’ is considered to be the war years. During the event on 3 September Light House will screen Spare Time (1939), Words for Battle (1941), The Silent Village (1943) and Listen to Britain (1942). Beautifully weaving image and sound to evoke everyday heroism, these four short films combine poetic observation with subtle yet intense national feeling. They remain an inspiration to countless modern filmmakers. Spare Time was released shortly before the outbreak of war and is a fascinating survey of the leisure pursuits of ordinary people in 1939, focusing on the steel, cotton and coal workers of Sheffield, Manchester, Bolton and Pontypridd.

Words For Battle presents images of wartime Britain accompanied by a soundtrack of stirring passages of poetry and prose spoken by Laurence Olivier. The Silent Village is a sombre and gripping documentary on the tragic tale of the Czech village of Lidice, which was occupied and destroyed by the Nazis, reenacted by a Welsh mining community. Listen to Britain is considered to be Jenning’s masterpiece - an exhilarating montage of the sights and sounds of wartime Britain. Memorable scenes include the crowded floor of the great ballroom at Blackpool, Flanagan and Allen singing ‘Underneath the Arches’ in a workers’ canteen, and Myra Hess playing Mozart with the RAF orchestra in the National Gallery.

Marketing Coordinator Lindsay Wiggin said, “This will be a special evening to commemorate the outbreak of World War II on this date in 1939. We would like to encourage those who come to watch these evocative films of wartime Britain to also join us in Lock Works afterwards when we will have wartime music playing and there will be a chance to reminisce and share memories.”

Tickets for this event cost £3. £1 from every ticket sold will be donated to the Royal British Legion. Certificate U. Running time: 90 mins. Admission to Lock Works is free.Contact Light House Box office on tel: 01902 716055 to book tickets and for more information. Light House is located in the historic Chubb Buildings in Wolverhampton City Centre. For further info email info@light-house.co.uk or visit http://www.light-house.co.uk/

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Wildlife Photographer Of The Year
Saturday 1 August to Sunday 4 October
The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry

Get an awe-inspiring glimpse into the drama, beauty and diversity of the natural world at The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum.

From striking landscapes to intimate portraits of animal behaviour, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition offers an awe-inspiring glimpse into the drama, beauty and diversity of the natural world.

Photographs include mammals, fish, insects and birds from remote corners of the earth and a stunning selection of plant life, full of vibrant colours and unusual specimens.

This captivating exhibition shows photographs from the world's largest and most prestigious wildlife photography competition, jointly organised each year by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine.

To complement the exhibition, The Herbert will host a range of free activities for families and adults.

If you're a budding photographer there's also a chance to get your work exhibited, as The Herbert are curating several wildlife photography displays within the exhibition that represent the world and your local region.

To find out more visit this week's Spotlight.

Look for the leaping bunny

Dear Editor,

Despite a UK and EU ban on the use of animals to test cosmetic products, large numbers of cosmetics available in high street stores still contain ingredients that have previously been tested on animals.

Contrary to popular belief, until 2013 cosmetic companies are still allowed to market and sell products within the UK and EU that have been tested on animals in other parts of the world.

The BUAV is urging shoppers to only purchase cosmetics that are BUAV Approved (via the Humane Cosmetics Standard) symbolised by the ‘Leaping Bunny’ logo. This remains the only way for consumers to know that their products are cruelty free, thereby ensuring they are not supporting the continued cruel use of animals in cosmetic and toiletry testing.

The BUAV has also set a target to have 10 high street brands go cruelty free (BUAV approved) by March 2010 as part of our campaign to put an end to the pain and suffering inflicted on animals in the name of beauty. For a full list of BUAV approved companies and to learn more about how you can support this important campaign, please visit http://www.buav.org/itstimetoact

Michelle Thew
Chief Executive
British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV)
16a Crane Grove
London
N7 8NN
http://www.buav.org/

Rare Crossroads wedding to star at Fashion show auction

An autographed LP of television legend Noele Gordon’s wedding on the Midlands’ TV soap opera Crossroads is to be auctioned at a Fashion Show, that is helping to raise funds for Acorns Children's Hospice.

The auction will be held after the latest fashion trends have been modelled at the Fashion Show that takes place at the Colin Grazier Hotel, Church Street, Tamworth, on Tuesday, August 18.

Stephanie Jackson, deputy manager at the Acorns Children's Hospice charity shop in nearby Church Street, Tamworth, will be among those modelling the fashion wear, along with Pete Richardson, a local professional catalogue model who has helped to organise the event.

Stephanie said: “The limited edition sound track recording of the Crossroads wedding, which took place at Hagley Hall, is signed by Noele herself. It is a rare lot and we are hoping it will help to raise lots of cash to help Acorns.

“The show will be a super night, and shoppers will have the chance to bag lots of bargains – all for a really great cause.”

Donations of unwanted clothes are always needed at the Acorns shop, in Tamworth, during opening times, from 9 – 5 pm Monday to Saturday, and bags can bed donated. Acorns offers nursing care and support to children who have life limiting or life threatening illnesses and their families. To find out how you can help make a difference to a local family in need, visit www.acorns.org.uk, or call Acorns on: 0845 120 6892.

Carnival is here!

Birmingham Carnival will be filling the city with soca rhythms, steelpan beats and all things Caribbean, as the free biennial festival comes to Perry Park on Sunday 2nd August. The highlight will be the vibrant carnival procession, which will leave Handsworth Park at 1pm, winding its way through the streets of Birmingham to arrive at approximately 4pm in Perry Park.

The procession will be led by the new Carnival Queen for 2009, Sancia Parkinson (17) from Perry Barr in Birmingham, who won the competition at a special event on Saturday and will now be the ‘face of carnival’ for the next two years. Over 2000 dancers from troupes across the country are expected to take part in the procession this year, all in fantastic sequined and feathered costumes.

The Carnival Queen and her troupe will be wearing costumes designed by the legendary Professor Black who has been working since last August with volunteers in his workshop, described as an “Aladdin’s Cave” of colour, feathers and sequins. In Perry Park the party starts at 12noon where live music, entertainment, food and a funfair will keep all the family entertained until 9pm.

The stage programme will include great acts such as Coco-P Tru Street Dance, Yaz Alexander, Lil Keisha and Coco Brown. In 2007 the carnival attracted as many as 80,000 revellers throughout the day, and organisers are hoping for as many this year.

Cllr Martin Mullaney, Cabinet Member for Leisure Sport & Culture commented, “Birmingham’s biennial Carnival is a major fixture in the Council’s community events programme, and we hope people from right across the country will join in the fun at this fantastic, free celebration.” Sharon Lea, Acting Strategic Director of Environment and Culture said, “Birmingham Carnival is a wonderful celebration of the diversity of our city, and everyone is invited to come along and enjoy this free family day out.”

Visitors to the event are advised to travel by public transport if possible, but anyone travelling by car is asked to follow the parking signs and to park only in designated areas. Organisers have advised that traffic attendants and tow trucks will be patrolling the area around Perry Park to ensure all vehicles are parked legally and considerately to minimise disruption for local residents. The Birmingham Carnival celebrates African-Caribbean culture and is organised by the Carnival Committee 2000 Ltd, with support from Birmingham City Council and other partners.

Balsall Heath goes back in time

Balsall Heath Library returns to the Victorian era when it officially reopens later this week.
The library returned to service earlier this month following a nine-month closure for extensive roof repairs.

And, to celebrate the return of a much-loved community resource, Balsall Heath Local History Society will be dressing up as Victorians for a special ribbon cutting ceremony on July 30 (1pm).
They will be joined by youngsters from St. Paul’s playscheme, underlining the importance of the library to future generations in the community.

In addition to major roof repairs, the building has undergone extensive damp proofing, while changes to the internal layout now provide a more user friendly service. Work on the library, which first opened in 1895, is ongoing.

