BASS Festival – June 2010

Desert Boy at the REP

BASS Festival (British Arts and Street Sounds) is the UK’s only month-long celebration of Black Music and Art, and it returns this June for a celebration of urban music and culture.

Taking place for the fifth consecutive year, the month-long festival will see a range of music and arts events in venues across Birmingham. This year, all events will fall under the theme of DNA, looking at both personal DNA and the heritage of music.

The full 2010 line-up is yet to be announced but here are a few highlights:

Protest: Fight the Power: Twenty Years of the Political Poster

2 – 26th June Devonshire House, Custard Factory

Now in the UK for the first time Protest is a startling exhibition of shock and awe by graphic designers from around the world. Over two decades of street-fighting struggles created these propaganda and protest masterpieces which have toured Africa and Asia in a British Council sponsored show.

Desert Boy

10 – 11 June @ Birmingham REP

An a cappella musical with story-telling and song, woven seamlessly together into an epic musical drama. With singing from across the ages from Mali to hip hop, from slave songs to rap, Desert Boy is a funny, fantastic and provoking new musical tale.

DNA of Hard Times

26 – 27 June @ The Drum

In a commission for Punch and The Drum, Martyn Glynn and a group of spoken word artists use the visual imagery of the DNA double-helix to represent both the spiral of economic recession and the ladder of artistic opportunity. This hard hitting theatre piece provides a vital comment on the economic recession and the Darwinian theme ‘survival of the fittest’.

Beyond the Ballroom feat. Snowboy

13 June @ mac

At its peak, Jazz Fusion involved thousands of utterly devoted young people, whose commitment and enthusiasm would have been the envy of the UK dance world, if only they knew about it. With Dick Jewell’s film The Jazz Room, book signing and a DJ set from Snowboy this night gets below the radar to find a remarkable part of our dance history.

Funky History - Funky Underground club night

19 June @ Sence Bar

Movers and shakers Felix and Jezta run Birmingham’s premier funky night Funky Underground. For one night only they will take us on a personal journey through their musical DNA. With a mix of local DJs and some special guests, Funky History will be a big party in the middle of this year’s BASS.

Genesis 9:25 by Kokumo

19 June @ Birmingham REP

In a new piece commissioned by Punch, Birmingham based artist Kokumo combines music, dance, spoken word to explore themes emerging from a recent trip to Brazil; where ever you travel the struggle for black people and people of colour takes the same path.

Rudi

Rudi & Smash Bro’z

25th June @ mac

A double bill of work from US based artist and dancer Rudi and Birmingham based hip hop dance collective Smash Bro’z. Through reclaiming street culture for themselves, both artists will reconnect with their heritage that outside forces have tried to subvert from their DNA.

Smash Bro'z Dance

Last year’s African-themed festival saw over 20 events including an opening performance by award-winning Kenyan artist Opiyo Okach, The Shrine Synchro System performing live alongside vampire movie Nosferatu, UK beat-makers Louis Den Beat Cypher, and female DJ duo Mama Feel Good. The festival also hosted new commission ‘I Dream of Fela’ featuring Sway, Baby J and Richard Olatunde Baker, in addition to securing the UK rights to ‘Art’s Own Kind’, an exhibition of the world-renowned album sleeve designer Ghariokwu Lemi and his work for African legend Fela Kuti.

BASS Festival is produced by Birmingham-based Punch Records, in association with music partners and artists. In 2010, the festival will work with mainstream and grassroots organisations to deliver a range of new commissions, live performances, art exhibitions, dance and theatre performances, film screenings, and master classes.

For more information on BASS Festival and line-up announcements, visit http://www.punch-records.co.uk/.

Outspoken - the UK's first ever season dedicated to new performances by Arab artists

UK premieres at Outspoken season, part of International Dance Festival Birmingham

The country’s first ever season dedicated to new performances from Arab artists will present a series of UK premieres from choreographers from North Africa and the Middle East, as part of the second International Dance Festival Birmingham (IDFB) in April and May.

Curated by Eckhard Thiemann, the Outspoken season will feature major figures on the international festival circuit like Nacera Belaza (Algeria / France) and Omar Rajeh (Lebanon). New discoveries from countries such as Morocco, Egypt and Iraq will also be presenting new works, many of which have never been seen before in the UK.

Many of the artists are highly influential in their home countries, working not just as choreographers but also as artistic directors of festivals, dance centres and international contemporary dance projects in their countries of origin, but most have never performed in the UK before.

Eckhard commented “There is a fast emerging dance sector in these countries representing the diverse, dynamic and cosmopolitan nature of contemporary Arab culture through movement based work, however much of this remains largely unknown about in this country. I was keen to work with IDFB to share some of this incredible work with UK audiences for the first time.”

Outspoken will present the breadth of dance work being produced in these areas of the world – from minimal, Sufi-influenced spiritual works, to challenging political commentary. The works are all very individual, neither conforming to conventional notions of life and art in Arab societies, nor confirming to Western styles and aesthetics.

Alongside the performances, which take place in The Patrick Centre at Birmingham Hippodrome and Ikon Eastside in Digbeth, a packed programme of debates, discussions and films will help audiences to contextualise the work and to delve deeper into some of the issues surrounding these works.

David Massingham, Artistic Director of DanceXchange and Co-Artistic Director of the Festival said, “I felt it was important to include some totally unique new work within the festival, and to offer a completely different view of diversity. I wanted to show a different side to these countries, which are so often in the media for difficult reasons, in order to challenge people’s preconceptions about the sort of work that might be made there.”

For more information on the Outspoken season, and to buy tickets, go to http://www.idfb.co.uk/

Social Enterprise Charter

Election Campaign 2010

Let’s Get Social Enterprise In The Spotlight!

Get your MP to sign up to the Social Enterprise Charter

As the UK emerges from a recession the public demands, and deserves, a fairer and more sustainable economy: one that is built on principles of trust, transparency and ethics; one that supports a wide variety of business models.

A general election is imminent, and now is the time to build support for social enterprise.

In the run up to the 2010 election, the Social Enterprise Coalition and Social Enterprise West Midlands are asking current and prospective parliamentarians to sign up to the Social Enterprise Charter to recognise and support the work of social enterprises across the UK. More than 30 MPs have already signed up, including three party leaders - David Cameron MP, Nick Clegg MP and Caroline Lucas MEP.

Now we need your help to get even more politicians on board. We’ve put together a campaign pack so you can email or write to your local MP and parliamentary candidates and ask them to add their name to the Social Enterprise Charter 2010. The pack also includes tips for getting coverage for your social enterprise in your local newspaper.

On 21st and 22nd April, the campaign will be focusing on the West Midlands to build support for social enterprise where you are.

Visit the Social Enterprise Coalition’s website to download a campaign pack and get lobbying now!

http://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/pages/the-charter.html

http://www.socialenterprise.org.uk/pages/campaigns.html 

EQUALITY & HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE WEST MIDLANDS REGION: UNITED NATIONS

Dear Colleagues

On 8 June 2009 the UK ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

This important UN Convention is a human rights treaty which aims to promote, protect and ensure the full enjoyment of all human rights by disabled people. It sets out what governments are expected to do to ensure disabled people's rights are protected. The Convention covers a number of key areas. These include health, education, employment, access to justice, personal security independent living and access to information.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has been designated alongside the Scottish Human Rights Commission, the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Northern Ireland Equality Commission as part of the monitoring framework in the UK to 'promote, protect and monitor' implementation of The UN Convention. http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=259  

The United Nations CRPD Committee will be monitoring governments' implementation of this Convention. The evidence provided by disabled people will play a crucial part in the Committee's assessments. The EHRC is currently carrying out an initial review of Britain's compliance with and progress towards implementation of the Convention.

As part of this, we are hosting a number of regional meetings across UK. You are invited to attend an event in in Birmingham about the CRPD. At this event we will explain our planned work to promote and monitor the Convention and we would like to hear your views about what areas we should be prioritising. You can find out more about our plans on our webpage: http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/human-rights/un-convention-on-disability-rights/

This event will take place on Wednesday 7 April 2010 at Aston business school, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B4 7ET. The event is free of any charges. The event flyer together with a booking form and is attached for your kind attention. We would be grateful if you could confirm your attendance by completing and returning the attached booking form via email to UNCRPD@equalityhumanrights.com
0203 117 0461.

Please note, places are limited, therefore, please book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Please do forward this onto your contacts or any organisations that may be interested in this area of work.



