How to get a photography commission for an NGO

Photographer Rachel Palmer shares 13 tips for would-be NGO photographers

I’m always being asked by photographers ‘how do I get to work for NGOs?’ So I thought I’d put together my top ten tips – well thirteen actually. This isn’t a definitive guide but is based on my experience and opinion formed over 14 years of working in the industry and having been approached by numerous photographers.

Research. Read as much as you can about the particular NGO(s) you want to work for. Understand their campaigns, where they work, how they work, what photography they use, and where and how they use it. Are they mainly a development NGO, a humanitarian response NGO, a campaigning NGO – or a mixture? There’s nothing worse than a photographer approaching you who has no idea about the NGO you work for.

Know the photography they use. International development NGOs don’t necessarily just commission photography covering global issues. They might well also commission photography to cover campaigning events, media stunts, celebrity portraiture in the NGOs home country. What area does your photography, your skills and experience lend itself too?

Don’t just aim for the dream commission. If you have yet to build a name for yourself, are just out of college etc don’t turn down local events and campaigning commissions. This is a good way for an NGO to try you out and see what you can deliver in a low risk environment.

Who is the picture editor. Who are the key people commissioning photographers in a particular NGO? Depending on the NGO, they may sit in the media team, the communications team, the marketing team or commissioning photographers might be just one part of someone’s job. This will help give you a steer on the kind of photography they will be commissioning.

Pressured for time. Remember that the picture editor is extremely busy, pushed for time and is inundated with photographers contacting them for work. Put yourself in their shoes and think how you would best like to be approached and think about what you have to offer and how this is going to stand out (in the right way) from other photographers.

How to contact. Nice short, to the point, friendly email with a link to your website (don’t include lots of attachments that will clog up the picture editors inbox). Follow up a week/10 days later with a friendly phone call. Perhaps they might be going to an exhibition opening or photo festival that you’ll be at – these could be good times to arrange to have an initial chat and a chance for the picture editor to see you as an individual rather than just another photographer wanting to show your portfolio.

Silence. Don’t worry if you don’t hear back from a voice mail or an email – it doesn’t mean the picture editor isn’t necessarily interested – they’re just busy. You have to have a thick skin and be persistent – but not too persistent otherwise you’ll be remembered for being annoying.

Timing. In the same way you wouldn’t contact a magazine editor on press day don’t contact an NGO picture editor in the middle of a massive news event/emergency response/campaign launch – unless you’re heading to the epicentre of the disaster and are pitching yourself to cover that event for the NGO.

Your portfolio. When you’ve got that all important meeting with the picture editor make sure your portfolio is relevant. You may have been working on a long term project which shows your passion in international development issues, children’s issues or environmental issues but the picture editor is also going to want to see that you can deliver to a brief in a short time frame under less than perfect conditions. Make sure your portfolio also reflects this.

Photography plus. It helps if you can offer more than just photography skills. If you can offer up skills in interviewing and providing excellent first person ‘case studies’ you’re more likely to be in demand. Like in the editorial market these days there is also more of a demand for filming skills as well as being a great photographer. Do you speak other languages? Make sure you mention your relevant additional skills at your meeting.

After the first meeting. Drop the picture editor a short email – and link up with them on facebook, linkedin, follow them on twitter. That way they can see what you’re up to without any additional effort. Word of warning – don’t do this if your facebook account etc is just focused on your personal life!

Base yourself overseas. Think about being based somewhere other than the UK or where the NGO’s main office is based. With budgets being very tight often there is no money for an expensive flight. If you’re based in a country where there are many NGOs working, but not so many photographers you’re more likely to get commissioned.

Your personality. Picture editors are looking for the right character and personality for an assignment. Can you work with a celebrity and a film crew and not get stressed out about not getting your pictures? Will you be able to work well with the local staff in a specific country? What will your attitude to local people be like? Can you cope with sleeping in a tent and no running water and electricity? Think about how you can express that you are the right kind of person in your communications with the picture editor.

Visit Rachel Palmer's Blog  

Funding available to support learning for leaders at a time when they need it most

Sadly, Birmingham, and the West Midlands, has been criticised for its lack of leadership in the past few months – in relation to everything from civic leadership and politics to the handling of the riots of the summer.

In reality, there’s no shortage of engaged people who want to make a difference but sometimes they lack the insights and knowledge to help make a difference. That’s why leadership development organisation Common Purpose is developing a group of better informed, connected cross-sector leaders who can really make a difference to the challenges facing the city and the region.

“The issues that face Birmingham, and other cities, are complex and can’t be solved with just one group of people and silo-thinking. They need individuals and organisations to come together to discuss, learn from each other and to find new ways of working,” says Louise Teboul http://www.commonpurpose.org.uk/about/governance/louise-teboul , Operations Director, Common Purpose. “So we are now inviting experienced leaders, from all walks of life, to apply for our next senior leaders course, Meridian http://www.commonpurpose.org.uk/courses/established-career/meridian , so that they are better equipped to lead not only in their own organisations but also the city.”

Meridian, a ‘street-wise’ MBA for people working at a senior level in the public, private or not-for-profit sector, explores leadership in relation to Birmingham and the wider region. Helping to build long-lasting connections between people and organisations, the focus is on real-life challenges and issues.

Jay Munbodh, PMO Manager with the NEC Group, finished the course earlier this year and said: “I believe that I have gained fresh insights into my region, leadership and myself – as well as building some great relationships. Not many courses, or other opportunities, offer all those things. Several elements were particularly meaningful and have affected my thinking and are helping to improve my practice.”

With potential match-funding* available to support growing small and medium businesses, charities and not-for-profit organisations, and the next course starting in January 2012, why not apply?

“Leadership is a lot easier to get right when things are going well, but being an effective leader is more important now than ever in this whole new political, social and economic environment,” concludes Louise. “People are expected to do more with less; to work in new, innovative ways, against a backdrop of uncertainty and they’re looking to their leaders for vision and guidance, at a time when no-one really seems to have all the answers.”

Final call to make it count for children with the NSPCC’s Number Day

The NSPCC is reminding schools in Birmingham , Solihull and Wolverhampton and the Black Country to register for Number Day 2011 and take part in the Worlds Biggest Maths Lesson this Friday (2 December) in aid of the charity’s ChildLine service.

Sponsored by Vosene Kids, Number Day 2011 is a great way to have fun with numbers. Schools can either take part in the World’s Biggest Maths Lesson on Friday, or one of the many other popular fundraising activities such as 'Who wants to be a Mathionnaire'. Alternatively, schools could do something different with digits and come up with their own fundraising event to celebrate numbers on Number Day.