Councillor Martin Mullaney, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sports and Culture, said: “The library is an invaluable resource for the people of Balsall Heath and we’re delighted this historic library has now reopened to serve the community. The repair work was essential but we’ve also taken the opportunity to make improvements.”

Sharon Lea, Acting Strategic Director of Environment and Culture, added: “Libraries now provide a number of vital services within a community, including access to the internet, information and advice, so it’s great to see Balsall Heath Library open once more.”

Throughout the summer visitors to the library can view a photographic exhibition depicting Balsall Heath’s longest running annual community event, the Balsall Heath Carnival by local photographer Tom Fenn.

‘Social Enterprise Masterclass'

‘Social Enterprise Masterclass'
Deaf Cultural Centre, Ladywood Road, Birmingham, B16 8SZ
4th September 2009

ISE is delighted to announce a Social Enterprise 1/2 day masterclass with speaker, Kevin Lynch, author of "Mission Inc,: The Practitioners Guide to Social Enterprise". Please see attached leaflet for your information.

The masterclass is for you if you are:

● A person starting a Social Enterprise

● An existing social enterprise Manager

● An Agency concerned with supporting the development of Social Enterprises

● A Third Sector Organisation

This half day masterclass will cost just £60.00 including VAT which will include a two course networking lunch & refreshments

To confirm your place and for further details please contact Amber or Debbie on 0121 771 1411 or events@i-se.co.uk

Charlotte wins Council Recycling Competition

A young Leamington school pupil will have her art work displayed around Warwickshire from now until Christmas after winning a competition to help encourage people to recycle their waste.

Charlotte Clulee’s design, on the general theme of ‘recycling’, was chosen from more than a hundred entries and is being used as a poster on the back of Warwick District Council’s recycling lorries.

The 12-year-old from The Kingsley School in Beauchamp Avenue created a bold and simple design of the Earth with the words ‘Please save me - recycle’.

The competition was open to all under 18s as part of a new campaign by the Council’s Waste Management team to encourage all district residents to recycle their waste using the council’s fortnightly red box collections.

Councillor Dave Shilton, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Services, who judged the competition, said: “We had a terrific response, which showed that Warwickshire children clearly understand the importance of recycling. All the entries were fantastic but Charlotte Clulee’s stood out with a design that was bold and colourful and a message that was short and snappy.”

Christine Mannion-Watson, Head Teacher at The Kingsley School, said: “We are delighted for the girls. Kingsley has always encouraged its pupils to be aware of environmental issues and has implemented a number of initiatives throughout the school including the use of biodegradable waste bins.”

Runners up, Chloe Bromilow, 12, also from The Kingsley School, and Mollie Aldersley, 10, from Warwick Preparatory School received a bag of recycled ‘goodies’ including a pencil case and note book made out of recycled car tyres.

Warwick District has one of the highest recycling rates in the country – currently around 53% of rubbish is recycled.

Martin Mullaney - Graffiti Park in Selly Oak

It’s a messy business...

Birmingham City Centre is to become a giant playground on Wednesday 5th August to as part of National Playday, a celebration of children’s right to play. More than 2,000 children attended last year’s highly successful event and once again Centenary Square will become the biggest playground in town for the day.

Low ropes, water slide, rain curtain and a crazy castle are just some of the highly entertaining activities for children – it can and will be a messy business, so a change of clothes is highly recommended for children taking part. Other activities include games on the Monarch Beach in Chamberlain Square and building a giant clock in Victoria Square. This will be accompanied by a play tent and play workers encouraging adults and children to play and share traditional games. The theme for Playday 2009, is ‘Make Time’.

It is about asking everyone to make time for play, from parents, carers and teachers to policy and decision makers. Cllr Martin Mullaney, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture, said: “I am delighted that Birmingham is part of this national scheme to get children playing.

Our play services have developed this great event for local families to enjoy and be part of. I really want parents and carers to take time out for some serious fun for one day on August 5th , at the biggest playground in the city.”

The annual Playday has been celebrated for 20 years. It is co-ordinated by Play England, and supported by the Big Lottery and Play England Council, as well as DCFS and Department of Health. The vital role of play is well documented helping children to learn, take risks and keeping active and healthy.

Sharon Lea, Strategic Director of Environment and Culture (Acting), said: “ “Our services aim to improve the quality of lives for people who live and work in our city. Playday is a great initiative that hopefully children and their parents and carers will enjoy and learn from but also keep children happy and active.”

The play strategy opens with the Playday which will take place on Wednesday 5th August from 10:00am until 4pm in Centenary Square for children between 5 and 13 years.

NEW RESEARCH TO LAUNCH PLAYDAY 2009

On Monday 3 August 2009, a new package of research will be released to launch Playday 2009. The research investigates the time children have to play, and how competing demands on our time impact upon children’s enjoyment of play.
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The research package includes:

ICM opinion poll of more than 1000 adults and 1000 children

Review of published literature which examines the time children have to play

Qualitative research from focus groups with children and young people looking at time to play, play in school, and barriers to play.Playday, the annual celebration of children’s right to play, takes place on Wednesday 5 August 2009. This year’s theme – Make time! calls for everyone to think about what they can do to ensure that children can play.

Play England will be releasing latest research statistics to support the campaign theme and will also provide expert spokespeople, high-quality images, case studies from families and over 700 fantastic events will be taking place across the UK to celebrate Playday.

Over 90 fun, free events for children and young people will be taking place in the West Midlands region. Find out more, including about events in your area, on the Playday website:

www.playday.org.uk

There are some excellent events taking place across the region including:
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Birmingham: Victoria Square and Centenary Square are being taken over for fun, free activities for children and young people on 5 August, between 10am and 4pm. Enjoy storytelling, decorate the Big Ben time capsule and share traditional games for children and adults in the play tent in Victoria Square. Or for something far messier, try Centenary Square’s low ropes, water slide, rain curtain, crazy castle and more, enjoyed by over 2000 children last year.

Fun wave: At 2pm on 5 August, children across the Midlands will come together in a wave of fun to unite communities. Warwickshire children will wave to children in Staffordshire, who will shout to children in Stoke, who will stamp to children in Coventry, who will chant to children in Solihull. Designed to celebrate play and brighten people’s day, the event has caught people’s imagination with many members of the public pledging to wave back to children at 2pm.

Coventry: Playday is being promoted on Centro bus station screens in the city. Whilst at 2pm on 5 August, the Lord Mayor and children of Coventry will gather beneath one of the city’s most famous landmarks for a special sight. Lady Godiva, the usually-naked symbol of Coventry, will ‘ride’ out of the clock in Broadgate Square, as she does every hour, clothed in a Playday t-shirt.

Government Ministers visit B.O.B the Branching Out Bus

Government Ministers Vernon Coaker and Diana Johnson paid a special visit recently to Old Arley. They visited B.O.B, the Branching Out Bus and met the staff from the Citizens’ Advice Bureau, local Credit Union and the Borough Council’s Housing and Benefits teams. Their visit to the West Midlands area took in a range of projects, which have all received government funding to help tackle child poverty.

The outreach service to rural North Warwickshire villages has been running for just over a month now and is visiting isolated areas on a regular basis. The B.O.B team have seen over 100 customers already and helped them with a range of enquiries covering benefits, debt and budgeting advice to health and employment matters.

After chatting to the team, the ministers visited the bus and had the chance to talk to a recent customer, Jason Rooke of New Arley, who was very complimentary about the services offered by B.O.B on his doorstep.

The B.O.B project has been made possible with £270,000 worth of Government funding, which will run until March 2011. More information on where you can visit B.O.B can be found via the website http://www.askbob.org.uk/ or see the July issue of north talk, also on the web at http://www.northwarks.gov.uk/

Kay Alexander supporting Mary Ann Evans Hospice Support Group

The Coleshill Support Group for Mary Ann Evans Hospice will be holding our 10th anniversary celebration on September 11th. We invite you to join us at the Cameo Suite for an ‘Evening with Kay Alexander’.