Best Wishes


Zahid Nawaz
Regional Manager
EHRC
3rd Floor Lancaster House
Birmingham
B3 1NA


EQUALITY & HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE WEST MIDLANDS REGION: UNITED NATIONS

CONVENTION FOR THE RIGHTS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

7th of APRIL 2010, AT ASTON BUSINESS SCHOOL, CONFERENCE ASTON, ASTON
UNIVERSITY, ASTON TRIANGLE, BIRMINGHAM, B4 7ET, UK

Richard Heeps’ exclusive exhibition taking a deeper look atSouth Africa

South Africa is the subject of photographer Richard Heeps’ brand new exhibition The New Lantern at Light House, Wolverhampton. As the World Cup draws the media spotlight to this tumultuous country once again, The New Lantern offers a personal glimpse ofquiet, everyday life in and around the Free State region. Combining a foray into portraiture with Richard’s signature style of colour-saturated landscapes, this exhibition follows his wife Natasha’s first return to her homeland in six years.

This wonderfully depicted journey will premiere at Light House Gallery, Wolverhampton, from Thursday 8 April – Friday 4 June and entrance is free of charge. The exhibition combines an outsider viewpoint with insider knowledge as Natasha took on the role of unofficial tour guide for photographer Richard. Natasha’s personal commentary for each image collected on the husband and wife ‘road trip’ offers a personal insight into a country which has seen monumental changes over the years, but it also raises questions about the family unit, the displacement of people, migration and identity.

Natasha grew up in several towns and went to many different schools in the Free State, and she describes her father as always chasing the proverbial pot of gold. Although everything in the show is immediately personal to Natasha (the title of the work comes from a road house which she used to visit and every image has a connection to her family), the exhibition plays on wider themes ofchildhood, identity and looking back in order to look forward. With it also being Richard’s first visit to his wife’s homeland, he wantedto document the changes that she found on revisiting her 'old life'.

Whilst her parents are divorced and have both remarried and moved on, Richard wanted to portray how she instantly felt at home seeing things from her childhood. Richard’s sweeping vistas and intensely colourful images are home to a host of interesting characters and observations. There is genuine warmth radiating from each subject and it is easy to appreciate the popularity of his work. Richard states “I try and reflect a strong empathy towards my subject matter and close surroundings. I am trying to create a timeless quality in my photographs using traditional film and darkroom techniques”.

These emotional connections to his work and flair for tradition are richly visible inThe New Lantern.To coincide with this exhibition, Three White Walls Gallery in Birmingham will be showing Old England – a special selection of some of Richard Heeps’ previous work.

Private view Thursday 6.30 – 8.30pm 1 April and the exhibition runs until 10 May, for informationvisit http://www.3whitewalls.blogspot.com/.

The New Lantern is showing from Thursday 8 April – Friday 4 June and entrance is free of charge.

Contact Light House on t: 01902716055 to book tickets or for more information visit http://www.light-house.co.uk/.

Light House is located in the historic Chubb Buildings in Wolverhampton City Centre.

Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa - Wolverhampton Civic Hall: Friday 23rd July 2010

Zappa Plays Zappa features Dweezil Zappa, Frank’s eldest son, on lead guitar accompanied by a host of hand-picked young musical talents. Dweezil and his band bring his father’s musical legacy to life on stage, the only official act to do so since Frank Zappa’s death in 1993. Zappa Plays Zappa will perform a career spanning selection of Zappa’s work, including ‘Bobby Brown (Goes Down)’, ‘Peaches en Regalia’ and ‘Willy the Pimp’.

Dweezil and co have been playing the music of Frank Zappa to audiences worldwide since 2006, receiving rave reviews as they go. In 2009, Zappa Plays Zappa were awarded a Grammy award for best rock instrumental performance for their performance of “Peaches en Regalia”.

The upcoming Liverpool Summer Pops Festival performance sees Dweezil Zappa follow in his father’s footsteps, Frank Zappa played Liverpool at the height of his career in the early 70s, at Mountford Hall in 1970 and Liverpool Stadium in 1973. Dweezil said, “I’m so excited to bring Zappa Plays Zappa to Liverpool forty years after my Dad played there. We’re bringing my father’s music to new generations of music lovers, as well as long-standing Zappa fans.”

Official Website: http://www.zappaplayszappa.com/  

Tickets priced £27.50 will be available from 9.00am on Thursday 1st April at Midland Box Office: 0870 320 7000 or online at http://www.wolvescivic.co.uk/

ELECTRIC CARNIVAL - BIRMINGHAMS BIGGEST ELECTRONIC MUSIC EVENT! FATBOY SLIM, CALVIN HARRIS, CHASE & STATUS & MORE...

An Evening with Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of The Doors with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Wolverhampton Civic Hall: Sunday 18th July 2010

“Is everybody in? The Ceremony is about to begin...”

In 1965 in Venice Beach, California, RAY MANZAREK, ROBBY KRIEGER, JIM MORRISON and JOHN DENSMORE came together as THE DOORS. During a short six year period the group created the sound of a generation that has remained timeless to this day. The story, real or embellished, has become legend but that is only one part of appeal of the group, the real story is the music.

THE DOORS founding members, MANZAREK and KRIEGER, now take THE DOORS music to new territory by performing with a local 52 piece orchestra in each city. Conductor Brent Havens, has charted out THE DOORS songs that will take the band and audience on a two hour plus ride of their musical history; “Light My Fire”, “Break On Through”, “L.A. Woman”, “Riders On The Storm”, “Roadhouse Blues”, “Touch Me”, “Crystal Ship”, “Love Me Two Times”, “Waiting For The Sun” and many more.

For those of us who never got to see THE DOORS, this is a chance to see two members of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame play some of the most revered music in history, music so powerful it has been the subject of books, documentaries and an Oliver Stone movie. Now for the first time on tour, you can hear their music re-imagined with orchestra and the band that created it. When Ray and Robby take the stage, the legend of THE DOORS remains alive and well.

Official Website: http://www.thedoors.com/   

Tickets priced £32.50 are available from Midland Box Office: 0870 320 7000 or online at http://www.wolvescivic.co.uk/

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service announces special event in Hereford

The search is on to honour voluntary groups in Herefordshire with the equivalent of an MBE for their dedication and hard work in the county’s communities.

The Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office is to host an event in Hereford, to encourage nominations for The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the MBE for voluntary groups.

The event, to be held at Hereford Shire Hall on Tuesday June 29th at 10.30am, will be hosted by the Lord-Lieutenant of Herefordshire, The Countess of Darnley JP, the Queen’s representative in the county, and forms part of a series of 14 events across the UK this summer. Each event will offer eligible groups, and all those from their communities able to make a nomination, the chance to learn more about the prestigious award and the benefits it can provide.

A previous winner from Herefordshire will also be present to talk about their experiences and what winning the award has meant in terms of the work that the group does and those who benefit from it.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service Award Committee Chair, former broadcast journalist Martyn Lewis CBE, said:

“Volunteers play a vital role in community life and it’s important to recognise their outstanding efforts. Through these events, we want to show how The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service celebrates the work of exceptional voluntary groups, and encourage attendees to nominate those outstanding volunteer organisations in their local area.”

Lady Darnley added:

“The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and reward the excellent work of voluntary groups in our community. I would encourage anyone involved in, or associated with, the world of volunteering to come along and find out more about this prestigious national honour.”

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service was created by Her Majesty to mark the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 2002, and is the highest national honour that can be bestowed upon groups of individuals who give their time freely for the benefit of others in the local community. 750 groups around the UK have won the Award since 2002.

Those interested in attending the event in Herefordshire should contact Vicky Harris at Herefordshire’s Lieutenancy Office on 01432 260494 or to learn more about the Award call 020 7781 2397 or email queensawardevent@consolidatedpr.com.  For further information on the Award, or to download a nomination form, visit www.direct.gov.uk/thequeensawardforvoluntaryservice

Enjoy the parks of Solihull over Easter

From scarecrows and bonnets to ducks and park rangers; this Easter holiday there is plenty going on in the borough’s parks for all the family to enjoy.

On Tuesday 6 April, 10am-3pm, Mell Square will be taken over by Solihull Council’s park rangers for the Ranger Road Show. There will be face painting, puppet shows and lots of information about Solihull’s parks.

For those who want a walk on the wild side, there will be an Art Animal Tracks event on Wednesday 7 April, 11am-1pm, at Dorridge Park. Families will be taken around the park looking for animal tracks and then taught how to take casts of any footprints found.

On Thursday 8 April, 11am-1pm, anyone can transform their old hats into a beautiful Easter bonnet in Olton Jubilee Park, while the following day, 11am-12.30pm, you can go on the hunt for wildlife round Elmdon Coppice. Help will be on hand to identify the birds and bugs that live there as you explore the woodland. Meet near the play area of Inchford Road and Luddington Road.