Teachers can still sign up for Number Day 2011 or find out more information by visiting www.nspcc.org.uk/numberday . Once registered, schools will be able to download all the free curriculum based maths resources.

Karen Robinson, NSPCC schools fundraising manager for the West Midlands, said: “Number Day is open to all primary and secondary schools across the UK , and is a fantastic fun way to get children of all ages engaged with maths. We’d love as many schools as possible to get involved. Whether you take part in the NSPCC’s biggest maths lesson, or choose another number crunching activity of your own, as long as your school is doing sums on Number Day you could be involved in helping us raise a record amount for children.”

Schools who register to take part will be entered into an exciting prize draw for the chance to win £1,000 towards maths equipment, kindly donated by Vosene Kids.

Money raised by Number Day 2011 will support ChildLine, the UK ’s free 24-hour helpline for children and young people in danger or distress.

Local Sports Charity Seeking New Trustees

ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT SPORT?

WANT TO HELP CHANGE THE LIVES OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE?

THEN WHY NOT JOIN OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES?

ABOUT US

Sport 4 Life (http://www.sport4life.org.uk/ ) is a local charity dedicated to bringing about real improvements to local communities and to the lives of children and young people most in need in Birmingham. We use sport as a tool to engage young people in a broader programme of training and development activities such as educational seminars, volunteering placements, and formal and informal training courses. Through this broader programme of activities we aim to achieve real, hard outcomes for our participants - improving physical and mental health and well-being, building life skills and employability skills, and transforming behaviour and attitudes. Sport 4 Life was set up in July 2006 as a small, charitable organisation. Since these humble beginnings we have grown to an annual turnover circa £250,000 and a staff team of 10 employees and numerous volunteers. We engage hundreds of disadvantaged beneficiaries in our projects every year, and we are at the forefront of using sport as a tool to change lives in the city of Birmingham. 

ROLE

We are currently seeking to recruit 2 new Trustees to join our existing Board of 5 Trustees. This is an excellent opportunity to be actively involved in supporting and overseeing the growth of our young and dynamic charity, and to contribute at Board level to the strategic direction and decisions of the organisation. We are particularly interested in candidates with professional backgrounds in finance, business, fundraising, youth work, or sport, who have considerable experience of senior management. Trustees are required to commit to a minimum term of 3 years, and to attend Board Meetings in Birmingham up to 4 times a year. Meetings usually take place on Monday evenings from 4.30pm – 7.00pm, in February, May, August, and November. Trustees may also have the opportunity to assist with sub-committee meetings, strategy discussions, press opportunities, and other activities on an ad-hoc basis. 

TO APPLY

To apply please send your CV and a cover letter outlining how you will contribute to the governance, growth and development of the organisation to james@sport4life.org.uk  or by post to Sport 4 Life, Portland Pavilion, Portland Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B17 8LS by January 31st 2012. After shortlisting, successful applicants will be invited to an informal, evening interview in February 2012. For more details or to discuss the Trustee vacancies please contact James Forrest on 07950 395 699.


James Forrest

Manager

Sport 4 Life UK

Premier gay night-club marketed for sale by Christie + Co

Birmingham’s oldest and premier gay night-spot Nightingale is to be marketed for sale by leisure specialists Christie + Co on behalf of the Joint Administrators Ryan Grant, Simon Wilson and Anne O’Keefe, Partners at Zolfo Cooper.


The club, located in Kent Street, opened in 1969 and was a significant step forward for Birmingham’s gay community, who, until that time, lacked a venue that they could call their own. It operated as a members-only cooperative, working as a not for profit organisation which invested back into the venue and the local gay community. Following a period of recent cash flow difficulties, Nightingale entered administration.

The club will continue to operate during the marketing process, seeing a continuation of its Big Saturday Night Out, which, apart from attracting sell-out attendances, also features some of the best live acts available on the circuit today, including the likes of The Wanted, JLS, The Saturdays and this year’s X-Factor finalists.


Jon Patrick, Director and Head of Leisure at Christie + Co says: “Nightingale is an iconic nightspot in Birmingham which should attract a great deal of interest. We will be seeking to sell it as a going concern as soon as possible, in order for it to continue to make its own unique history.”

Ryan Grant, Partner and one of the Joint Administrators at Zolfo Cooper, adds: “Nightingale is a well established business with a loyal customer base and we are confident of finding a purchaser quickly. We are considering all possible options for the future of the business and we would welcome enquiries from any interested parties as soon as possible.”

Kate Fletcher
Christie + Co
Agency Secretary

Edgbaston House,
3 Duchess Place,
Hagley Road,
Birmingham,
B16 8NH

T 0121 452 3723
F 01214550114

E kate.fletcher@christie.com
http://www.christie.com/

THE GET CONNECTED Q3 REPORT

The Mental Health Question

The new quarterly report from Get Connected, the UK’s confidential youth helpline service, reveals that more young people than ever are suffering from psychological issues. Mental health and emotional problems now make up a significant percentage of contacts to the helpline, but Get Connected poses the question, is this the real picture? http://www.getconnected.org/

Get Connected

Get Connected is the free, confidential helpline service for children and young people under 25 in the UK, who need help for any problem. Get Connected’s latest Quarter 3 Report has identified a very worrying trend, clearly showing that young people are dealing with psychological issues at a much higher rate than previous years. Mental health is the fourth most discussed issue on the helpline amongst 16-25 year olds, comprising nearly 10% of all contacts. Psychological issues (mental health, together with emotional problems, self-harm and suicide) made up almost 50% of all contacts to Get Connected this quarter, a rise from 29% over the last year.

While this is a shocking increase, it could be just the tip of the iceberg. The statistics would be even more alarming if every young person who suffers from these issues came forward and sought help. While NHS research shows 1 person in 100 has a severe mental health condition, such as schizophrenia or bi-polar disorder, MIND emphasises that statistics are only based on those who have sought help. With mental health still retaining somewhat of a social stigma, there are many more young people living with undiagnosed mental health issues: we remain ignorant of the true plight of mental health sufferers.

In accordance with this, Get Connected has found that 43% of young people prefer to use the helpline’s more anonymous channel, Webchat, to discuss mental health issues, as it negates the difficulty of picking up the phone. However, the difference between the number of contacts from males and females is drastic: 28% and 72%. Males clearly find it harder to communicate their problems, although MIND notes that males and females experience mental health problems in roughly equal numbers. Moreover, females get diagnosed and treated twice as often as males. These issues must be tackled at source to prevent the frequent knock-on effect of self-harm and suicide. Males are particularly vulnerable as, despite and as a result of their unwillingness to seek help, they comprise 75% of all suicides in the UK. Furthermore, the most common cause of death in males under 35 years is suicide.