Tickets are priced £22 including a 3 course meal and as the title suggests, a talk from the very popular Kay Alexander. For further information, please contact Jackie on 01675 465661.

Saturday 15th August

Nearly New Sale

10am - 12 noon

Coleshill Parish Rooms

Bargains galore. Good quality clothing

You may find that outfit you've always been looking for.

Admission 50 pence. Includes a cup of tea or coffee.

Leading or driven? Transforming the third sector...from the top

“The signs are increasingly clear. Key (and especially national) players are positioning themselves to secure a transformative role in the third sector, focusing on the large structural changes that are needed in order to ‘marketise’ the sector.”

Read on... http://www.bssec.org.uk/blog/?p=115

AWARD-WINNING LOCAL MUM SHORTLISTED FOR ANOTHER ACCOLADE

Jane Hopkins, mum and founder of the online networking site for business mums www.mumsclub.co.uk has been shortlisted for a prestigious Switched On Business Award.

Following on from her recent successes, being named Dragon Theo Paphititis' UPS local business of the year in 2008 and winning the Women on their Way online business award in February this year, Jane is confident despite some tough competition. The Switched On awards will celebrate the outstanding achievements of the Midlands leading individuals and the 2009 Business Awards Gala Evening will be held on 1st of October.

Jane created an online venue for mums in business to meet and network in 2007, creating a space to share experiences and support each other’s businesses and recognise the individual challenges mums in business face. She now has over 800 members and publishes The Business Mum’s Journal; a free magazine that is distributed through Mothercare and mum-organised events. In October this year, Jane is organising and promoting National Business Mum Week (3-10 October 2009) and is hosting the inaugural Mumpreneur conference and awards on 3 October to recognise the impressive achievements of the region's mums.

With the current economic gloom showing no signs of lifting, Jane believes the role of the mum-entrepreneur is growing in importance. “More and more mums are turning their hands to business to help support their families through the recession, but in a mum's multi-tasking way, they manage to fit their enterprise around their family. I am delighted to be shortlisted for the award, which not only recognises my achievements, but acknowledges the contribution mumsclub business mums make to the local economy.”

The Mumpreneur awards are now open for nominations, entry forms are available to download on www.mumsclub.co.uk and http://www.mumpreneurconference.com/

Launch of new office in Birmingham that has created 80 new jobs - WEDNESDAY 29 JULY

Tomorrow sees the official opening of the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) joint headquarters in Birmingham, which has created 80 new jobs for people in the West Midlands. The OPG was previously based solely in London.

The OPG is the Government office which oversees how people’s affairs are looked after if they lack the mental capacity to make decisions due to accident or illness.

Ministry of Justice Director General, Peter Handcock, will officially open the office with the presentation of a plaque and a short speech

The Public Guardian, Martin John, and the Ministry of Justice’s Director General for Access to Justice Peter Handcock will also be in attendance.

The new Government agency office in Birmingham will be based at:
54 Hagley Road, Birmingham, B16 8PE

The Harborne & Edgbaston Gazette - August Edition

Live Jazz at Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Dear Visitor,

Join us for a great evening with ‘Bang on the Ear’ and the Jazz Ramblers Five Piece Band. Bring a picnic, rug or low chair and jive the night away in your Botanical Gardens.

All proceeds from this fund raising event will go towards our education program.

Kind Regards,
James Wheeler
Chief Executive

(Please note that the Gardens close at 6pm and will re-open at 6.15pm for the evening event).

From Equality Bill to Act: Towards a Framework for a Fairer Future for All

Dear Colleague,

I enclose updated details of our forthcoming Westminster Briefing, hosted by the House Magazine, taking place in Westminster on Wednesday, 19th November 2009.

With the parliamentary introduction of the keenly anticipated Equality Bill in April of this year, the Government has laid down a new and strengthened foundation for all equality and diversity practitioners. Furthermore, new equality obligations, such as the public sector duty to consider reducing socio-economic inequalities, have been added since the Bill’s initial announcement last December. With these new requirements all public authorities, businesses and third sector organisations will have to fundamentally adapt their services and working practises to ensure they are in full compliance with the new legislation.- Download Agenda- Download Synopsis- Download Booking Form

For full details please visit the Westminster Briefing website.

This Westminster Briefing Conference will provide delegates with a timely update on the progress of the Bill, examine the processes that organisations have and need to put in place to ensure they are meeting their equality obligations, and discuss the way ahead in delivering a more equal and fairer society for all. Participants will engage with the panel on a number of important issues including:

The view from the Government and the EHRC on the progress of the Bill and timetable for implementation;

The ramifications of the public sector duty and developing Single Equalities Schemes;
Implications of the socio-economic duty;

Tackling the gender pay gap;

Delivering the equality agenda during a recession;

What practical measures organisations are taking to meet their equality and diversity obligations; and

The equality and diversity policies of a potential future Conservative Government.

Speakers include:

Jonathan Rees, Director-General, Government Equalities Office
Neil Kinghan CB, Interim Director-General, EHRC (invited)
Amanda Ariss, Chief Executive, Equality and Diversity Forum
Mandy Wright, Associate Director, IDeA
Carol Baxter, Head of Equality and Diversity, NHS Employers
Cecilia Tredget, Director, Improvement East, East of England Regional Assembly
Barbara Nea, ChangeUp Equalities and Human Rights Officer, HEAR
Clare Cozens (Chair), Independent Equality Adviser

Should you/your colleagues wish to attend, please complete and return a reservation form which can be downloaded by clicking here. Alternatively, you can also register online.

Best wishes,

James Mac Daid

Research and Development Manager,

Westminster Briefing

Email: James.MacDaid@westminster-briefing.com

Phone: 020 7096 2917

The City Sings

An invitation to join Artmusic’s Helen Ottaway
as she composes an anthem for mac

To celebrate the new £14.8million centre currently under construction mac, in association with sampad, has commissioned some exciting artists to work in and around the building. One of these projects, The City Sings by Helen Ottaway, will be launched on Saturday 1 August at 6pm with a world premiere on the Bournville Carillon.

Produced by Artmusic, ‘The City Sings’ will be an anthem for mac that will ring out across the city, played and sung by people from all backgrounds and of all ages. Composer Helen Ottaway will work with professional and amateur musicians and with the communities of Birmingham to produce a multi-layered work involving music, sound, video and text. The piece will gradually take shape over time, originating from and bringing together diverse communities around Birmingham. The elements will be played, rung and sung across the city and come together in a live performance to launch the new mac building.

The first chance to hear 'The City Sings' will be on 1st and 4th August when in will be performed by Trevor Workman on the Bournville Carillon, a gift to Bournville and the City by George Cadbury in 1906. The fifteen minute recital will take place between the striking of the hour and the quarter. To coincide with the performance on 1 August mac will be in Bournville Park giving out information about the project and how people can get involved.

As the new song spreads through the city’s communities and choirs it will be accompanied by moving images - cyclists crossing the city, a bus full of children singing and skateboards, prams and wheelchairs weaving their way around the park. ‘The City Sings’ will culminate in a public promenade performance in Cannon Hill Park with singers, players and the fleets of wheeled movers converging on the building to celebrate the re-launch of mac.

Talking about The City Sings, Helen Ottaway said: “I am very excited to be writing a piece for Birmingham. A lot of my music has been inspired by particular places but this is by far the largest and most diverse yet. The performance on the Bournville Carillon is a wonderful starting point for the piece. In the coming months I intend to encounter many different parts of the City as the work develops and I hope the final piece reflects some of Birmingham’s character and diversity.”

Louisa Davies, Arts Programmes Manager for mac said: “The City Sings is a real opportunity for people of all musical abilities and styles to come forward and contribute their ideas for developing the piece. It will be fantastic to hear all these sounds come together in the final anthem.”