On a more relaxing note, there will be a Spring River Walk in Wednesday 14 April, 1pm-3pm in Meriden Park. Then, on Thursday 15 April, 10.30am-12pm, Knowle Park will be full of scarecrows. Residents are invited to let their creativity loose in making and designing their scarecrows and there is a prize for the best one.

The Easter activities are rounded off with the spectacular Dizzy Duck Race on Sunday 18 April, 11am-1.30pm, Babbs Mill Local Nature Reserve. Residents can name one of the rubber ducks and see if theirs will make it down the river fastest.

There are only limited places available for the Art Animal Tracks and Scarecrow Making Day events so please book early on 0121 704 8000. For all other events no booking is required.

For more information on the activities taking place in Solihull’s parks this year pick up a free events guide at your local library, or go online: www.solihull.gov.uk/events.

CALL FOR YOUNG FILM-MAKERS FROM THE WEST MIDLANDS TO SHOW THEIR WORK

Budding film-makers from the West Midlands are to get the chance to showcase their work at the Glastonbury Festival 23 – 27 June. The Village Screen project, part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, is looking for a mix of inspiring, funny, original and challenging films from young film-makers, aged 12 to 24, to show on the big screens at the Festival.

The West Midlands Culture Programme for London 2012 is looking for films in two categories which reflect both the spirit of Glastonbury and the Olympic movement. Welcome the World is a call for silent films with a purely visual narrative which celebrate the values of the Olympic Games including friendship, determination, inspiration and excellence. Hug the Planet is supported by Natural England and is an open call for films which again have a strong visual narrative on the themes of biodiversity, healthy living, climate change, waste and inclusion.

The team in the West Midlands are also inviting adult film-makers the opportunity to submit short films for After Dark which will show the seamier, sinister and darker side of life and animations or ambient films including time delay, abstract work or art film of up to ten minutes long to be shown at the Festival.

The Village Screen is a unique collaboration between the UK's creative agencies and the BBC. The screen will be used to showcase the work of some of the best young film making talent, digital artists and developers from the West Midlands to thousands of people at Glastonbury.

Paul Kaynes, West Midlands Creative Programmer said: “This is a brilliant project and an excellent example of how the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad is bringing creative and cultural experiences to new audiences right across the country who wouldn’t ordinarily have the chance to see this work. It’s great for our region as we have such a fantastic film and screen talent based here in the West Midlands so I look forward to viewing the submissions.”

Films should be submitted in DVD format and be accompanied by a completed submissions or permissions form by 23 April 2010. These forms plus terms & conditions for entry can be found on

www.wmfor2012.com/calloutforyoungfilmmakers.aspx

Please send your film and completed form to Paul Kaynes, West Midlands Creative Programmer, West Midlands Culture Programme for London 2012, The Arts Council, 82 Granville Street, Birmingham B1 2LH.

One film-maker in each category will be chosen to receive a pair of tickets to attend the 2010 Glastonbury Festival.

For more information please contact Moira Rawlings, Editorial Content Producer, West Midlands Culture programme for London 2012 via email: Moira.Rawlings@artscouncil.org.uk or mobile 0787 241 2806.

Herefordshire Council leader hits out at cider tax hike

The tax hike on cider is a slap in the face for rural communities, says Herefordshire Council leader Roger Phillips.

He told a regional meeting of economic advisers in Birmingham, chaired by the Minister for the West Midlands Ian Austin MP, that the 10 per cent rise in cider duty was disproportionate and would hit the Herefordshire economy hard.

“I am angry about the increase in tax because it appears uniformed and under-researched”, said Councillor Phillips.

“The revival of the cider market is a Herefordshire success story but it is a fragile one. Jobs have already been lost and any fruit orchard or producer, or business engaged in making or selling cider, is suddenly even more vulnerable as a result of the Chancellor’s announcement”.

“Herefordshire Council works closely together with NHS Herefordshire so I could understand the targeting of stronger alcoholic drinks on health grounds, but the government could have left other ciders alone”.

International Dance Festival Birmingham pushing the boudaries of dance

Producers of the second International Dance Festival Birmingham (IDFB) are hoping to challenge the public’s preconceptions of what dance is, programming everything from circus and martial arts based pieces to deconstructions of the art of performance itself.

Sutra, by acclaimed Flemish / Moroccan choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, features 17 monks from the original Shaolin Temple in China and is inspired by their skill, strength and spirituality. The piece explores the philosophy and faith behind the Buddhist tradition, its relationship with Kung-Fu, and its position within a contemporary context.

Sutra was listed as one of the top ten dance events of the last decade by The Sunday Times and features a striking, ever-changing set design by acclaimed sculptor Anthony Gormley consisting of 21 wooden boxes. Polish composer Szymon Brzóska crafts a serene score for five musicians, including piano, percussion and strings which is played live.

Brisbane-based company Circa has been hailed as reinventing circus in recent years. By stripping the genre back to its basic components and melding traditional circus skills with contemporary dance and theatre, the company’s style defies concrete definitions. Their show, CIRCA, includes awe-inspiring acrobatics and breathtaking solos and duets that thrill and delight audiences in equal measure.

David Massingham, Artistic Director of DanceXchange and Co-Artistic Director of the Festival was responsible for Circa’s inclusion in the programme. He said of his decision, “CIRCA is an astonishing, breathtaking and quietly sensual show. After seeing it in Edinburgh in 2009 I had no hesitation in programming it for the Festival – the company is at the pinnacle of the reinvention of the genre and this is a perfect example of pushing the boundaries of what contemporary dance can be.”

Another surprising inclusion in the programme for the Festival is Club Fisk‘s show, Forestillinger, in which the two performers use an easel to present a detailed explanation of the performance and its underlying structure. Although the piece is showcases classic Scandinavian minimalism it also includes a liberating sense of humour, making this a great piece for those who may not be regular dance attendees.

Forestillinger is performed as part of a double bill with Pere Faura’s This is a picture of a person I don’t know, another humerous piece which aims to discover the new spaces between theatre, cinema, words and movement, reality and fiction. The solo performer interacts playfully with famous scenes from musicals, exposing his most personal conflicts in a poetic and witty journey that explores ideas of nostalgia as an escape from loneliness.

Produced by DanceXchange and Birmingham Hippodrome, IDFB 2010 is one of the world’s largest dance festivals. Representing over 20 countries from six continents, the festival will feature over 70 performances, as well as a number of free public events and plenty of chances for people to get involved.

The Festival is funded by Advantage West Midlands, Arts Council England West Midlands and Birmingham City Council, with sponsorship from investment managers Brewin Dolphin. IDFB 2010 is also working in partnership with the West Midlands Culture Programme for London 2012.

For more information on IDFB 2010 and the line-up, visit http://www.idfb.co.uk/.

Return of the Great Whitacre Pram Race!

The Whitacre Pram Race will return this year on Sunday 2nd May. Last year’s event was so successful the Committee have decided to run the event once more. The objectives of the Pram Race are to bring the community together, support local charities and to have a fun day out.

Last year the event raised £10,274.00 which was split between Macmillan and St Giles Hospice. This year’s event will support Take A Break in Coleshill who provide specialist care and services for disabled children and their families and the new QE Military Patients Unit for injured military personnel.

The Whitacre Pram Race used to take place annually to support local causes. The event had not taken place for nearly 10 years due to health and safety concerns; however, in 2009 some hardworking locals formed a committee to revive the event.

Last year 22 teams took part with lots of community support including from the local Coleshill police. This year’s race is set to be just as successful and is based over the same 3 mile course. There are still a few team places available or support can be given in other ways such as sponsorship or by cheering on the teams.

Chairperson Jemma James states ‘after the success of last year everyone is looking forward to the 2010 event. Seeing the community come together for such fantastic causes makes the months of preparation and hard work worth it. I would like to say thank you to everyone who is involved this year and to all the local businesses supporting us’.

Since last years race, the Committee has been inundated with praise stating how much everyone enjoyed the day and what a fantastic effort everyone made. The local BBC news reporter turned up to film the event and the race appeared on Midlands Today.

Stained glass window unveiled at new crematorium

Herefordshire Council’s new crematorium now has a new stained glass window kindly donated by a Hereford man to commemorate the life of his late partner John Sperry.

Richard Claridge of Hampton Grange and Lynhales Nursing Homes donated the bespoke window to the crematorium.

The window was designed, painted and made by Williams & Byrne of Ludlow.