It is clear that in order for males to feel comfortable communicating their problems, more impersonal ways of reaching help must be developed and Get Connected is committed to increasing its channels of communication to represent this need. The helpline’s Webchat service is going from strength to strength and the new SMS channel will give young people the chance to seek help on a more impersonal level. Get Connected hopes that through using these channels, more young people will be empowered to seek help, whatever their problem and however difficult it is to communicate.

What: Get Connected is the free, confidential, completely independent helpline service for children and young people under 25 in the UK, who need help but don’t know where to turn. Our helpline is available via phone, email, text, Webchat and WebHelp 24/7, our online directory, every day of the year.

Calls to Get Connected are free of charge from all telephone networks, including all mobile phone networks. http://www.getconnected.org/

Why: There are nineteen million young people under 25 in the UK.

Get Connected believes that every young person in the UK should be able to access the help they need to support their physical and emotional wellbeing.


Who: Get Connected’s team of 118 Helpline Volunteers helped more than 18,700 young people in 2010-11 – over 50 young people every day!

Report: This is the latest quarterly report from Get Connected, a registered charity which has been reporting for over 10 years on important issues facing young people including: homelessness, self harm, sexuality, domestic violence and emotional problems.

Statistics taken from the Get Connected contact log: April 2010-September 2011.

Ambitions to Expand and Grow?

We know :

• there is an explosion of social enterprises start-ups, 14% are less than two years old

• three times the proportion of start ups among mainstream small businesses are SE’s

• CIC first new legal form in 100 years, since 2005, there are 5000 and growing fast

• SE’s twice as likely to have reported growth in the last 12 months (58% compared to mainstream SME’s 28%)

• SE’s are more confident about the future year ahead, 57% are predicting growth

• 14% revenue growth SE100 Index v 5% FTSE 100 (2011)

Is this where you are or want to be? And where you want to lead your team?

SEWM is working with the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses programme.To open up the opportunity for Social Enterprises to access the programme which is designed to build a plan to grow and create jobs in local communities, utilising networks of local partners that understand the needs of local businesses.

SEWM is delighted to invite you to our Knowledge and Networking Event on Friday 9th December from 9.30am – 12.00.

This event will give you:

· the opportunity to hear from Professor Mark Hart about what the 10,000 Small Businesses programme can offer to your social enterprise

· hear from Kevin Davies CEO, The Vine Trust Group about how being part of the programme will complement The Vine Trust’s development plans for the future

· view Doncaster Refurnish video case study and hear how being part of the programme has returned real value to their business

· take part in round table discussions on the real opportunities and challenges that aspiring social enterprises encounter

· Q&A response from 10,000 Small Businesses programme

· networking with other leading social entrepreneurs

I have attached a copy of the applicant’s information for more information about the programme for your reference but hope you will use the planned event to find out more about 10,000 Small Businesses and how it can help you plan to expand and grow.

If you require any further information about the event or require more detail please do not hesitate to contact me.

To book a place at the event please email: info@socialenterprisewm.org.uk or call 0845 450 7515.

I look forward to meeting you then.


Best regards,

Melanie Mills

SEWM CIC, CEO

Robert Lane plus special guests at The Tower of Song

Saturday 10th of December 8.45pm

Robert Lane is a Guitarist, Songwriter and Singer based in Birmingham, UK.

His new EP, Any Place You'd Like To Know is available for download now, and physical copes will be for sale at this gig. The 6 song EP was produced by Young Runaways frontman Matty Pinfield and features a diverse mix of tracks which are reflective of Robert's range of influences.

Robert performs eclectic sets that touch on introverted singer songwriter, broken hearted blues journeyman and pop tinged troubadour. In May 2010 he was chosen by the LG Arena to perform before concerts by both Dire Straits front man Mark Knopfler and international superstar singer/songwriter John Mayer.

Robert has supported a wide range of performers including Cattle and Cane, Edwina Hayes, Steve Gibbons, Dan Whitehouse and Steve Ajao.

To find out more about Robert visit http://www.robertlanemusic.blogspot.com/  

The EP can be downloaded from Robert’s Bandcamp page, http://robertlane.bandcamp.com/

Saturday 10th December

The Tower of Song 8.45pm

Unit 8 Parkview Trading Estate
107 Pershore Road South
Birmingham
B30 3JX

Celebrate International Day of Disabled People at mac, Cannon Hill Park

The Mostly Jazz Festival is back..... well almost!

The Mostly Jazz Festival is set to return on 29th, 30th June & 1st July 2012 as The Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival.

Doing exactly what it says on the tin, The Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival offers a blistering weekend of Jazz, Funk & Soul with a host of household names bringing the party atmosphere back to Moseley Park!

With the success of the festival growing each year, we are delighted to announce that BBC Radio 1’s purveyor of eclectic sounds Gilles Peterson and BBC Radio 6’s Funk & Soul maestro Craig Charles will be returning to curate the line up with some of their favourite acts. They’ll also be jumping behind the decks for sets at the official after show parties as well as DJing in the park!

In 2011, Over 5,000 Jazz, Funk & Soul enthusiasts filled the park to witness the Hammond Legend, Booker T (pictured) close the event in style following epic headline performances from The Cinematic Orchestra & Matthew Herbert Big Band. Further performances came from the likes of Pigbag, Hidden Orchestra, Brandt Brauer Frick, Alice Russell, Smoove & Turrell & Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra.

In 2012.... There will be, once again, two stages side by side at the festival, the second of which will feature up and coming talent. As in 2011, Tony Dudley-Evans’ development agency Birmingham Jazz and Birmingham’s premier jazz & funk parlour The Yardbird will be curating the second stage, whilst Gilles Peterson’s favourite Birmingham promoters Leftfoot will be taking the reins on friday. Each will showcase some of their top acts so expect to see a wealth of emerging sounds.

The line ups for both stages will be announced gradually over the coming months but we can already guarantee some amazing artists for 2012! We’ll also be keeping you updated with further events happening in the build up to the festival!

Tickets for Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul 2012 will be going on sale on 5th December 2011 via http://www.mostlyjazz.co.uk/ . To avoid booking fees there will also be the option to send in a postal form which is now available from the website. Alternatively, you can visit one of our outlets listed on our site to pick up the tickets in person.