‘The City Sings’ is premiered as part of mac’s Site & Sounds summer programme which offers a taste of the activities planned for mac’s re-opening in 2010. The performance of ‘The City Sings’ is presented by mac in collaboration with ‘The Friends of Bournville Carillon’ and supported by the Bournville Village Trust. For further information visit http://www.macartists.co.uk/.

Shared Space Protest

Hi Everyone

Sorry if any of you have already received something about this from me. But I feel this is so important we need to get as many people there as we can. I also realise that for some of you this is out of your area,but this could be the start of many shared space schemes if we are not careful.

At a council meeting last Thursday the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea approved a shared space scheme for Exhibition Road. This is the main road where many of London's museums are based including the Science and Victoria and Albert museums. Its also one of the main routes to the Albert Hall. By shared space they mean there will be no defined pavement, no kerbs and few if any designated crossing points. If you wish to cross the road you should make eye contact with the driver. There are speed restrictions, but even a car going very slowly will hurt if it hits you.

At the meeting last Thursday disabled people were referred to as "the lame", and the planning application itself isn't much better. It suggests it will be easier for blind and partially sighted people as there will be more space, and it also presumes that those of us unfamiliar with the area will have a sighted companion or will easily be able to get sighted assistance.

Guide Dogs are organising a mass protest on Thursday 24th Sept from 2pm.The plan is to march on Kensington Town Hall, and to make an impact we need as many of you there as possible.

Please come along and bring friends and family. Shared spaces are a problem for lots of people, so please send this on to anyone who you think might be interested.

I will be organising a group to travel down from the Midlands so let me know if you would like to join us. Shared space is a real threat to our independence. I am proud to be an active independent blind person and I will not let anyone take that away from me.

Cheers

Val

Val Slade

Tel or text 07967 353824

E-mail valbear@hotmail.co.uk

Or valerie.slade@actionforblindpeople.org.uk

Editor: The concept of shared space road scemes is one that is becoming increasingly popular amongst local authorities. It means taking away kerbs and pavements so that cars and pedestrians use the same area, the idea being that when drivers are confronted by people walking in the road, they slow down and psycologically take more care. An interesting experiment but a risky one, we only need a few idiots who don't comply with the fine ideals of shared space and people will be killed and injured.

I'm thinking immediately of a teacher killed on a zebra crossing in Bearwood by a speeding car at 8.30am outside a school a couple of years back - if people can't drive carefully towards a zebra crossing in a built up area outside a school, can we really trust them to do it in an area with no pavements whatsoever? Shiny happy people schemes would be fine if a quarter of society weren't living their lives believing themselves to be in a Mad Max movie.

Organisations representing blind and partially sighted people have been objecting to the concept of shared space for a long time and the protest in Kensington is very relevant to the whole country as the scheme could be introduced in other areas in the near future. So please support Val and her colleagues.

Summer Drama Workshops at Stafford Gatehouse Theatre

Children aged 8 to 12 years can enjoy drama workshops at Stafford Gatehouse Theatre this summer.

The weeklong drama workshop sessions are part of the Borough Council summer holiday activity programme and will offer an exciting high quality theatrical experience for young people.

The workshops at Stafford Gatehouse Theatre run from Monday 17 to Friday 21 August from 10am to 3pm. The cost for week is £60 per child (£50 for each additional child from the same family) and advanced booking is required.

The workshops are designed to challenge and encourage young people to develop confidence, creativity and consideration for others, in the context of a professional theatre. The children will have the opportunity to work alongside two trained arts professionals who will be on hand throughout the week (with an additional two registered matrons and chaperons), develop their interest in the theatre, have fun, learn new skills and make friends.

For more information or to reserve your child’s place please call Stafford Gatehouse Theatre Box Office on 01785 254 653.

Perpetual Trust - Hereford Cathedral - Forthcoming Events

Dear all

Several things are coming up in the next few days and weeks for which I thought you might welcome a reminder:

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The Walk

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The Dean and my Chairman, Robert Rogers, will be undertaking a pilgrimage between the Cathedral and Alberbury in the north-west corner of the diocese. Robert leaves from the Cathedral at 10.30 am on Wednesday while Michael does not start his, starting at the other end, until Thursday. Robert and Michael will both complete the final leg, back into Hereford and the cathedral, on the afternoon of Monday 3 August. The Walk is in aid of the Perpetual Trust and ministry in the South Wye area. Sponsorship forms are available from the cathedral.
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Robert also has a Justgiving page, which is only in support of the Trust. He has used this among his Parliamentary colleagues and has attracted a donation from among others, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Australian Parliament!
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www.justgiving.com/Robert-Rogers/

Music from Hereford

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Many of you will know that the Cathedral Choir launched their CD, Howells from Hereford, earlier this month and it is now on sale in the Cathedral Shop priced £12.

A new recoding of the Willis organ, played by Peter Dyke (Great European organs No 80), will be released tomorrow and will also be available through the shop, priced £10.50. Both discs can be ordered by telephone and sent by post. Please contact the shop direct for postal orders (01432 374208/210) (UK postage £1.50).

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The two recordings have been made possible through the support of the Perpetual Trust’s Recording Angels and we express our thanks to them for their kind support.

Three Choirs Festival

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The festival will soon be with us!

The Trust has a number of events at the festival and we would be delighted if you could join us. On the Saturday evening of the opening weekend (8 August) a reception and fireworks will be held in the garden of the Bishop’s Palace following on from the day’s main concert. Please join us and start a week of wonderful music with a bang!

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http://www.3choirs.org/2009-hereford/programme/saturday-8-august/firework-display.html
On Thursday 13 August Major Sir Michael Parker, an Old Boy of the Cathedral School and a great supporter of the Trust, will be giving his talk Organised chaos. This will be an irreverent look behind the scenes at royal and national events. Just two of Sir Michael’s great celebrations have been the concerts and firework at Buckingham Palace display for HM The Queen’s Golden Jubilee and the Pageant on Horseguards Parade for HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s 100th Birthday Parade

http://www.3choirs.org/2009-hereford/programme/thursday-13-august/talk-sir-michael-parker.html

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Tickets for both these events can only be purchased from the Festival ticket office (0845 652 1823; www.3choirs.org). The ticket office is also moving into the Zimmerman Building, Church Street, Hereford today and, as from tomorrow, will be open for walk-in sales.

We will also be hosting a gathering of former members of the Cathedral Choir over lunchtime on the opening Sunday. If you should have received an invitation, and have not done so, please let me know. If you have received one and not booked your ticket yet please do come and join us. Over 100 are already attending and it would be good to have many more with us. The oldest member of the gathering will be 98 and will have come, via Cambridge, from Arizona. Please contact us at the Perpetual Trust office (01432 374261) if you should want any more information or to book your tickets

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With best wishes, as ever from the Perpetual Trust

Glyn

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Hereford Cathedral Perpetual Trust

5 College Cloisters

Hereford HR1 2NG

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01432 374261

01432 374242 fax
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perpetual.trust@herefordcathedral.org
http://www.herefordcathedral.org/

BSSEC Blog is Live!

Dear All,

The BSSEC Blog is live at http://www.bssec.org.uk/blog/

We began the blog as a fast and flexible way of being able to add news, commentary and updates to the website -- along with the odd provocative opinion -- but since starting we've realised just how few social enterprise blogs there are.

So if you're running one that we don't know about please send details so that we can add a link.

We've already got posts on --

the rise of co-op and social enterprise wine in South Africa http://www.bssec.org.uk/blog/?p=109
the growth of community music organisation Sound It Out http://www.bssec.org.uk/blog/?p=91
"outsourcing" versus real SE opportunities in the health & social care sector http://www.bssec.org.uk/blog/?p=80
why we need more flagship social enterprises http://www.bssec.org.uk/blog/?p=71 -- and much more.

Take a look and join in!