David Williams, of Williams & Byrne, said: “Richard wanted to make this gift to the people of Herefordshire because stained glass can be peaceful and uplifting. It cannot change the sorrow, but it can give comfort and strength.”

Councillor John Jarvis, Herefordshire Council’s cabinet member for the environment and strategic housing, said: “When we designed the new crematorium, we wanted the chapel to become part of the city’s heritage and we were delighted when Mr Claridge asked if he could pay for a stained glass window to be installed there.

“The window is not only a fitting celebration of his late partner’s life but is also a sensitive addition to the crematorium’s interior decoration.

“For people attending the crematorium it can be a distressing and upsetting time, so it is important that the surroundings are as sympathetic and pleasant as possible and this window certainly makes the chapel a more uplifting place to be,” he added.

UTC PRESENTS LUKE VIBERT

LUKE VIBERT

Possibly the most original of the neo-ambient trip-hoppers is Luke Vibert, a protagonist of the British electronic music scene since the early 1990s. Like many of his contemporaries, Vibert has released under a wide number of aliases, including Amen Andrews, Spac Hand Luke, Plug, Kerrier District and The Ace of Clubs, as well as Wagon Christ on the legendary Ninja Tune label. Now he is back on Planet Mu, which seems to have become a semi permanent home for his eclectic blend of electronic music.

"This you’ve never heard ..now here this..the sounds you’re about to hear, can be devastating to your ear"

DAEDELUS

Daedelus has refined a style that has no imitators. Contrasting IDM styled cut-ups with childlike arrangements from the 30s and 40s, he has created a sound that is entirely new. His productions find the hidden common denominator between modern electronics and sampled music from days gone by. Recording out of Santa Monica, Daedelus also incorporates hip-hop into his mix, with guest spots from Busdriver, MF Doom, TTC, TI$A, Mike Ladd, Absract Rude, Madlib, and High Priest (Anti-Pop Consortium). His live show, which utilizes a sample trigger device called the Monome and a custom-built software package, has amazed audiences across the US, Europe, Australia and Japan and secured his reputation as one of the most exciting producers in electronic music.

JON1ST

Jon1st is a DJ/turntablist, producer and live performer from Surrey who runs the live electronics/hip hop/trip hop night DROP in Kingston and Leicester. His live sets take the form of mashups of all styles of electronic and beat based music comprised from a mixture of his own tracks with a few redits and remixes thrown in mixed up with live turntablism, mpc and synth improvisation. .. Watch this kid blow up !

click me to order your ticket!

TheTicketSellers
24hr holine: 0844 870 0000

calls charged at 5p/min from BT land line

JOSEPH ANSELL, ASTON VILLA & HARBORNE INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL.

Joseph Ansell. J P, became the Chairman of Harborne Industrial School Management Committee in 1907, following the premature death of the first Chairman, D,W.Probert. He took up his post just four years after the opening of the new school in Balden Road, Harborne. Ansell was experienced in the work of organisations connected to Industrial Schools and was well fitted to the difficult task of guiding the school through the next 16 years. Shortly after his death, it was renamed Ansell School in 1925. However , following the abolishing of Industrial and Reformatory Schools in 1933, it became part of a National System of Open Approved Schools and was renamed Tennal School.

The book ‘‘Souvenir of the Centenary Celebrations of Tennal School – 1849-1949. `` written by Mr G Lowes, a member of the school staff, described Joseph Ansell as ‘‘ a doyen of the legal profession `` who was more than a brilliant lawyer and clever advocate. He was popularly known as Birmingham’s licensing lawyer, but might even more aptly have been described as the City’s sporting lawyer. His zest for life, his love of sport, his buoyant humour, and his inexhaustible fund of stories, were brought with him into the Board Room at Harborne, and did much to enliven and humanise the proceedings of those difficult conferences, which had to be held, as we shall see when the Superintendent and the Chief Inspector failed to see eye to eye on vital matters in the management of the school. ``

Joseph Ansell faced these thorny problems with a smile, his ultimate judgment always being based on the good of the school boys and their future welfare. The boys were equally interested in the sporting activities of their Chairman. He was a great hunter, and although it is not reported that he ever attended meetings at the school in his riding habit, yet the ‘ ‘ Birmingham Mail `` stated that ‘‘ over and over again he appeared in police court in hunting attire – wearing an overcoat over his scarlet coat and a pair of trousers over his riding breeches.`` When he was out in the hunting field, a caller at his office was told that he was out on ‘‘ business. `` ‘‘ Business, `` Mr Ansell used to say, with a twinkle in his eye, ‘‘ was the name of my hunter.``{ Birmingham Mail, 12th October,1923.}

It was fortunate that the resident boys and their Chairman shared a common interest – the love of football. Indeed in 1905-6, prior to Joseph Ansell taking up his post at Harborne Industrial School, the football team had excelled and were already the proud winners of the Midland Championship. Imagine their surprise when they discovered that their new Chairman was the President of the Aston Villa Football Club – a post he held for a quarter of a century.

In the 1908 Harborne Industrial School Report, Joseph Ansell defined one of the guiding principles on which he based many of his actions ‘‘ That those who start life with many advantages should help those who are less fortunate.`` Subsequently, he devoted a great deal of time and care in the management of the school. On the attainment of his 80th birthday he thanked the Committee for their congratulations and told them that ‘‘ the work of the school appealed to him more strongly than any other work that he had done during the past half century. `` Joseph Ansell died on the 12th October, 1923, and his whole career was well summed up ‘ as one of untiring activity in every good cause.`` (Birmingham Gazette, 13th October, 1923.)

It was significant that the ‘ The Last Post ` was played at his funeral by the Harborne Industrial School Cadets, and a wreath shaped like a football was sent by Aston Villa Football Club. Two important interests in his life were well represented on the day.

Joseph Ansell’s long and deep interest in the welfare of disadvantaged and destitute children in Industrial Schools was well known. In 1925, when the Committee were considering changing the school name, the Chief Inspector suggested that the school should be called The Ansell School. The Home Office Report, which followed the official inspection of the school in March, 1925, stated ‘ ‘....that today one has no hesitation in regarding the Ansell School as one of the most progressive and enlightened of its kind. ``

The sporting tradition of the school which had been strongly supported and influenced by Joseph Ansell continued long after his death. It was an important factor in maintaining and developing strong links with the local community with whom it often shared facilities. This is particularly true of the school football and cricket teams which competed in regular ‘ home and away ` matches with many teams from the local area.

The Football Notes and Results for the 1934 – 1935 season are recorded in the first Tennal School Magazine :-

School V. Blue Coat School Away 8 5

Y.M.C.A. Juniors Home 9 1

School of Art Home 2 1

St. Peters Harborne Away 2 1

Blue Coat School Home 10 3

School of Art Home 3 4

Y.M.C.A. Juniors Home 3 3

The season opened well with several convincing victories, but towards the end of the season our forces were sadly depleted by boys leaving. Matches with outside teams had to be cancelled in the first few weeks of 1935 because of infectious disease in the school.

The involvement of the school in community activities, particularly in sharing its facilities to benefit local people, has been a regular part of its functioning and commitment for many years. Following the closure of the school in 1984, when it became the Martineau Education Centre, this practice continued, providing many valuable services to the residents of Harborne and Quinton. With its long history originating in Birmingham’s first Ragged School and Industrial Schools, it is fundamentally part of Birmingham’s heritage and an established part of the local community. Why in the 21st century should we now have less access to the extensive and accessible Martineau Centre amenities than in the last 107 years?


Percy Lea, former Principal, Tennal School, on behalf of the Martineau Ten Group.

‘ Facebook Group

` Help to save the Martineau Centre.

http://www.yourmartineaucampus.co.uk/.

Contacts: ( Ray) bojangles053668@aol.co.uk  

(Rwth): r.hunt538@btinternet.com

Funny Welsh bloke brings cat to Wolvo

Rhod Gilbert & The Cat That Looked Like Nicholas Lyndhurst (2nd Date) - Wolverhampton Civic Hall: Wednesday 10th November 2010.

Following sell-out performances earlier in the year, the Welsh wonder is back by popular demand. With sensational performances on ‘The Royal Variety Performance’, ‘Live At The Apollo’, and ‘Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow’ under his belt, don’t miss the hottest name in comedy performing his critically acclaimed hit show.

Last year, he punched a shop-assistant over the duvet tog-rating system and went berserk over a mince pie. Stung by accusations that he over-reacts, this year Rhod sets out on an emotional rollercoaster of a journey to discover the truth. Is he, as he believes, a visionary in a sea of closed minds, or has he, as everyone else believes, got anger-management problems?

One of the hottest names in stand-up today. Catch him while you can.