We will be announcing the first set of artists on 21st January 2012 at our official launch party at Hare & Hounds featuring Smoove & Turrell with their six piece live band! Details for this show and how to buy tickets are available at http://www.mostlyjazz.co.uk/

Mostly Jazz Festival
82 Fazeley Street, Birmingham, B5 5RD

Tel: +44 (0)7512378818
Email: john@mostlyjazz.co.uk

http://www.mostlyjazz.co.uk/
www.myspace.com/mostlyjazz
www.twitter.com/mostly_jazz

Coventry’s favourite Dame to swap panto for Phantom of the Opera

After this year’s performance in the Belgrade Theatre’s pantomime Mother Goose, Coventry’s Dame extraordinaire, Andy Hockley, will take a year off from panto duties to take up a role in the national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera.

Coventry based actor Andy Hockley has been entertaining city audiences in the Belgrade’s pantomimes for 16 years. During this time he has performed in almost every pantomime imaginable, including Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and Dick Whittington. This year however, will be Andy’s first year playing Mother Goose, a role he has always coveted.

Andy said: “I’m really excited about being involved in the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera, but the downside is that I won’t be able to come home to Coventry for the Belgrade panto next year. That said, I’ll be going out on a high as this year I get to play Mother Goose, who is the ultimate panto Dame. The show revolves entirely around her, which means I get the opportunity to be more outrageous than ever!”

Andy added: “I will be back on the Belgrade stage but next Christmas somebody else will be stepping into my fantastic costumes to play the role of panto Dame.”

When he’s not donning the wigs and make-up for the annual pantomime, Andy has also performed in numerous Belgrade dramas including The Millennium Mysteries, Blue Remembered Hills, Mr Puntila and His Man Matti and The Miser.

His acting career has also seen him perform in a range of productions at theatres up and down the country and as far afield as Singapore. Most recently Andy has performed in the UK tour of To Kill a Mocking Bird, Twelfth Night at Perth REP and Hello Dolly at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.

Next year Andy will be playing Monsieur Richard Firmin in Cameron Mackintosh’s new version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s smash hit musical Phantom of the Opera, which opens at the Theatre Royal Plymouth in March 2012 ahead of a national tour.

As ever, this year’s Belgrade panto, Mother Goose promises unbeatable fairytale fun, magical enchantment and egg-scruciating jokes and japes by the dozen.

The story follows Mother Goose and her two sons, Jack and Archie as they embark on a spectacular journey to save the village of Middle Widdle-on-the-Tiddle from the wicked schemes of Squire Spartikus Skinflint and the villainous Demon King.

Tickets for Mother Goose are available now from the box office on 024 7655 3055 or via http://www.belgrade.co.uk/  priced from £13.25 - £21.75 with children’s tickets from £9.75 and family tickets from £35. Cheaper tickets are available online.

Ironbridge Gorge Museums, Shropshire Open during festive break for a great family day out

For a fun day out during the festive period (26 December – 3 January) go along to the Ironbridge Gorge Museums in Shropshire’s stunning Severn Valley where six of the ten museums will be open daily from 10am until 4pm. They will only be closing on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Whether you are interested in a recreated Victorian town, hands-on interactives, fine china, decorative tiles or the history of iron making, it’s all to be found in this fascinating World Heritage Site.

Step back in time at Blists Hill Victorian Town where you will be greeted with a stunning display of sight and sound in the new visitor centre as massive images are projected on nine metre high walls telling the harsh reality of life during the evolution of mining and hot metal industries.

Exchange your money in the town’s bank for pre-decimal token coins and spend them in the sweet shop, fried fish dealers or New Inn Public House. Then meander around the period shops and cosy, cottages where you will receive a warm welcome from the resident Victorians and be invited into their homes for a chat around the fireside as they go about their daily life.

Over at Coalport China Museum you can marvel at the magnificent china displayed in the very buildings in which it was produced and see skilled crafts people at work; there’s even a special gallery for children where they can discover the secrets of how china was made. Then walk through galleries and period room settings adorned with magnificent tiles at Jackfield Tile Museum. Displays include tiles from a London hospital children’s ward intricately painted with scenes from nursery rhymes.

Youngsters can let their imagination go wild at the Enginuity design and technology centre, as they become a design engineer for the day, able to play with huge interactive exhibits, X-ray everyday objects to see how they are made, control a ‘river’ to generate electricity and compete against a robot. Modern equipment is combined with historic machinery to explain everyday principles - by turning a small flywheel you can pull a real locomotive.

The two other Ironbridge Gorge Museum sites open over the festive break are Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron and Museum of The Gorge. You can also visit the original Iron Bridge itself; cast in 1779 its great arch spans the stunning River Severn – as you walk across the bridge try and imagine what the area was like around 300 years ago at the beginning of industrial development.

An Annual Passport Ticket to all ten museums valid for twelve months and multiple return visits costs £22.50 for adults, £18.25 for the 60 plus and £14.75 for students and children £61.50 for a family of two adults and three children aged up to 18 years in full time education; under 5s free. For those on a shorter time scale, individual admission is available into any of the sites.

For further information, contact the Ironbridge Tourist Information Centre on Tel: 01952 433 424 or visit http://www.ironbridge.org.uk/.  Some sites close or reduce their hours during the winter months and all close 24 and 25 December and 1 January, call to check before you travel. The Gorge is easily reached via the M6 and M54 motorways exiting at Telford (M54 junction 4 or 6).

Zombie Ball raises over £1,400 for city’s St Basils charity



Birmingham Zombies founder Jamie Chapman with
St Basils staff Anne Morton (left) and Lucy Hackett (right). 

 A Zombie Ball which took place at the Birmingham Ballroom last month has raised over £1,400 for homeless shelter charity St Basils, organisers announced today.

Organised by Birmingham Zombies, the ‘Dance of the Dead’ ball was held to raise money for the charity to assist it with its work with homeless youngsters in the city.

The event, which was the newly-revamped Birmingham Ballroom’s premiere Halloween night since it’s reopening in September, was a massive success with over 750 revellers taking to the dance floor dressed up as zombies, ghouls and goblins.

The money raised continues the organisers’ tradition of championing good causes with large scale events following the success of recent Zombie Walks, which have so far raised over £3,000 for local charities.

Event organiser Jamie Chapman, 21, feels the Zombie Ball is a unique way of engaging young people with important causes whilst ensuring they enjoy themselves.

“I think the event was a great success and it was really inspirational to see young people coming together at what was essentially a really jam-packed club night but for the purpose of helping those less fortunate than ourselves and building a sense of unity for a good cause.”

Based in Digbeth and founded in 1972 with just one night shelter, St Basils has grown to have 26 accommodation projects and 367 bed spaces across the West Midlands.