Regards,

Alun Severn

-- -Birmingham & Solihull Social Economy ConsortiumAlun Severn: BSSEC Secretariat

tel: 0121 233 0278 email: alun@bssec.org.uk

news, resources, case studies at http://www.bssec.org.uk

BSSEC blog http://www.bssec.org.uk/blog/

BSSEC's new "Purchasing Guide to Social Enterprise & the Voluntary Sector in Birmingham & Solihull" a tool to help public sector buyers. Test the Guide and download the entry questionnaire at http://www.bssec.org.uk/purchasingguide.html

Job Position in Aston

St James Advice Centre (Aston)

Senior Advisor required

St James Advice Centre has a vacancy for a Senior Advisor, with effect from Monday 14 September 2009, or as soon as possible thereafter. This is a part-time position, 25 hours per week, initial salary equivalent to £24,375 p.a., plus the option to contribute to a pension after an initial probationary period.

You will have an exciting opportunity to work in this Advice Centre, which has been giving free advice to clients for the past 33 years, notably in matters relating to immigration and welfare benefits.

If successful, you will not only have many opportunities to advise clients personally, but also will be expected to supervise your colleagues in all aspects of their work.

Interested applicants are invited to contact the Advice Centre’s receptionist, Miss Misfa Begum, 223a Frederick Road, Aston, Birmingham B6 6BP (telephone 0121 328 6420, between 12.30 and 5.30 pm) for an application form, job description, and person specification, by Friday 14 August 2009 at the latest. The deadline for the return of application forms is Friday 21 August, and interviews will be held on Monday 7 September.

Road closures for Birmingham Carnival

With Birmingham’s Carnival just around the corner, organisers are keen to minimise disruption to local residents when the biennial festival comes to Perry Park on 2nd August between 12-9pm. Visitors are encouraged to use public transport wherever possible to minimise traffic in the area. Additional clearly signposted parking has been organised this year to provide more spaces, and visitors are asked to follow the signs and to park where directed.
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In particular people are asked to park in a considerate manner to prevent any problems with access and obstruction to driveways. An exclusion zone for residents only will be set up from 9am in the areas surrounding the park in order to prevent visitors from parking on the nearby roadsides.
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The exclusion zone covers the area in between Aldridge Road, the M6, Beeches Road, Kingsdown Avenue, Old Walsall Road and the railway line. Residents within this area should now have received vehicle passes which will allow them to move freely in and out of the area, and they are asked to display their passes in their cars throughout the day. If additional passes are required, or if residents haven’t yet received their pass they are advised to call Birmingham City Council Events on 0121 303 3008.
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Organisers have advised that traffic attendants and tow trucks will be patrolling the area around Perry Park to ensure all vehicles are parked legally and considerately – any vehicles causing an obstruction will be ticketed and may be moved or towed. The Carnival procession will be leaving Handsworth Park at approximately 1pm and will make its way slowly along Grove Lane, Church Lane, Wellington Road and Walsall Road to arrive at Perry Park at approximately 4pm.
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The roads will be closed approximately 30 minutes before the procession is due to come through and then opened again as soon as possible after it has passed. Residents along the route have all been sent letters detailing the road closures and timings that will be affecting them on the day.
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The Licensing Committee has also put in place noise limits, which will be independently checked throughout the day to ensure agreed levels are kept to. Local councillors are hoping that as a result of consultation and work done over the last two years, Birmingham Carnival will be a successful and enjoyable day for both residents and visitors to the area. The Carnival is organised by the Carnival Committee 2000 Ltd, with support from Birmingham City Council and other partners.

Hardship Fund opens for applications

The Hardship Fund, announced by the Chancellor in his Budget in April 2009, is now open for applications.Building on the £42.5 million of measures in the Government’s Real Help for Communities Action Plan, the Hardship Fund offers grants between £50,000 and £250,000 to provide support to third sector organisations in England delivering front line services to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in society.

The Hardship Fund is available for third sector organisations that are suffering financial hardship that is impacting on their ability to deliver services in health and social care, housing support, education and training, and advice, information and guidance. To apply, organisations must have a turnover of £200,000 a year or more.The Hardship Fund will be administered by the Community Development Foundation (CDF). More information about how to apply, including guidance notes for applicants and an application form, can be found on the CDF website via the link below or by emailing hardshipfund@cdf.org.uk or calling 0113 246 1561.

OTS announcement: http://tinyurl.com/kp4zhh

Community Development Foundation website: http://www.cdf.org.uk/web/guest/hardship-fund

Direct link to Guidance document: http://tinyurl.com/nkbsd6

Eligibility [extracted from Guidance]

Third sector organisations (including voluntary and community organisations, charities, social enterprises, co-operatives and mutuals), constituted in their own right, financially autonomous from public or private sector control.

Providing non-statutory front-line services to vulnerable and disadvantaged people in the areas of:

health and social care
housing support
education and training
information, advice and guidance.

Constituted and active for a minimum of 18 months at the date of Application; proven track record in delivering the services they need funding for.

Demonstrable evidence of facing immediate financial hardship due to the recession which is impacting on their ability to deliver front-line services.

Evidenced income of no less than £200,000 per year for the past two years. (Actual expenditure to date and projected (expected) expenditure to March 2011 should demonstrate how service delivery will be impacted.)

Not be in receipt of a Targeted Support Fund grant.

Evidence of stable or increasing demand for services.

Appropriate insurance to carry out the service.

Only non-statutory services may be funded — statutory services, e.g. Those which local authorities and Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) are legally required to provide, cannot be funded.

Keeping In Touch

by Beryl Kellie

I’ve been to the Pictures !!

Well, it was only a 15 seat cinema, but it WAS Mamma Mia AND we had tea or coffee with biscuits in the interval…… I’ll tell you the story….

Following the most recent B.B.C. and I.T.V. Midlands news coverage of the ‘cinema in a shed’ at the bottom of a garden in Castle Bromwich, I spoke to a friend who had lived opposite to what became the ‘Selworthy Apollo’ back in the 1950’s when the new houses were being built. Margaret was so pleased to hear all about it, having moved away some years ago, that an idea germinated to meet up with a few old neighbours, and friends who had been helpers at the past ‘L.L. Club’ at Arden Hall.

Don Parr and John Ring met when they became neighbours in 1956.

Don was working at the Apollo Cinema in Tyburn Road and to him it was a labour of love, his friendship with John developed into a partnership that has lasted to the present day. When Arden Hall was built in 1965, complete with full theatre and film projection facilities, the local Resident’s Association was looking for a replacement venue for the children’s Film Show which they had organised at the Castle Cinema in Castle Bromwich for many years (demolished to become the site of Tesco’s).

Don and John were asked to help and within 3 months the ‘Double L Club ‘ was formed. It was a non-profit making organisation and lasted almost 10 years, closing in December 1975 because of the shortage of helpers, even the Christmas party had to be cancelled that year.

But at the beginning the Saturday morning film show was a huge success. Parents helped with stewarding and sweet selling, and the children enjoyed 3 hours of ‘ Look and Learn’, in addition to the main feature and a few cartoons there would be necessary matters of ‘learning’ included it the programme.

There were competitions and prizes, and local people offered expertise and help with the organisation at that time, including the annual Christmas Party.

Don and John remained connected with Arden Hall for many years supporting productions from Gilbert & Sullivan to pantomime and the Theatre Group to local musical talent as well as the Parish Council Festival which was produced every 4 years until, inevitably, the voluntary help disappeared and they came to an end in the 1990’s.

The Selworthy Apollo

In 1987 Don met someone who had built a small cinema in the back garden, and the following year began his own, using the design of the Apollo as his guide.

In his 16 years at the cinema he particularly liked the style, and his experience was invaluable in getting even the smallest detail correct.

The Selworthy Apollo had it’s premiere in September 1989.

It has 15 comfortable real cinema seats, lighting along the gangway, a raked auditorium and a splendid ruched curtain to be drawn back to reveal a surprisingly large screen.

Now equipped with Blu Ray technology patrons are well served with a high quality presentation and full surround sound ( and refreshments ).