‘Comics’ Comic’ & ‘Best Headliner’ Winner – Chortle 2009

Official Website: www.myspace.com/rhodgilbertcomedian

Tickets priced £20.00 are available from Midland Box Office: 0870 320 7000 or online at http://www.wolvescivic.co.uk/

MOSELEY FOLK FESTIVAL’S FIFTH YEAR

After the last two sell out events, Moseley Folk Festival is celebrating its fifth birthday with another three days of music and fun in Moseley Park, Birmingham on the 3rd, 4th and 5th September 2010.

Friday’s bill will be topped by The Divine Comedy, psychedelic folk hero Donovan will headline on Saturday and The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain will finish off the weekend with their comedic strumming, plucking and singing. Other confirmed acts include Mercury Prize nominated Turin Brakes and The Unthanks (formerly Rachel Unthank and The Winterset), folk and blues legend Spider John Koerner, special guests from America The Low Anthem, nu-folk poster boy Johnny Flynn, Pentangle’s founding member John Renbourn, guitarist Martin Simpson and Guillemots front man Fyfe Dangerfield.

The festival continues to champion Birmingham’s music scene as new local acts will share the second stage with up and coming talent from across the UK and beyond. Broom Bezzums will be returning from Germany and America’s Arborea will be performing as well as fiddle player Dan Cassidy, whose strings featured on his sister Eva’s legendary ‘Songbird’ track.

There will also be entertainment for all the family, with storytelling pirates, traditional fairground rides and a variety of music and dance workshops.

Tickets will be on sale from 1st April 2010.

For more information about the Moseley Folk Festival and the full line-up please visit http://www.moseleyfolk.co.uk/.

Stafford Council Could Carry Out Historic Building Work

Stafford Borough Council will step in to save a listed building if the owner fails to protect it.

The move follows concerns over the state of an 18th century listed building in a village near Stone. The grade ll listed Old Post Office in Swynnerton also has features inside which could date back to the 15th century.

Members of the Development Control Committee will be told that despite a number of requests from the council’s conservation officer the owner has not improved the state of the building. They will be asked to allow officers to serve an urgent notice on the owner to force him to carry out the work. And if he doesn’t the council will get the work done and charge him for it.

Earlier this month the council received a petition with nearly 400 names asking them to take action to protect the historic property.

A report to the committee states the thatched roof is in a serious state allowing rain into the property and the rear wall has partly collapsed. The work to secure the property could cost up to £10,000.

The Development Control Committee will be deciding the fate of the building at a meeting next Wednesday (31 March 2010.)

Among recommendations in the report are for an ‘Urgent Works Notice’ to be served on the owner and if he does not carry out the work then the council will step in to secure the building and look to recover the costs through legal action.

The full report can be seen on the Development Control Committee agenda via the ‘council and democracy’ pages of the borough council’s website at http://www.staffordbc.gov.uk/.

MR MOTIVATOR COMES TO TOUCHWOOD

Solihull residents will be burning calories in the name of charity this weekend, as Britain’s most famous exercise instructor, Mr Motivator comes to Touchwood.

On Saturday 3 April, the brightly dressed fitness instructor will be jumping and stretching in the centre’s Library Square from 12:30pm to raise awareness of the Hampton Health and Fitness Club’s 380km bike ride across Jamaica in support of Marie Curie Cancer Care. Guests will be invited to join in the flamboyant workout or pose with Mr Motivator for a picture.

Jamaican born Mr Motivator will also guide the nine-strong cycling team on their East to West conquest of the island’s shore to raise important funds for the charity, which helps patients with terminal cancer and their families.

Lucy Burnett, marketing manager at Touchwood, comments: “We’re thrilled to be able to support the Hampton Health and Fitness Club’s bike ride across Jamaica and are looking forward to welcoming Mr Motivator to the centre. Easter weekend is a great time to start their campaign and I’d like to invite everyone who remembers Mr Motivator’s famous workouts to come along and watch him in action.”

Paul Edbrey, managing director of the Hampton Health and Fitness Club, adds: “We’re really excited to be involved in such a big fundraising campaign to support Marie Curie Cancer Care. It is a charity that is very close to our hearts and we hope that we can raise a record amount of money to help support the fantastic work the charity does for cancer patients and their loved ones.”

For more information and daily updates on what’s happening at Touchwood, visit Touchwood’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/touchwoodsolihull

Marie Curie provides high quality nursing, totally free, to give people with terminal cancer and other illnesses the choice of dying at home, supported by their families.

Touchwood houses some of the best UK and international brands, designer retailers and independent boutique style stores. For further information visit http://www.touchwoodsolihull.co.uk/ or telephone 0121 709 6900.

Easter Eggstravaganza at Stafford Castle

Easter Eggstravaganza


4th April 2010 11am to 3pm

Stafford Castle, Newport Road, Stafford, ST16 1DJ.

Easter Eggstravaganza; a family fun day with traditional Easter activities including egg decorating, egg hunt, bonnet making workshop and colouring competition.

For further information about opening times and events at Stafford Castle visit the website at www.staffordbc.gov.uk/heritageevents

Admission is free of charge

Latest theatre review by Vidar Hjardeng

Review of audio described production of Dancing at Lughnasa at the Birmingham repertory Theatre on Thursday 4 March 2010


Set in 1936 in a remote part of County Donegal, Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa is a tender and passionate portrayal of a rural Irish family – the 5 unmarried Monday sisters, older brother Jack (a Catholic missionary) and 7 year old Michael. The play happens at a time of change for both the family and their native Southern Ireland. The Birmingham Rep always offers its visually impaired patrons and their companions, a pre-show touch tour an hour and a half before each audio described performance, and on this occasion we were taken onto a larger than usual stage – the first 3 rows of the auditorium having been removed – to explore the set. This consisted of a single storey stone cottage surrounded by grassy hillocks, which is the backdrop for the whole play. There was no actual front wall to the cottage allowing the audience to see straight into the living area - the kitchen – where most of the action took place. However, thanks to the audio description we learnt that the characters played their roles as if there was an exterior wall there - walking in and out of imaginary doorways and looking through non-existent windows. During our unhurried tour of the cottage and its surroundings, we were shown a number of the homely utensils used on a daily basis in this rustic Southern Irish home.

Understandably it’s not always possible for people to get to the theatre in time for the very informative touch tour and so the time taken by resident describers Julia Grundy and Janet Jackson in giving a detailed description of the set (available beforehand either on the theatre’s website or on a CD which can be mailed out on request) is very well spent. These introductory notes also contain very useful information about the characters and their costumes and, not only the names of the actors taking each part, but also some of their physical characteristics. Even if you’ve had time to digest this information in advance, I would always recommend listening to the live reprise a quarter of an hour before the start of the show, as it really helps to get you into the mood of the evening.

The next audio described production at the Birmingham Rep is Arthur and George (based on the recent Julian Barnes novel) on Thursday 8 April at 7.30 pm. Details on how to book concessionary tickets, headsets and places on the pre-show touch tours, and also how to get on to the Theatre’s new Access Register, can be obtained by ringing the box office on 0121 236 4455.

Welcome to Spaghetti Gazetti

Please send news, information and press releases about community action, arts and culture in the West Midlands region to:

editorialgazette@googlemail.com

Countdown to the 2011 Census (Warwickshire)

The countdown has begun with one year to go until the 2011 Census, where residents in Warwickshire will take part in the nation’s biggest survey.

Every ten years, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) carries out a census to find out more about the people who live in England and Wales and about the make-up of local neighbourhoods. They take a numerical snapshot on a single date to gain an accurate picture of the population. The next census will take place on Sunday 27 March 2011, when ONS will be sending out questionnaires for around 25 million households to complete.

The census asks about work, health, national identity, citizenship, ethnic background, education, second homes, language, religion and marital status. These statistics are then used to build a picture of today’s society.

Steve Maxey, Assistant Chief Executive at the Borough Council said: “ We rely on census population statistics to get the government funding needed for public services. The amount is directly related to how many and what kind of people the census says live in the area. Even if the census were to end up just a few households short, it could make a very real difference to people’s lives. The census needs to include everyone, everywhere – and that’s why everyone needs to take part. “

In March 2011, residents will receive their questionnaire by post and can return them using the pre-paid envelope. In a new development, residents will be able to fill in the information online for the first time. The questionnaire should only take about 10 minutes per person, all information is treated in the strictest confidence and householders must complete it. The information will only be used to produce statistics and ONS will not share any personal information with any other government department or organisation.