A St Basils spokesperson added: “The Zombie Ball was a massive success and great fun for all the people who bought tickets, many of whom are probably a similar age to the young people we help. We are very grateful to the Birmingham Zombies, for organising this event for us, not only for raising a staggering £1,400 to help us in our vital work but also for raising awareness of youth homelessness and the services St Basils provides”.

People from across the city are also due to come together on Friday 2nd December for St Basils Big SleepOut, a city-wide event where participants sleep rough for 12 hours in locations across the city to fundraise for the charity.

Congratulations on our winner of Kate Rusby Competition

Well done to Mark Poole of Bearwood in the West Midlands who won our recent compeition to win 2 tickets to see folk singer Kate Rusby at Wolverhampton Civic Hall in December.

The answer to the quiz question was:

The song The Village Green Preservation Society was written by Ray Davies.

Well done Mark, we hope you enjoy this wonderful performer.

West Bromwich Yesterdays

A new book by Terry Price

Reviewed by Pete Millington

Terry Price is a well known author of local history books about the West Bromwich and Great Bridge areas of the West Midlands. His latest book is West Bromwich Yesterdays, a delightful  trip down Memory Lane containing 192 pages of photographs with detailed captions covering several districts of the town including Lyng, Spon Lane, Great Bridge, Greets Green, Swan Village, Black Lane, harvills Hawthorn, Hill Top, Great Barr, Hall End, Lyndon, Tantany, Charlemont, Friar park, Stone Cross and Yew Tree.

The introduction to the book tells of the origins of West Bromwich as a collection of individual villages which each kept their own identity in spite of the rapid expansion of the town and parish in the 19th century.

Terry tells of the fame of Spon Lane, known for having 22 public houses along its length and claimed to be the highest concentration of pubs in England on a single street. Not only this but he goes on to name all 22 with the rather sad addage that only one survives - The Flower Pot.

A sign of the times perhaps? The abstainers will no doubt claim that the demise of the cosy urban boozer is progress, though many others will applaud Terry Price's inclusion of pubs, alongside tramcars, tobacconists, gents outfitters, saddlers, horse drawn delivery waggons, radio repair shops, Methodist Sunday school festivals in the bandstand and even the occasional colliery in his nostalgic look back at "a bygone age when life was more relaxed". Even at the tender age of 50, I am certainly amongst those people who enjoy a fond glimpse of the past and this book is therefore a joy to read, packed as it is with images of yesterday.   

West Bromwich Yesterdays is more than a collection of old photographs and each image is accompanied by a description or even a narrative from a number of local contributors. School, church, sport and factory groups have comprehensive lists of the names of people featured in each photo. Pictures of shops, businesses and other places of interest have potted histories and for those like myself of the generation just feeling those first few dropping leaves of the proverbial autumn of our lives, there's even a profile of world renowned heavy metal rock band Judas Priest whose founder member Alan Atkins was born at Stone Cross in 1947.

A great book about a great industrial town.

Rekindle those memories by joining West Bromwich born author and local historian Terry Price as he takes us from bustling High Street, through noisy sawmill and along the tranquil banks of a boating pool, passing churches, corner shops, cinemas, factories and not forgetting pubs a plenty along the way.

West Browmich Yesterdays
Terry Price
Published by The History Press
www.thehistorypress.co.uk
ISBN 978 0 7524 6998-0

Birmingham Council plan to build housing on playing fields at Balden Road in Harborne

With Birmingham City Council ploughing ahead with plans to build 120 houses on sports facilities in south west Birmingham, local residents in the area on the border of Harborne and Quinton are appealing to Sport England to support an alternative plan for the site.

The Council are applying for outline planning permission using playing fields at the Martineau education centre as the main site for new houses but local residents have written to Sport England telling them:

"he community is against it. Despite the universal need for housing stock this is not the way to do it. We have no other level ground in the Ward and the original intention of transferring community sports to Lordswood Boys' school did not materialise".

A recent Ward meeting in the area which was attended by officers from the Council's Property Department and by Head of Finance, Cllr Randall Brew, was described as "stormy in the extreme" with local people expressing their objections in vocal terms.

Local resident Rwth Hunt told us:

"The business plan for the community use of this facility would not merely turn the whole area over to football, but encourage sport of all kinds there. It would encourage multi racial sport and many of the less high profile activities. It would also make a very good place for a summer camp and we are very unwilling to allow it to go out of the local stock of level ground for community use. The Council rations it out very grudgingly and then declares nobody uses it."

Sport England have been asked to oppose vigorously any attempt to grant even outline planning permission for it (the proposed date for the application is 8 December 2011) with the appeal: 

"Please give your support to the community and not to the property speculative calculations of the Council Cabinet"

It’s double tops for Stafford projects

Amy Ratcliffe (Young community champion for Penkside), Tracy Redpath from Stafford Borough Council, guest presenter Chris Hopkins, (who was successful in getting investment on Dragons Den) and Councillor Frank Finlay.

Two Stafford Borough based projects have scooped gold in a national environmental award.

‘Derrington – Way Ahead’ and the ‘Penkside Project’ saw off around 500 rivals across the UK to take top spot in their categories at the prestigious ‘Green Apple’ awards.

Both projects were shortlisted for introducing projects to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and create more environmentally friendly communities.

Derrington - Way Ahead was the brainchild of the borough council and the villages own steering group. It is the borough’s first aspiring ‘green’ community and has become well known for the state of the art solar panels on the village hall – as well as a host of other initiatives, such as home energy measures, community bench building, planting a school orchard and setting up a local IT project.

Penkside is a more recent initiative which has included setting up a group of ‘champion’ volunteers from local people in the area. Energy efficiency work has already been carried out in schools, homes, local café and church in the area.

Other agencies, such as Stafford and Rural Homes, Stafford and District Volunteer Service, Sustainability Matters and Beat the Cold, have been involved in the projects.

Winners were announced last week at a ceremony in the House of Commons.

Councillor Frank Finlay, cabinet member for environment and health, said he was delighted that the projects had been so successful. “The communities have worked hard with us to deliver some great projects which we are very proud of, and are very worthy winners.”

The awards are seen as one of the most prestigious honours for environmental schemes in the UK and internationally and are supported by a number of organisations including Chartered Institute of Waste Management, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and Environment Agency.

Projects organised by the Borough Council have won 13 ‘Green Apple’ awards previously – including the ‘Back 2 Bikes’ recycling project, its sister project ‘Art from the Spokes,’ the Walking for Health scheme and innovative ‘Faith for the Future’ - a sustainability handbook for churches.