Mamma Mia had been chosen for our performance ( I had been a ‘L.L.’ helper) and having seen it previously at Cineworld, I can honestly say the enjoyment was even better. For one thing the sound was perfect ( no deafening music) and the convivial atmosphere was wonderful.

Regular groups meet either afternoon or evening, and special occasions such as Birthdays can be accommodated with an appropriate film in stock (800 in stock)

In his spare time, Don works as a volunteer on a Preserved Railway, as a booking clerk. Most weekends will find him at the Gloucester and Warwickshire Steam Railway selling tickets for the journey from Toddington to Cheltenham Racecourse.

As an octogenarian this is the stuff volunteers are made of --- more about that next. Thank you Don and John for years of entertainment and enjoyment, long may it continue.

Volunteers Week June 1–7th.

This national wake-up to the work that thousands of volunteers do in all walks of life was intended to increase awareness, and hopefully increase the numbers of people willing to give some of their time to help others.

Organisations are closing through a lack of helpers, or the shortage of money from fund-raising. The committee from the Castle Bromwich Friends of Acorns were invited by the Acorns Children’s Hospice to attend a volunteers’ coffee morning at their head office in order to share with other people their past 18 years experience in raising over £50,000 within the local area through constant fundraising events.

As we expected the age group was mostly retired people, and it was encouraging to know that the good work would continue.

Age Concern is hanging on by a thread for the time being with the help of a few stalwarts, but anno domini is against them and younger folk are needed – by this I mean the 50’s/60’s. We shall have to see whether the week’s awareness brings forth new help, but interesting that the volunteers from the old ‘Double L’ days are still helping in the community.

Our grateful thanks for that.

I’ll keep in touch.

Beryl Kellie

Caroline is our 'PuterTutor - August edition

Computer Terminology – A Novice’s guide

I have been asked to produce a “dictionary” of common computer and internet terms by a reader so here we go:

Virus is a software program, script, or macro designed to infect, destroy, modify, or cause other problems with your computer or software programs. Use an antivirus program to protect yourself from infection.

Spamming is the term given to the sending out of unsolicited junk email. The modern equivalent of leaflets you get through your door.

Spyware refers to malicious software designed to intercept or take partial control of a computer’s operation without the informed consent of that machine’s owner, for the benefit of a third party.

Malware is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system, without the owner’s informed consent. It includes computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, adware, and other malicious and unwanted software.

Phishing is a criminal activity. Phishers attempt to fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy person or business in an electronic communication. Typically an email will be sent to you stating you need to confirm you online banking details, you are directed to a website where your details are recorded and can be used to copy your identity or access your bank account.

Downloading is to transfer files or data from one computer to another. To download means to receive a file. Downloading isn’t illegal. But if the content you choose to download is copyrighted then you must be sure you are not infringing copyright.

Uploading is downloading in the other direction. To upload means to transmit a file, for example sending your photos to an online printing store.

File sharing is the practice of making files available for other users to download over the Internet. Usually file sharing follows the peer-to-peer (P2P) model. Here the files are stored on and served by users PCs. In essence you download a file (e.g. a music file) once you have downloaded it onto your computer it is then made available to other people from your PC.

You Tube is a video sharing website where people can access a wide variety of recorded media for example film clips, music videos or even personal videos. Some material is copyrighted and users should be cautious about downloading material from such sites. (www.youtube.com )

By Caroline The ‘PuterTutor

Girlguiding Centenary Update

CATCH THE MOMENT

The Catch the Moment Centenary Photography project will launch on 5th September 2009. A promotional flyer will be available at local Girlguiding events throughout the Centenary year. The flyer is available to download from the Centenary website and launch parties are being encouraged to use it. The flyer can also be circulated electronically to promote the competition without printing.

We are particularly keen to capture images which reflect how diverse members of Girlguiding UK are. The West Midlands County has one of the highest percentage of diverse members and competition organisers are hoping that this will be represented in the images received.

To find out more about Catch the Moment visit: www.girlguiding.org.uk/centenary/photography

COUNSELLING SERVICE REACHES OUT TO CARERS AND DISABLED PEOPLE

A counselling service based at Birmingham Disability Resource Centre is inviting local disabled people and carers to book in for a series of completely free sessions with clinically accredited counsellors.

People who are experiencing depression, anxiety and similar emotions on an ongoing basis are being invited to call the Centre to request an introductory and completely confidential session provided by one of two counsellors, one of whom is male and one female. Both of the counsellors are experienced in working with disabled people and the Centre is fully accessible.

People calling the Centre will be offered an initial session where they can talk freely about the pressures affecting them and may then be invited to return for a series of sessions with their counsellor. An average number of sessions is between 4 and 5 sessions, but counsellors operate with flexibility based upon the needs of an individual. Sessions typically last for one hour and home visits can be arranged in exceptional circumstances.

The Centre’s Information Manager, Pete Millington said:

“In these difficult economic times, many people are feeling under pressure and there is bound to be a general increase in feelings of depression and anxiety right across the whole population. People with added health problems or intensive caring responsibilities are even more likely to feel under emotional strain from time to time. There should no longer be a taboo about seeking support and we believe that our trained counsellors can offer a listening ear within an environment of confidentiality, understanding, respect and unconditional acceptance”.

“It’s a great service to be able to offer to disabled people and carers across Birmingham and it’s completely free to the individual. We view this service as being as equally natural for people to use as our other support services, such as helping people with welfare benefits, supporting them to find work or training people about disability equality. It’s a very supportive and sensitive service which is externally supervised by clinical professionals and people who have used the service have reported great personal benefits”.

To access the counselling service, please telephone or visit the Centre. Details will then be passed on to the counsellors for an assessment of needs.

Telephone: 0121 789 7365
Minicom: 0121 789 9230
E-mail: bdrc@disability.co.uk

Appeal for news from Marston Green

I want to make an appeal for news stories to go into the Marston Green Gazette now and in the future. If you live or work in Marston Green or adjacent areas such as Sheldon, Tile Cross, Kitts Green and Chelmsley Wood and you want to publicise your events and community news stories, reaching around 10,000 homes and businesses in the area, then please email me at: editorialgazette@aol.com

We're also interested in stories affecting the borough of Solihull for the Marston Green edition, so please put me on your email list for all community related press releases.

Pete Millington - Editor

Headteacher makes an exhibition of himself

A Headteacher from a school in Nuneaton artfully expressed himself earlier this week in sculptor Antony Gormley’s ‘One and Other’ project in the capital. Kevin Smart from Stockingford Junior School became a living monument on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square for one hour on Monday 20 July. He used his time to show off some of his students’ artwork in a cloak and mask crafted by pupils.

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Mr Smart, dressed in the bold and colourful full length coat and multi faceted mask which looks to the north, south east and west, was watched by internet users around the globe via a live webstream. His stint on the plinth impressed passers-by and web viewers alike who posted a number of supportive messages on the website, summed up well in one comment which said:

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“An awesome work of art, a lovely way to publicise the fantastic creativity of your children”.

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Mr Smart applied to go on the plinth when the project was announced earlier in the year. He thought it would be agreat way to both promote the school and inspire the children’s creativity through linking the theme to a range of artistic activities in school.

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Talking about the pupils’ work, Kevin said: “I wanted to use the project to showcase the work of my pupils and put Stockingford Junior School on the map. Using the theme of creation I challenged the students to create their own interpretations of life and culture using felt pieces and making African masks.

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“We stitched them all together to make my ‘cloak of creation’ and chose four winning masks from over 60 submissions to create the crown which looks to the four corners of the globe.

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“This was linked to a series of awe and wonder assemblies at the school and the theme was discussed in lessons to give children further opportunities to explore their creativity and imaginations.

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“I thoroughly enjoyed my moment in the spotlight on Monday, it was a really interesting experience and I was amazed at how many children seemed to pick it up from wherever they were.”