For more information visit: http://www.census.gov.uk/

NORTH ARDEN Local History Society - March 2010 report

18th Century pearl buttons - ‘Made in Birmingham’

THE PEARL WORKERS OF BIRMINGHAM


(Another of Brum’s all but lost 1000 Trades!)

In a welcome return visit to the North Arden Local History Society Mrs Valerie Preece told members and visitors about the Pearl Trade in Birmingham at our meeting held on the 12th March. She first became acquainted with this many years ago when she was teaching children in the Vauxhall & Duddeston area of Birmingham when pupils brought in numerous objects from the past (“treasure”) that they had dug up in their gardens including 35 horse shoes all of differing sizes and several largish pieces of sea shell one of which had a hole drilled through it. On arriving at the school to take her home at the end of the afternoon her husband recognised it as a waster from the pearl button industry in which his grandfather had worked for most of his life, beginning in the latter half of the 19th Century. Subsequent interviews with his older, surviving, relatives gave her a few more facts that eventually led her on to further research and the talk-proper began when we were shown a small pair of silver tweezers with mother of pearl grips that had been made and fitted by her grandfather in law.

The family then lived in a street not very far from Aston Cross (off the Lichfield Road – perhaps better known for the now demolished HP Sauce Factory and former Ansell’s Brewery) where he was self employed working from a shed in his back yard. This was indeed the situation for the majority of the Pearl Workers – self employed, helped by their wives and families including children doing the menial tasks when not at school; Val’s father in law began working mother of pearl with his own father at the age of 10 (c. 1890). In the 1850’s there were over 2000 known Pearl Button Makers listed, as Val found in her studies, not counting members of their families. Buttons were not exclusively made of pearl there were also metal buttons, brass, steel, even precious metals that were cloth covered and some highly decorated that were machine mass produced by the likes of Matthew Boulton and John Taylor in the latter half of the 18th Century - but that is another story. Pearl working was evident in 18th Century Birmingham as was illustrated by the tale of a youth from Coleshill Workhouse who was apprenticed to a Birmingham man to learn the trade whose ambitions were thwarted when the master enrolled in the army and gave the lad complicated problems in returning to Coleshill due to the ‘Settlement’ provisions of the ‘Poor Law Acts’. [Mrs Preece had previously spoken to us about the Poor Laws and Coleshill Workhouse in particular in April 2005.]

The Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) have extensive genealogical records that are available to members of public searching for their ancestors (see note below). In 1986 the Birmingham & Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry (i.e. Family History) were asked to assist in transcribing the 1881 Census into the ‘Mormon’ system and Val asked to work on sections of the census returns dealing with Aston as a way of discovering more about her in-laws and pearl working in general. It was a long, arduous but very rewarding task that revealed how many residents were involved in this skilled trade – not just the Preece’s – it confirmed what Val had said above about it being ‘cottage’ (home/family) based profession although examples of specialist manufactories are known, of which only one has survived to the present. – Unfortunately most ‘mother of pearl’ objects now on sale are imported.

Valerie had brought along a small selection from her own collection of ‘Collectibles’ to wasters that were used to illustrate her talk and our members were able to examine for themselves after the talk. Holding up a shell she explained that its outer (rough) surface had been subjected to a marine worm infestation that rendered the inner ‘pearl’ surface unsuitable for use and such areas accounted for many of the ‘wasters’ that have been found. Examination of a trade directory for 1856 did not reveal many ‘Pearl Ornament Manufacturers’ largely because many of the people involved in working in the family home environment could not afford to pay for an entry in a directory, in fact the few larger businesses that were shown appeared with two pages of Pawn Brokers.

It is said you could set up a Pearl Business on half-a-crown (2 shillings & sixpence – £0.125) but this would just about cover the initial raw materials and you would still have to buy tools or make them yourself. There is wide variety of sizes of button from large ones to tiny ones a sixteenth of an inch in diameter (approximately 1.5 mm) for dolls clothes: many millions were sold over the years and as they broke easily when clothes were put through the wooden rollers of the mangle on wash day creating a need for replacements. This was met by the haberdashers and huskers shops who sold them tacked onto cards on a roll that the shop keeper would cut off however many you needed. Your mother might even have cut the buttons off before washing the garment if they were in any way ‘special’ – and a ‘button-jar’ full of assorted sizes/colours may also have been kept. Buttons are not necessarily round, Val showed examples of square, oblong, diamond shapes as well as some cut to look like leaves and a special set of six star shaped ones in which the engraved design on them varied slightly – no two identical buttons because each one had to be hand engraved – no mechanised processes unlike modern plastic versions.

The larger mechanised companies would have used seam powered machinery but the home workers had to rely on hand operated equipment and we were shown a picture of a lathe being hand tuned by a workers son. Grandfather Preece used a lathe that he operated by treadle (like a swing machine). Val explained that the lathe was “a bit like a ‘Black and Decker Drill’” – it had several different attachments that could be used for turning, drilling, grinding and polishing. Each worker needed to understand the shells and their properties to work them in the most cost effective way – worm infestation was mentioned above but there were other factors affecting what the mother of pearl could be used for: it is a rigid material that cannot be formed, i.e. flattened or curved in any way. Buttons were cut out using a circular hole saw leaving a waster with a honeycomb appearance; hole saws came in a variety of sizes rather like modern ‘tank-cutters’ but very much smaller – or they could be turned from a rough saw cut blank. Other shapes for use on a very wide product range (such as pill/snuff/card-boxes) would be cut and polished. This illustrates “partnership” arrangements with similar home workers with different skills: carpenters, silversmiths, cutlers and jewellers. It was necessary to grind off any traces of the rough exterior surface to get the work piece to an acceptable thickness. Shell is pure Calcium Carbonate (chalk) and it will be appreciated that the manufacturing processes created enormous clouds of dust that got everywhere and Val had told that her husband’s grandmother always dusted chairs for visitors before allowing them to sit down. In answer to a later question (in the current Health & Safety conscious environment) the chalk dust created did not give any health concerns since any passing into a workers lungs would pass into the bloodstream and contribute to good strong bones – a fact she had previously verified with a doctor.

Valerie held up a (very) large oyster shell and showed us the variegated mother of pearl interior and explained that this is the English term because these were the breeding beds for jewellery pearls used in the trade (it is known as ‘nacre’ on the Continent) the larger the shell the more the likelihood of finding a flat useful area. In the 1850’s these shells were sold by weight at between £100 and £150 per ton (weight) equivalent to between 10 and 16 old pence per pound - (£0.05 to £0.09 - but in today’s market the actual cost for any remaining pearl workers in the 21st Century is £7.50 per pound!) then as now it was essential to minimise waste. In the 19th Century shells were imported from the far east and the Pacific; Val indicated examples of each as she spoke, an inlaid wooden box using Yellow Manila – a Tahitian black (oyster) – the inner surface only had a black border which was the only part of the shell that could be used if black buttons were required. Japan exported awarbi shells that came in a variety of colours but due to the nature of the shell can have a very uneven and knobbly appearance. Other varieties came from the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea perhaps exampled by the abalone shell that produces multicoloured mother of pearl. In the UK shells can found in Jersey that are a very near match for abalone and Val also displayed a small example she had picked up on a beach in Cornwall. So great was the demand for many of these shells that source locations were rapidly becoming depleted by the middle of the 19th Century and suppliers had to look further afield. Australia was and in fact still is one of the largest sources for the supply of shells.

Valerie then held up objects from her own collection that included pieces of cutlery, a letter opener, small salt and mustard spoons; button hooks, pill boxes Chinese gambling tokens and pearl decorated papier mâché items. The ‘piece de resistance’ was an inlaid case for reading glasses – complete with the glasses that has been dated to 1790 and bought at an Antiques fair in Arden Hall several years ago. This was a most amazing assortment of the various uses of pearl, even more so since it was only a representational selection no words can do full justice and it has to be seen to be appreciated.

Valerie then spoke for some time on the last surviving pearl manufactury in Birmingham, ‘George Hook & Sons’ that has been run by generations of Hook’s – father to son over the years. Val visited them initially in 1996 when the present owners’ father was still working everyday from eleven ‘clock to five when he was into his 90’s. It was from talking to George that Val had picked up much of the knowledge she had imparted to us.

Fashions change over the years and Val said that the pearl trade began a slow decline in the latter half of the 19th Century: the American Civil War (1860 -65) obviously affected trade but what Birmingham’s pearl trade lost was more than compensated for by increases in the gun trade. In 1859 Birmingham imported 1300 tons of shells at a total cost of £66,000 as explained earlier a high percentage of this shell would finish up as waste – the mother of pearl machined for inlays with a thickness of a fortieth of inch or thinner accounting for much of this as well as brittle nature and worm infestations. By 1903 Val’s father in law had given up working with his father although the business continued for a few more years but the decline was evident from trade directory entries.