Details of all the initiatives can be found at www.staffordbc.gov.uk/sd.

Regeneration moves forward in North Solihull

The regeneration of North Solihull has taken another step forward, with the agreement to release more land to open up another stage of the scheme.

At his recent decision making session, Councillor Ken Meeson, Leader of Solihull Council, agreed to the disposal of land in Kingshurst to the North Solihull Regeneration Partnership. The land is made up of a number of residential properties fronting Dunton Road and York’s Wood, and the former Lakeside Social Club and car park. Planning permission has already been granted for the development of a new housing scheme which will consist of 35 two and three bedroomed houses for sale and rent.

Excluded from the site are numbers 2-4 and 112-118 Dunton Road (even numbers only).

This scheme is part of a neighbourhood plan that was consulted on and agreed in 2006.

Also approved in principle was the disposal of land at North Arran Way – the shopping area at Arran Way, and the demolition of the now empty Westfield House tower block.This land will be used for a residential development and land acting as a buffer between the housing development and Smith’s Wood.

New shops will be delivered as part of the new village centre in North Arran Way, work will begin on site in January 2012.

Councillor Ken Meeson, Leader of the Council, said: " We have always said that we are committed to ensuring the continued regeneration of North Solihull, and this is another step towards opening up an integral part of the scheme. This will provide much needed housing, both private and social, while protecting nearby woodland."

Brand new Vespa LX50 Scooter at a very good price?

That's because it was

STOLEN
Vespa LX50 50CC

Does someone you know buy and sell motorcyles and scooters on the cheap? Then keep an eye out for this one, there aren't many about.

Have you bagged a bargain recently from a small ad or someone in the pub? Do me and you a favour and check out the frame and engine numbers before the trail fades and you get collared with stolen goods.

Original colour black with beige seat - watch out for resprayed scooters with beige seat

Registration
BX11JYT

Frame Number ZAPC38101 1000 64128

Engine Number C381M 104707

Telephone your local police station or email spaghetti.editorial@yahoo.com

These guys sneak around at night time with a big van burgling inncocent people like you and I who work hard for our basic possessions. Don't think of them as lovable rogues - turn them in.

Next time it could be you.

new economics meeting on making the Bank of England more accountable - next Saturday 3rd December 2011

10.15-12.00

FOE Warehouse, Allison St, Digbeth

The main item will be slide shows on the issue of democratising the Bank of England, that were put together in 2008 by myself as part of a project by Localise West Midlands.

The presentations will outine how the Bank of England has been set up with a very phoney form of independence and outline how other central banks such as the US Fed, the European Central Bank and the Bank of Canada involve more interests in their decision making process. The presentation will start by outlining how our very remote Bank of England was a major factor in what went wrong in 2008 and the years before.

With the Bank of England having set the agenda of economic policy now for governments of all parties, and done so very badly - I am looking to see if we can begin to raise some of these issues again in 2012.

In the decade since we handed control of the the bank to so-called experts, we have ended up suffering the most serious downturn since the war and have had to nationalise more of our banks than any other country.

This will be an open meeting, so please feel free to pass this invitation along.

A few more details can be found on an LWM blog about this meeting which can be found here http://wp.me/p1ckC8-PG

CHRISTMAS ART EXHIBITION 8th – 14th DECEMBER 2011

COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE SOCIETY OF ARTISTS

The Coventry and Warwickshire Society of Artists, now in its 99th year, is staging an exhibition of paintings, cards and 3D works of art at Kenilworth Library (exhibition room), Smalley Place, Kenilworth.

Andrew Davies the renowned playwright and author (you may remember his recent work South Riding and also Little Dorrit) has again agreed to open our Christmas Exhibition in Kenilworth. Last year, even though there was heavy snow, the venue was full to capacity and many artworks were sold mainly, I’m sure, due to his involvement. The public are invited to join Andrew for mince pies and drinks on Saturday 10th December from 11.00am until 12.30 pm. All proceeds from the raffle will be going to Aylesford Breast Cancer Unit at Warwick Hospital with a sumptuous Christmas Hamper and a £50 voucher donated by The Almanack to be won along with other exciting prizes.

The exhibition runs from 8th December to 14th December 2011 inclusive, opening times are 10 am – 4pm Monday – Saturday (10.30 am Wednesday), admission is free and there is plenty of parking available. Several prizes are to be won by the artists and there is also the opportunity for the public to vote for their favourite artwork.

There will be an opportunity to immortalise a loved one in paint! Our distinguished artist Shubda Athervale will be taking bookings for portrait sittings either in colour or black and white. Each session will last for 30 minutes and will take place on Saturday 10th December and Wednesday 14th December. To pre book, contact Jacqui Smithson on 01926 851764. Also some of our artists will be working during the exhibition and there will be children’s colouring sheets available which we hope will ensure families enjoy the exhibition together. A children’s prize will be awarded for the best artistic effort.

This Exhibition heralds the start of the Society’s Centenary Year and we have many exciting projects and events planned for 2012. Membership of the society is open to anyone interested in the visual arts – members enjoy a programme of varied activities and social events throughout the year together with the opportunity to submit their works for exhibition.

This excellent exhibition is well worth seeing and visitors will be assured of a warm welcome.

See us on the web: http://www.covwarsocart.co.uk/

Major Mustard Storytelling Night this Thursday 1st Dec

At Moorpool Hall, Harborne, Birmingham

Just a quick reminder that Major Mustard's Storytelling evening will be on this Thursday night in the lower hall at 7.45 pm.

Major Mustard is well known for his puppet shows for children which he has performed at various Moor Pool events over the years. Less well known but just as fabulous are his storytelling events. This one on Thursday evening is strictly for the grown ups (lower age limit of 15 years) and draws from his extensive repertoire of tales from the Celtic cultures. Major Mustard will be using props, lighting and puppets to create a brooding atmosphere that will keep you firmly fixed on the edge of your seat throughout the evening. Come along and be amazed, delighted and entertained.

This is a really special event as Major Mustard is one of the top storytellers and puppeteers in Britain today. He is often touring both abroad and in the UK so we are lucky that he was able to find some time to put on a show in aid of the Moor Pool Heritage Trust. To find out more see http://www.majormustard.com/.

See below for some reviews of his shows:

To book tickets reply by email or call 689 7368. Tickets are £5 and can be paid for on the door.