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The school has been commended on its arts contribution and the high standard of the pupils’ work by the county council’s Arts in Warwickshire Education Service (AWE).

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John Haggett, AWE Director said: “Stockingford Junior School’s strength in the arts continues to make a great contribution to the local authority’s rich and diverse arts practice. In creating this cloak of creation the children have expressed themselves well demonstrating ability and imagination.”

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The project runs which runs until October 2009 will see a different person, chosen at random from thousands who have applied, on the plinth for one hour, every hour, 24 hours a day, for 100 days.

Light House hosts the Great Animation Challenge

Light House Media Centre in Wolverhampton was host to the culmination of the Great Animation Challenge this week, a competition which attracted interest from all over the world and involved animators creating animated music videos to accompany a number of tracks from up and coming bands.

The competition was launched by Animation Forum West Midlands and Light House’s Flip Animation Festival. The shortlisted films were screened at Light House on the 21 July and the winner was announced as Joe Lea, from London based Blunt Films, who screened his student film at Flip Animation Festival in 2006.Midlands-based bands Pram (Domino Records) and Epic 45 (Make Mine Music), last year's Levi's Ones to Watch tips Laurel Collective (Double Six) and Beat To Paris all made tracks freely available for animators to download and animate to. The contest was open to animators everywhere and attracted entrants from around the world, including Singapore, France and Italy.

The organisers of Flip are planning another Great Animation Challenge to run during the festival with partners, Animation Forum West Midlands, Script, the script development agency for the West Midlands and The Brothers McLeod, the West Midlands based, Bafta-nominated animation duo. This year’s Flip Festival will run from 5-7 November 2009 at Light House. For more info about the festival visit www.flipfestival.co.uk

Celebrate Birmingham, City Of Migrants, 6 September 12-3pm

On Sunday 6 September, the Birmingham Anti Racist Campaign are organising an event to celebrate Birmingham’s rich migration heritage that builds upon the contributions of Irish, Jewish, African-Caribbean and Asian migrants in the last century, and that of others in the beginning of this century including Polish, Chinese, Iranian, Somalian and Congolese people. This celebration will include songs from the brilliant Zimbabwean reggae band Ngoma, back by popular demand after playing at our event last year, as well as contributions from migrants to the city past and recent.

Our objective is to counteract the vicious attacks on the current new arrivals by the BNP, government and large sections of the media.

We seek to put forward a different message:

Migrants have made and continue to make a great contribution to our culture and our economy;

If freedom of movement is good enough for seagulls and transnational corporations, it’s good enough for people from other places;

The imprisonment and destitution forced on current migrants to the UK by this government is a shame on us all;

Our government and the media lie to us about why asylum seekers come here, about the services they receive and the conditions under which they live. Migrants provide a useful diversion from the real problems of poverty, unemployment, lack of social housing and poor social services caused by the government.

Why do we scapegoat asylum seekers and not bankers and the way the financial system operates as the real causes of problems today?

Join us to find out more about and celebrate the rich cultural mix of our city!

Sunday, September 6
12.00pm – 3 pm

Chamberlain Square
Birmingham City Centre

Get out and about for Love Parks Week in Solihull

Solihull Council is encouraging people to get out and about and visit their local park as part of national Love Parks Week. The Council has organised a number of events during the week of the campaign which runs from 25 July – 2 August. The week kicks off with a road show in Mell Square, Solihull Town Centre on 25 July from 10am-4pm where people can meet the Council’s Park Ranger team and discover more about the 18 parks on offer around the Borough and the events that take place throughout the year.

There will also be face painting, badge making and crafts all day.

Other events taking place in Solihull parks during Love Parks Week include:

* Sunday 26 July – Explore the Cole Valley, Babbs Mill Local Nature Reserve
* Monday 27 – Friday 31 July – Children’s Workshops Parkridge Centre, Brueton Park
* Tuesday 28 July – Wind in the Willows outdoor theatre, Brueton Park
* Wednesday 29 July – Fun Festival, Knowle Park
* Wednesday 29 July – Mid week meander to Colebank Local Nature Reserve
* Thursday 30 July - Dragons in Dickens Heath – search for dragonflies and other minibeasts in Dickens Heath Country Park
* Thursday 30 July – Community Clean Up Action day, Hobs Moat Monument

For more information about any of these events visit:

http://www.solihull.gov.uk/events/default.htm or call 0121 704 8000.

Love Parks Week is a national campaign run by the charity GreenSpace. For more information visit www.loveparksweek.org.uk

Moseley Folk Festival

Sad news breaking from Moseley Folk Festival, Bert Jansch is unlikely to appear at the Festival because of personal illnes but the line up still looks extremely exciting with tickets now selling extremely rapidly.

You can buy your tickets direct this year from a new online ticket shop

NEW BLOG about 'Shared Experiences' - written in support of Reach

http://sharedexperiencesbycharlottefielder.blogspot.com/

Dear Supporters,

I have found out that I will increase sales of 'Shared Experiences' if I get lots of hits on Google, so I've started a 'Shared Experiences' blog which includes all the early reviews. So please click on the attached link have a read and then feel free to leave an appropriate comment - especially if your comment well help increase sales! If you don't think your comment will help boost sales then I'll send you the link to someone else's blog.

Warmest Wishes

Charlotte

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Big News from Beebee Productions

Marty Wilde and the Wildcats are coming!!!

Marty Wilde and the Wildcats are coming to Arden Hall on 1st July 2010

Tickets are £18.50

Call 0121 749 5089

Tickets are already selling from his own website and my own.A

All the best

Chris

0121 749 5089 Beebee Productions

Also coming are this year are Bootleg ABBA 15th October. And next year I have booked the Ivy Leagus with support the Rod Stewart Experience.

God bless Harry Patch and his generation

It is very sad to learn of the death of Harry Patch this week, the last British survivor of World War One to fight in the trenches. Harry passed away at Fletcher House, the care home in Somerset where he was living. He was 111 years old and become known as the Last Tommy, having fought in the battle of Passchendaele in 1917 in which more than 70,000 British troops died. Harry became Britain's oldest man when another veteran of the war, Henry Allingham, died on July 18 aged 113.

Harry Patch was a machine-gunner in the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry and served in the trenches as a private from June to September 1917.

The Editor comments:

So much has been written about the two great wars of the 20th century and yet nothing can ever replace the direct living memory of people who experienced them. Our generation can never imagine the full horror of the Great War in particular. The battle of Passhchendaele alone was fought over a single village, where there were over 300,000 British casualties for no obvious strategic plan.

Young conscripted men on both sides literally drowned in the black mud and thousands of others were poisened by mustard gas or shot by relentless machine gun fire and bombs. The noise of war went on relentlessly for months and years and at times tens of thousands lost their lives in the trenches to gain a few hundred yards over a period of months and months of trench warfare.

My grandfather William Millington was born in 1900 and, like many other young men, joined up under age as the Great War broke out. Fortunately for me possibly, he was discovered and discharged and by the time he was 18 and he joined up legally it was thankfully all over. My grandfather's uncle and namesake, William, a sailor with many years experience in the Royal Navy prior to the Great War, was not so lucky and was badly injured in the Battle Of Jutland, a sea battle which saw heavy losses on both sides.

The working class of that generation lived in very different times, enduring hardships which most of us under the age of about 50 will never truly comprehend. But it is important that we we do pause to remember every now and then and do take time to find out about the experiences of men like Harry Patch and his generation.

Waterworld

I took my three children to Waterworld in Stoke-on-Trent yesterday, we've been intending to try it out for many months but the distance is obviously an off-putting factor for us living in Birmingham. Our children are all keen swimmers having had lessons for several years at the Morris Centre in Edgbaston, which is your traditional rectangular pool (my personal favourite pool of this variety remains Halesowen because of the size of the pool and generally spacious facilities).