The old Central Library in Ratcliff Place

It is understood that presently there is research being conducted into the use of the fine chalk dust in the cosmetics industry but the amount of shell waste from the past had always created a problem for Brum. There is a tradition that the newly renovated Town Hall is built on pearl - a tale endorsed by George Hook. Valerie told us that during alterations adjacent to Chamberlain Square when the Old Reference Library (Ratcliff Place) and Mason’s College were demolished to make way for the new Library deposits of shell waste up to 15 feet thick were found – core samples from bores made during the Town Hall renovation comfirmed shell/chalk waste and oyster shells. It appears that wherever there was a hole or pit that needed filling shell waste would be deposited and this is borne out by the excavations associated with the Bull Ring development (Edgbaston Street) around the turn of the millennium.

Our members and visitors sat enthralled throughout the talk which had been well researched and illustrated and showed, unfortunately how much the late 20th and first decade of the 21st Centuries have contributed to the loss of Birmingham’s 1000 trades. Members and visitors spent a fascinating time looking at the numerous objects that Val had held up during the talk and using her magnifying glasses to study the fine detail. Thank you Val for sharing this with us.

NOTE: Mormon Genealogical Records can be accessed at their premises in Penns Lane, Walmley and on the Warwick Road in Solihull Town Centre (as well as via the Internet - http://www.familysearch.org/ .) Other Ref’s Carl Chinn – “Birmingham the Great Working City”: Simon Buteux “Beneath the Bull Ring” – page 80-81.

We are always pleased to welcome guests and visitors at our meetings, the next of which will be on 13th May when the topic will be ‘Goings’ on Below Stairs’ presented by Dr Wendy Freer. The following meeting (June 10th) will be about ‘The Mystery of Mary Ashford’ by Patrick Hayes. Meetings are held in the Spencer Lounge Bar at Arden Hall, Water Orton Road at 7.45pm.



JERRY DUTTON.

NORTH ARDEN LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY

The Alphaspaghettical Guide to the West Midlands

G is for the Great War


Once described as “a struggle between Krupps (the main German armaments manufacturer) and Birmingham” the Great War, or First World War, tested the small arms manufacturing capability of the city to it’s limits. During this long and terrible conflict (1914-1918) local companies like the Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) works in Armoury Road, Small Heath produced rifles and ammunition at a rate never before achieved. During a three and a half year period during the Great War some 15 million shells were produced in Birmingham along with hundreds of thousands of Mills grenades (a Birmingham invention).

Birmingham also supplied troops to the front lines during the Great War. 54 per cent of Birmingham’s male population of military age served in the Forces during the Great War. At the start of the war in 1914 these were the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Birmingham Battalions (also known as ‘Pals’ battalions), but later they were incorporated into the Royal Warwickshire Regiment as the 14th, 15th and 16th Battalions. The city’s main recruiting headquarters was at the Birmingham Technical School in Suffolk Street. The idea of forming the so-called ‘Pals’ Battalions was to strengthen morale and camaraderie by letting friends serve together and, in forming it’s own Battalions, Birmingham was following the lead of Liverpool and Manchester.

Peace Gardens at Lee Bank

All three of the Birmingham Battalions distinguished themselves in July 1916 at Longueval and Delville Wood on the Western Front. In September 1916 all three Battalions were involved in major conflicts in and around Falfemont Farm. Congratulating the 5th Division of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, General Rawlinson wrote: “The heavy fighting in Delville Wood and Longueval, the attack and capture of Falfemont Farm and Leuze Wood, and finally the storming of Morval, are feats of arms seldom equalled in the annals of the British Army. They constitute a record of unvarying success which it has been the lot of few divisions to attain; the gallantry, valour and endurance of all ranks have been wholly admirable”.

The Birmingham Battalions were also involved in battles at Beaumont Hammel in July 1916, Polderhoek in October 1917, at Piave in Italy in January and February 1918, Merville in Flanders in April 1918 and at Cambrai in September and October 1918.

In the years following the end of the Great War, the Hall of Memory was built in the public space in Broad Street in memory of the 12,320 Birmingham citizens (mainly service men and women) who had died during the war. The memorial built in the Roman-Doric style and constructed of Portland stone is octagonal in shape, thirty-five feet in diameter and stands on a base of Cornish granite. Four bronze statues created by the sculptor Albert Toft stand at the four corners of the building and symbolise the Navy, the Army, the Air Services and the Women’s Services during the Great War. The interior of the building is also designed on bold, simple lines and inside can be found the Roll of Honour which lies in a glass casket on a central shrine of Sienna marble. Each day a page of the honoured names contained in the Roll of Honour is turned.

In 1925 the Birmingham County Committee (or Council) of the Royal British Legion was founded in Thorp Street by Royal Charter. The British Legion has 16 branches in Birmingham which continue to work to support and care for ex-service personnel. The Legion organises the annual Poppy Day collection which raises money to fund it’s good works. The symbolic use of the poppy dates back to the Great War when red poppies were seen to grow prolifically in the disturbed earth around bomb craters and trenches immediately following battles. The vivid colour of these delicate flowers was thought to represent the blood of those killed during battle and the individual flowers represented the soldiers themselves.

Other interesting facts about the Great War:


Food rationing

Birmingham pioneered food rationing so successfully during the Great War that in 1917 the Government adopted the scheme nationally.

Zeppelin attack

One night in October 1917 a Zeppelin (German airship) reached Birmingham and dropped several bombs onto the Austin Works at Longbridge. There were no casualties.

DANCING ON ICE 2010 TOUR - Coming to Birmingham LG Arena 30th April-3rd May

If you enjoyed the show, you’re going to love the tour!


Coming soon to a rink near you, Torvill & Dean’s Dancing on Ice 2010 UK tour begins in Sheffield on Thursday April 8 and finally finishes in Belfast on Sunday May 9.

And this year the line-up is better than ever. ‘It’s true,’ says Chris Dean. ‘We have more winners, more finalists this time round than in any previous year. There’s Gaynor Faye, Chris Fountain, Hayley Tamaddon, Gary Lucy, Clare Buckfield – and Ray Quinn.’

Ray, who won Dancing on Ice in 2009, couldn’t be more excited, he says, about strapping on his skates again. ‘But they’re new skates and new blades. I have a new partner and new routines. And yes, the competition will be stiffer than ever.’

As in previous years, the first half of each show will see the pro/celeb partnerships competing against each other. The winner will be the celebrity who receives the most votes texted by the audience at each performance using their mobile phones. ‘Last year,’ says Ray, ‘I won 36 times out of 38. But that’s not going to happen this year. It’s going to be much closer, much more exciting.’

The prospect of professional skaters performing with famous novices should have been a recipe for disaster. ‘Hand on heart,’ says Chris, ‘when the idea was first brought to Jayne and me, we said we couldn’t see how it would ever work.

‘Teaching celebs to ice-skate to a level that would make good TV entertainment? Crazy! The most we imagined was that Dancing On Ice would be a one-off series.’

So how very nice to be proved so comprehensively wrong. The fifth series is about to end and another tour just about to begin, the Dancing on Ice phenomenon looks unstoppable.

Says Jayne Torvill: ‘As it turned out, we knew we had a hit on our hands after the very first programme in 2005. The viewing figures were amazing and they just got better and better.’

Even so, she and Chris worried whether they’d be able to coach the famous faces to a passable level of proficiency. ‘I remember Chris and I going away for the better part of a month having met the first set of celebrities. They’d been assigned their partners and had to concentrate on learning basic moves on their own. When we returned, we were amazed at the progress they’d made.’

A classic example, apparently, was rugby player Kyran Bracken who’s just been signed up as a judge for the 2010 tour. ‘Yes, he was a sportsman,’ says Jayne, ‘but he was the opposite of a natural when we first saw him on the ice. To be frank, he was a bit of a lame duck.’ So complete was the transformation, though, that Kyran went on to win the second series.

Also new to the judging panel for the upcoming tour – alongside seasoned veterans Karen Barber and Nicky Slater – is the irrepressible Christopher Biggins. ‘I was thrilled to be asked,’ he says. ‘I’m a big fan of both the show and Torvill and Dean.

‘And I can’t wait for the opportunity to play arenas around the country. At this late stage of my career, I shall feel like a rock star.’ No skater himself – ‘I think it fair to say that I lack natural balance’ – Biggins has not been hired, as he points out, for his skating expertise. ‘After 45 years in the business, I shall be assessing the celebs’ entertainment value.’