" . . . Major Mustard has established a reputation that is second- to- none among small touring companies in Britain . . . "

Animations

" . . . one of the few puppet companies which has always maintained the highest standards of presentation, entertainment and craftsmanship in its productions . . . "

Polka Children's Theatre

" . . . unpretentious, accessible and, above all, enjoyable theatre . . . "

Gulbenkian Theatre, Newcastle

" . . . exceptionally high quality of performance, professionally presented and wonderfully imaginative. The audience has always been thrilled . . . "

Riverside Studios, London

" . . . shows of such quality - and accessibility - people come away with lots of exciting ideas . . . "
Manchester Hospital Arts Project

" . . . an excellent company full of professional expertise and inventiveness both in performance and workshop situations . . . "

Mid Northumberland Arts Group

" . . . wir waren begeistert von der phantasiereichen und liebenswürdigen Vorstellung. Wir alle warten auf den nächsten Auftritt von Major Mustard . . . "

Direktorin in Weilheim, Munich

Dr David Hill comments on the new Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering

Thank you to Dr David Hill for these comments about the new Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, see the recent news article on this site a few days ago:

I became aware that politicians and Downing Street do not comprehend the great worth to the nation of Engineers several years ago. To see the prime minister, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband unveiling the £1 million prize for The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering is sheer hypocrisy based upon first-hand experience on the part of our politicians.

I say this because it is a fact that a British citizen and a little old white haired great-grandfather figure now deceased and hardly known in the United Kingdom, even though he did most of his revolutionary engineering work there, was not seen fit to be knighted by our politicians in 2000.

To put this person into perspective, this solitary engineer literally revolutionised engineering sciences throughout the world and where his great work has now entered into most of the sciences, saving countless lives in the process every day. His name was the late Professor Dr (mult.) John Argyris, the modern inventor of the Finite Element Method and where Professor Ray Clough, regarded as the most eminent structural engineer in the USA stated this in his 1960 publication and where he first coined the phrase Finite Element Method. Indeed Clough stated in his ground breaking publication that it was the Argyris Method’, ceding the FEM to Argyris in perpetuity.

But to put Argyris into perspective the following world changing events and engineering feats amongst a few would not have happened including the 1969 moon landing, the determination that the ‘shuttle’ would be safe upon re-entry and where planes, cars, dams, trains and buildings etc would not be as safe as they are today. Indeed Argyris’s work has most probably saved tens of millions of lives indirectly over the last 50 years through his unparalleled research work.

But the greatest reason why Argyris should have been knighted by our politicians is because in 1943 after the British airlifted him from Germany via Lisbon, he single-handily determined at the Royal Aeronautical Society (working then for the British Government) that our aircraft design data sheets had up to 80% faults in their structural design. In this respect the Establishment (non-engineers who thought that Argyris was trying to destroy them) did not believe him and it was only because our aircraft industry at the time said that Argyris was right that they were eventually overturned.

One has therefore to put this ‘single’ enormous engineering design feat into perspective also.

How many allied lives were saved by our planes being far safer considering that tens, if not hundreds of thousands of allied paratroopers alone landed safely on mainland Europe before and after D-Day it has to be asked? Indeed if we had continued to send highly defective aircraft to liberate Europe, how many would have been killed by faulty engineering than Nazi bullets it has to be asked? But again, in 2000 the political Establishment refused to Knight him even though he had since the end of WW2 developed the greatest design invention in the history of global engineering. Therefore not until politicians really understand the worth of engineers what they say and do will be just mere words and a complete political charade.

Argyris did of course receive the highest national engineering awards from 17 nations, so what did they see that our politicians did not?

Dr David Hill

World Innovation Foundation

Christmas at the Ancient High House

Saturday 3 December 2011

10am to 4pm

The Ancient High House, Greengate Street, Stafford, ST16 2JA.

A perfect opportunity to see the Ancient High House decorated in its seasonal finery and to enjoy traditional Christmas activities and family fun entertainment. Chance to experience the sights and sounds of traditional Christmas past, with Victorian carol singers, Tudor Christmas stories and Santa Claus in residence.

Stafford Marching Band, the Creative Arts Theatre and period re-enactors will be on hand to create a yuletide atmosphere together with a range of craft stalls for those last minute Christmas presents. And mouth-watering mince pies, Christmas cake and mulled fruit punch will be available along with a chocolate fountain.

Admission free.

New exhibitions opening at Ikon Gallery next week

John Myers

Middle England

30 November 2011 – 5 February 2012

Ikon presents the first major exhibition by John Myers (b. Bradford, UK, 1944), comprising photographs made throughout the early 1970s including Middle England (1970-1974), a selection of portraits of individuals and families living in and around Stourbridge and the Black Country. Myers’ approach is documentary in style, concerned with taste, of the self-perceptions and aspirations of his subjects and the spaces they occupy, as well as of the artist himself.

Myers was a Senior Lecturer in Fine Art at Stourbridge College from 1969, during which time he made a series of portraits of people known to him, taken in locations within walking distance of his home. Myers used a Gandolfi plate camera set on a tripod with a dark viewing cloth, prompting a sense of occasion in his subjects and the results are remarkable. Subjects are at once self-conscious and seemingly at home, pointed up as specimens of humanity yet touching and sympathetic. These are the portraits of Middle England, acclaimed at the time by international photography journals such as CAMERA and Ten:8 and exhibited in major survey exhibitions such as Serpentine Photography in 1973.

In addition, Myers made typological studies of TV sets and a series of Boring landscapes, the latter alternatively entitled Landscapes without incident. For these, all made in and around the Stourbridge area, Myers made a concerted effort to reject the ‘value added’ approach to photography that was a powerful force at the time. The Boring landscapes contain no hidden story; this is the urban scene without the distraction of the human figure or any implied narrative. The viewpoint is at eye level, suggesting a possibility that the viewer is the first person to encounter Dual Carriageway (1974) or Lift Doors at Waitrose (1975). The ten photographs of televisions (1973) similarly convey a sense of novelty, encouraging our careful look at the overlooked.

Capturing the ordinary with flat light in a deadpan style, Myers’ images are not simply documents of the West Midlands in the early 1970s but rather are knowingly generic, a backdrop to the mundane, the everyday. They represent a distinctly British brand of New Topographic photography.

Ten portraits from John Myers' Middle England series will be displayed in frames on hoardings surrounding the Library of Birmingham, outside the Birmingham Rep, for the duration of the exhibition.

The exhibition will be accompanied by an illustrated catalogue with essays by Paul Lewis and Eugenie Shinkle. It is presented in collaboration with Birmingham Library and Archive Services, and is supported by the Owen Trust.

Stuart Whipps



Why Contribute to the Spread of Ugliness?

30 November 2011 – 5 February 2012

Ikon presents an exhibition of new works by British artist Stuart Whipps (b.1979), a selection of photography and video exemplifying the changing nature of cultural value.