So when we go swimming outside of lessons we tend to go for pools of the 'leisure' variety with a few slides and other fun features. We have made our way around many of the area's most well known leisure pools such as Cocks Moor Woods in Kings Heath , Cascades at Yardley and Crystal Centre in Stourbridge.

But having experienced the far more exciting world of water parks when holidaying abroad in recent years, Aqualand near Palma in Mallorca in particular, one does start looking around our own country to see if anything compares and a place calling itself Waterworld has got to be worth checking out, especially being in the West Midlands region.

Obviously we are at a distinct disadvantage with our weather in Britain as an outdoor park dedicated just to swimming related activities would be an obvious non-starter. Even so, places like Centre Parcs have managed to create quality indoor water centres for their own visitors, characteristically being inside giant glass domes with lots of tropical plants and plenty of fun features as well as swimming areas.

Looking at the Waterworld website I kind of envisaged their amenities would be of that level of quality and that the general concept would be along the Centre Parcs lines. When I broached the possibility of driving to Stoke to go to Waterworld with the kids, my older son in particular was 'well chuffed' as it seemingly ranks alongside places like Alton Towers and paint balling in terms of it's reputation amongst the pre-teen and teenager population.

"Do we want to go to Waterworld? Yeah dad...or what?" as if I should have known of it's legendary status.

I have to say that the reality of Waterworld was a tad disappointing for me, it's location is fine, just off the A500 close to Etruria and Hanley and facilities were generally good - lots of family and accessible changing rooms - although we did benefit from a very helpful member of staff just happening to show us a section of the changing area where there were lockers that had working keys within reach of family rooms. To be honest, broken lockers, small lockers, lockers which eat your money but don't lock the door and lockers 200 metres from the changing area are the bane of most pools and that does seem to be the one advantage of the old traditional pools like Harborne where you just leave your stuff in a cubicle that can be seen from the pool itself.

So Waterworld was no different from any other leisure centre in this respect.

I should say that on the whole my children did enjoy Waterworld. It has several great slides, different pool sections including an area outside, a wave machine in the larger pool with beach style paddling area, lots of spectator seating, a pool side restaurant and various other features such as rapids in the dark. So there was plenty to do for children for about three hours, which is more time than anyone needs really and after which point one's fingers start to become wrinkly!

But I just felt there was a slightly jaded feel to the place in terms of wear and tear and also that it seemed very crowded even though someone told me it was a quiet day. I think if you live in the North Staffs area (incidentally the customers yesterday included a very large contingent of loud young men with Derby County tattoos who seemed to appear in every queue for every slide or tunnel in the place) then it's no doubt a great local facility, be it more expensive than your standard swim. There is also a Subway at the front entrance of Waterworld, a healthy alternative to the burger and fried chicken stores one normally finds in such venues.

But for me I feel that we are still missing a trick in the West Midlands and perhaps in Britain generally in someone, either a commercial organisation or a local authority, not developing something more along the lines of what they have at Centre Parcs. Maybe I'm being a snob, I just think sometimes quality is better than quantity. I recall that a big water based centre was in the proposal for the Super Casino led by Karen Brady and friends a couple of years ago, a missed opportunity for Birmingham? I'm not up on the developments we can expect in the region in the run up to the Olympics, but my understanding is we can expect 'proper' pools rather than 'leisure' pools and I also appreciate the argument for preserving the old pools such as Moseley Road from a heritage point of view. Sea horses for water courses, as they say.

In terms of cost, as I say Waterworld is more expensive than your standard swim, especially taking into account that most local authorities are giving free swimming to children this summer holiday. The total cost of a family ticket for me and 3 kids at Waterworld was around the £34 mark but this included free car parking. I guess this compares well with similar centres in seaside resorts such as the Sun Centre at Rhyll and very well compared to prices we've paid as a family in the Republic of Ireland. But would I want to drive to Stoke and back again in the future for a leisure swim?

Probably not when somewhere like the Crystal Leisure Centre offers something close to the general experience of Waterworld whilst lacking quite so many flumes and slides. Am I missing out on other leisure centres in the West Midlands, can you recommend anywhere else for us to check out this summer?

Friends, Romans, schoolchildren

Centurions Caius and Gittus, also known as Lance Prince and Paul Harston, with seven-year-old Rufus Caines from Lower Quinton and Rebecca Williams, Audience Development Officer for Community at Heritage Education, Warwickshire County Council.

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Roman centurions captured the imagination of local children when they visited Warwick’s Market Hall Museum in the first week of the summer holidays. Children discovered what it was like to be part of the Roman army and got a chance to try on some armour for themselves, thanks to Warwickshire County Council’s Heritage Education Service.

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Over the summer holidays Warwickshire’s Heritage Educationis running its biggest programme yet of summer family activities – 60 events across ten venues all around Warwickshire. Over the past week children have been ‘roaming with the Romans’ and over the weeks ahead they will learn everything from how people went on their holidays in the past to the lengths bees go to when making honey. There are also plenty of fun craft activities involved in each session – children can get creative and make everything from magic animal mobiles, Punch and Judy hand puppets, a rubber band car and a model dinosaur.

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The centurions Caius and Gittus, also known as Lance Prince and Paul Harston, are from Roman Tours Ltd in Chester and have just won the Best Tourism Experience in Chester and Cheshire, in the North West Regional Tourism Awards.

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Rebecca Williams, from Warwickshire County Council’s Heritage Education, said: “These events are all about bringing the past to life and we have a treasure trove ofobjects and artefacts to amaze and inspire.”

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You can find out more about this event and many others at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/heritgeeducation or by telephone on01926 412069. The cost of each activity is £2.50 per child or £1 for 5s and under. All ages are welcome, but children aged 8 and under must be accompanied by an adult. There is no need to book a place – just drop in.

Wanted: tomorrow's music video makers

Schools, youth clubs and other community groups for teenagers and young adults are being invited to enter an inspiring music video competition that will see the winning entry shown on MTV. The Soldier's Eyes competition is looking for a socially-aware music video to accompany singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti's forthcoming track, Soldier's Eyes, which is due to be released by De Angelis Records this coming October.

'This video competition is an amazing project inspired by the current situation in the Middle East, hoping to deliver the message that people living under war, hatred and fear deserve a fair chance at living in peace,' says Jack (jacksavoretti.com, myspace/jacksavoretti). The competition is open to participants of BOOM!, a project that challenges young people aged between 16-25 to make films about the communities they live in. The winning entry will receive a special BOOM! award and subsequently screened across all MTV channels. The competition closes on September 25, 2009.

All entries will be judged by a BOOM! Panel of professional video commissioners and producers as well as Jack Savoretti himself, with shortlisted entries announced in early October. The winning video will be announced at the BOOM! Awards, to be held on October 22, 2009. For entry details, visit boomnation.net.

About the Soldier's Eyes project

Jack Savoretti's song is the first initiative from the Soldier's Eyes project (www.soldierseyesproject.com) – a project that aims to use music and pop culture to combat the breeding of hatred in young people, in communities, in cities, countries and in the world. Soldier's Eyes will be the first track released from a new album of songs by various artists.

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Developed by Danielle Livesey (project founder), De Angelis Records and the charity Fertile Ground, the Soldier's Eyes project aims to raise awareness of the power of tolerance, to challenge preconceptions and to make a practical difference – without the interference of politics. It also aims to raise funds for Fertile Ground, which works in the Middle East to break down barriers between Israel and Palestine through arts and cultural exchange projects. About BOOM!A partnership between Clubs for Young People (clubsforyoungpeople.org.uk), v (vinspired.com) and MTV (mtv.co.uk), and supported by Apple, BOOM! aims to help young people make a positive difference both to their communities and to society in general by raising awareness of social issues and campaigning for change.

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For further details about the Soldier's Eyes competition contact, Danielle Livesey at legend.live@virgin.net or Juliette Joseph at juliette@de-angelisrecords.com (+44 (0)20 8994 4600)