He’s friendly with both Gaynor Faye and Clare Buckfield – ‘such lovely girls’ – and a big fan of Mikey Graham from Boyzone. ‘I very much admire the way he put his heart and soul into competing on the TV show. But then the same is true of Emily Atack who never gave less than her best.’

He’s not allowed favourites, of course. But there’s no one on the tour Biggins knows better than Hayley Tamaddon, shining star of the latest series of Dancing on Ice. ‘We worked together in a production of The Rocky Horror Show and she’s the consummate professional, someone incapable of giving it less than 155 per cent.’

The second half of the show on tour opens with everyone – professionals, celebs, Jayne and Chris – in a big production number. Then the pros let rip, doing what they do best before Torvill & Dean perform a potentially hazardous routine involving being suspended from the roof on lengths of silk.

‘It’s an aerial duet,’ says Chris, ‘that we’ll dance on the final show of the latest series and we want to include it as part of the tour programme. But there are no harnesses so it can get a bit scary. On one occasion in rehearsal, Jayne’s silk began to unravel slightly which could have resulted in a very nasty bump on a very hard surface.’

But then Dancing on Ice, as Biggins points out, is like Strictly Come Dancing but with an added danger quotient. Jayne agrees. ‘There can be injuries in Strictly and it requires a sustained physical commitment. But get something wrong in our show and you can come a real cropper.’

Says Chris: ‘It’s why there has to be a high level of trust between professional skater and celebrity. There’s quite an element of jeopardy involved and, of course, like the tour, it’s live. Nothing’s taped in advance.’

But it’s both demanding and exhilarating, he says. ‘And the tour’s incredible. Jayne and I have to do much more skating than we do on the TV show. But it’s totally rock ‘n’ roll. We even have our own mobile catering unit! And the audiences are amazing. Manchester and Newcastle are traditionally the noisiest and most enthusiastic but we’ll see if that’s true this year.’

For a month now, it’ll be one day a week off for Chris, Jayne and all the other skaters as they crisscross the UK. ‘We do a show a day,’ he says, ‘sometimes two. By the end, the performances are as slick and professional as they’ve ever been.’

By the last show at the beginning of May, says Jayne, she knows she’ll be feeling a bit tired. ‘And yet, it’s incredible how the adrenalin always seems to kick in the moment you skate on to the ice. But there’s less pressure on Chris and me in the sense that we’re not having to dream up new routines for each of the pairs each week.’

Having spent eight months on the West End stage playing Danny in a revival of Grease and then appearing in panto over Christmas, Ray Quinn hadn’t been back on a rink since last year’s tour. ‘It’s funny thing, though. Muscles have memories.

‘I’ve been practising hard with my new partner, Alexandra, and we’re now up to speed. The only imponderable is the different rinks we skate on around the country. For the TV show, it was always at Elstree. For the tour, it can be a rink that’s a bit glassy or another that’s slightly wet. So you do have to make adjustments if you don’t want to land up on your backside.’

For the thousands of people who will pay to see this fast-paced show, that can only add to the excitement. So, if you haven’t yet bought your tickets, there’s no time to lose. Or, as Ray puts it, ‘You’d better get your skates on!’

For tour details: http://www.dancingonicetour.co.uk/

Putting Model Farm on the map

Herefordshire’s newest enterprise park has moved a step closer, and a colourful hoarding is now attracting attention at the site of the Model Farm development at Ross-on-Wye.

The ten hectare enterprise park is set to attract investment from high-value, knowledge-based companies which will create quality employment for local people, putting Ross-on-Wye on the map through its innovative design.

The top quality office and workshop space will be built to meet very high energy-efficiency standards and various forms of renewable energy generation are being investigated to power and heat the offices, meeting rooms and workshops.

“This new business park is an exciting prospect which will set the benchmark for employment developments in the future,” said Cllr Harry Bramer, cabinet member for resources.

“The site will be developed as an innovative, environmentally friendly and sustainable employment area to act as a catalyst helping to revitalise the local economy,” he added.

The development may also incorporate a Rural Enterprise Hub to act as an incubator for new businesses and provide a centre for the delivery of business support services to local businesses.

Win tickets to watch Mark Morris Dance Group at Birmingham Hippodrome

Spaghetti Gazetti is extremely privileged to have a pair of tickets to give away for the performance of L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato by the internationally acclaimed Mark Morris Dance Group at Birmingham Hippodrome (click the link below to read the interview with Mark Morris on this site).

The tickets are for the opening night of Mark Morris Dance Group on 22 April 7.30pm. To win these rather special tickets, send me the answer to this question via email by 16th April 2010.

On whose poetry was Handel's L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato based?

Answers via email to editorialgazette@googlemail.com  

Use the message header Mark Morris Competition in the top of your email and your home address will help to speed things up in terms of ticket turn around.

Good luck!

Reading the Mark Morris interview at this link may help you answer the competition question:

http://www.spaghettigazetti.com/2010/03/mark-morris-by-christopher-morley-mark.html

Foolish to Miss Out on Safety Event in Stafford

Organisations from across the borough wof Stafford ho work to keep the community safe will be coming together for an event next month.

The Safer Stafford Day is taking place on April fools day and will feature representatives from councils, emergency services and voluntary groups.

The day is being held at the ‘Safer Stafford Shop’ in the Guildhall, Stafford and in Market Square, and people can sample a cocktail from the ‘alcohol-free’ bar or have their blood pressure checked among many other things.

The day has been organised by Stafford Borough Council and up to ten agencies will be available from 10am until 4pm on Thursday 1 April.

The Safer Stafford Shop was opened in 2008 and thousands of people have poured through its doors for information on a range of safety issues. The shop was also unique in the region as it involved the military – with MOD Stafford giving information on careers in the army.

Councillor Patrick Farrington, cabinet member for community, said: “This is a great chance to get important advice on safety and a personal health check all on the same day.

“Our Safer Stafford Shop is a good example of how we work with our partners to help keep the community safe and well.”

For more information contact Viki Ashcroft, from the borough council’s policy and partnership team, on vashcroft@staffordbc.gov.uk or 01785 619417. Further details of the day can be found at http://www.saferstafford.org.uk/.

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I will support your weblink with editorial that is connected to community interest issues.

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West Midlands defies unemployment figures with exclusive graduate sales jobs

A West Midlands recruitment specialist is tackling unemployment in the region head on by inviting graduates to attend its ‘Graduate Sales Careers Open Day’ in Birmingham, with over 50 vacant graduate sales positions currently on offer and the chance to be interviewed by potential employers on the day.

Grad Central is hosting the event in a bid to help both recently qualified and experienced graduates from the region land their ideal job in sales, with a number of the region’s best sales businesses attending keen to meet new top talent.

Lucy Cheatham (pictured), Marketing Director of Grad Central, explains: “There’s a really encouraging demand across the region’s businesses for graduate skills across all job types but more particularly right now in four key areas, namely sales, marketing, IT and engineering. Our open day is the first in a series of role specific events that we will be rolling out across the next few months to help local graduate job seekers secure the right job.”

Grad Central’s team of expert recruitment specialists will also be on hand to advise graduates on their interview techniques, reviewing CVs and giving an insight into the typical traits employers are looking for when hiring someone for a sales position.

Grad Central’s ‘Graduate Sales Open Day’ is being held at the Cornwall Buildings at 45 Newhall Street in Birmingham on Wednesday 31st March, 9.30am to 5pm. For more information or to register, visit: http://www.grad-central-events.co.uk/  or call 01675 461500.

Stafford Mayor Goes Home to Open New Playground

The Mayor of Stafford Borough is to officially open a new playground in the village where she was born.

The new £50,000 play area has been built in the village of Hilderstone near Stone.

The playground on Dingle Lane has been kitted out for children up to ten years old with traditional play equipment such as swings, roundabouts and a see-saw - but also includes an activity trail, multi-play unit with towers and bridges, along with a small area for toddlers.

Stafford Borough Council asked local people and the parish council for their views to help shape the scheme. And the parish council is putting up posters in the village to announce the opening.

Councillor Jean Tabernor, Mayor of Stafford Borough, will open the new playground on Tuesday 6 April. Councillor Tabernor was born in the village, attended the then Hilderstone Church of England Primary School and also got married there.

She said: “It is lovely to go back to your roots as the mayor of the borough and open this delightful play area which I hope will bring enjoyment to the youngsters and enhance the area.”

Councillor Mike Smith, cabinet member for leisure said: “We have worked with the local parish council to ensure we got the right facility for the youngsters of the village.

“I am sure it will be well used and is something the community can be proud of.”