The major work here, Why contribute to the spread of ugliness? (2011), centres on the 487 boxes of archived paperwork of architectural firm the John Madin Design Group, stored in Birmingham Central Library. A multi-screen slide projection combines three strands of subject matter: the archival boxes, their contents (printed materials relating to Madin’s projects and the construction industry between the 1950s and 1970s) and the buildings to which they refer.

The architect John Madin (b. Moseley, Birmingham, c.1925) active in Birmingham for over 30 years, designed many buildings that defined Birmingham as a modernist city, since pulled down or under threat of demolition. Organisations such as the 20th Century Society have campaigned without success to have some of his buildings listed for their historical importance. Birmingham Central Library, the largest civic library in Europe and considered by some to be the defining monument to post-war brutalist architecture in Britain, is due to be demolished in 2013. Besides this building, Whipps focuses on archive material relating to Madin’s former Birmingham Post and Mail printworks and the Queen’s Square shopping centre in West Bromwich, amongst many others.

In 1964, Madin made a tour of North American libraries whilst preparing his designs for the new Birmingham library. Whipps retraced his steps, visiting The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University, New Haven; The Donnell Branch of The New York Public Library and The Detroit Public Library. New photographs of these buildings, their interiors and the collections form another vital part of the exhibition, making a visual reconnection between parallel and simultaneous histories.

In a similar vein, England and the Octopus. Britain and the Beast. (2011) reflects on the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog in North Wales, a former quarry town at the geographical centre of Snowdonia National Park. When the Park’s borders were created in 1951 the grey slate waste tips that surround Blaenau Ffestiniog prevented its inclusion, a decision made in part by the eccentric architect of Portmeirion, Clough Williams-Ellis. This new two channel video installation contains new film footage of Blaenau Ffestiniog, with a Welsh-language script sourced from texts written or edited by Williams Ellis.

This exhibition, supported by Birmingham Library and Archive Services, Arts Council England and Birmingham City University, is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue with essay by Birmingham novelist Catherine O’Flynn.

Dean Kelland

Living Room Series (Episode 2): The Desperate Hours

30 November 2011 – 5 February 2012

Tower Room

Dean Kelland works with performance, photography, film and appropriation to explore portraiture, producing engaging observations of our collective cultural identities.

Kelland’s interest lies in the language of popular culture; song lyrics, newspaper and magazine articles, scripts, and in particular the British sit-com. Ikon shows his 2010 film Living Room Series (Episode 2): The Desperate Hours, in which Kelland is re-presented in the guise of comedy character Harold Steptoe of the legendary Steptoe and Son. In-character, Kelland repeatedly voices Steptoe’s most memorable catchphrase. With each new repetition he takes us further into the identity of Steptoe whilst simultaneously investigating the mechanics of performance and portraits of masculinity.

Dean Kelland is Senior Lecturer, School of Art & Design at the University of Wolverhampton, and is also part of the fine art research department at Central St. Martins. He has held exhibitions in a variety of national venues as exhibitor and curator.

iSE are feeling festive. Upcoming free events for those with an interest in social enterprise.

All events are at iSE, Avoca Court, 23 Moseley Road, Digbeth, Birmingham, B12 0HJ. To book please contact Debbie.bailey@i-se.co.uk

For those starting out…

Make social enterprise your New Year priority. Join iSE to find out how you can make a difference and bring some cheer to your community. Discover the in’s and outs of social enterprise, and network with likeminded folk. Suitable for: Those starting out. Time: 1pm-3pm Date: Thursday 8th December

For those already started…

Does your organisation need to reach new markets? ShopforChange invites you to take to the floor and pitch your business - after all, what would Christmas be without a little self-indulgence? Simply book a slot, bring colleagues, props and samples – or just yourself! Suitable For: Existing social enterprises. Time: 3pm-5pm Date: Thursday 15th of December

Why not polish your sales skills first by booking on our ‘How to Sell Your Products and Services’ course on the 30th of November?

For the simply curious…

Digbeth is fast becoming the social enterprise place to be. Find out why by joining us on our winter walk of Birmingham’s creative quarter where warm social enterprises and possibly mince pies, await. All welcome. May involve hills. Refreshments provided. Suitable for: Everyone. Time: 10am-1pm Date: Tuesday 20th of December

Seann Walsh & Josh Widdicombe - Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall: Thursday 1st March 2012

Seann Walsh

Within two years of his first comedy performance Seann became the winner of the Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year. Shortly after, other accolades included Chortle Best Breakthrough Act Nominee 2010 and Chortle Best Compere Nominee 2011. Seann has also been listed as one of DAVE's top 10 stand-ups to catch in 2011.

Seann's recent TV appearances include: Never Mind The Buzzcocks (BBC2), Mock The Week (BBC2), 8 Out Of 10 Cats (Channel 4) and Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow (BBC1). Seann Walsh will be appearing on the seventh series of Live At The Apollo airing on BBC One.

Official Website: http://www.seannwalsh.co.uk/

Josh Widdicombe

Josh opens the doors to how his upbringing in a tiny village in rural Devon didn’t prepare him for the realities of life and relationships. From his hankering to move to the bright lights but on the other hand terrified of the rest of the world, to struggling to adapt to his twenties, not knowing whether to embrace being an adult or hold on to his youth. If This Show Saves One Life... is a hilarious insight into the daily foibles of one of comedy’s fastest rising stars with observations and dilemmas we can all relate to.

Since his first gig in January 2008 Josh has had a remarkable impact on the comedy circuit. In just three years he has been named FHM Stand Up Hero 2010 (ITV4), Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year 2010, Chortle Best Breakthrough Act Nominee 2011 and after just a handful of gigs made it to the final of the prestigious 'So You Think You're Funny' final at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2008.

Now regarded as one of the best up-and-coming acts on the UK circuit Josh is in constant demand at clubs and theatres across Britain . Josh is fast establishing himself on the live circuit regularly supporting huge comic talent such as Alan Carr, Kevin Bridges and Michael McIntyre.

“This is one of the most individual, accomplished, hilarious and unforgettable hours I have had this year.” **** The Scotsman

“Josh Widdicombe has the sort of gentle confidence, low-key charisma and one-for-all-the-family charm which could see him selling out enormous stadiums in a couple of years.” - The Times

“Josh Widdicombe is shaping up to be the British Seinfeld.” ***** Stars London Is Funny

Official Website: http://www.joshwiddicombe.co.uk/

Tickets priced £12.00 are available from Midland Box Office : 0870 320 7000 or online at http://www.wolvescivic.co.uk/