Community News

A striking over-sized daffodil is coming to Birmingham to launch Marie Curie’s biggest annual fundraising campaign, the Great Daffodil Appeal. The ‘Great Big Daffodil’ will visit Grand Central on March 5 ^- 7.

The Great Daffodil Appeal raises money so thousands of people with a terminal illness can receive 1.2 million hours of free nursing care at home or in a Marie Curie hospice, as well as support for their families.

This year’s Great Daffodil Appeal is giving people the opportunity to share the personal stories behind why they wear one of Marie Curie’s instantly recognisable daffodil pins.

At the Great Big Daffodil people can take a moment to reflect, remember and pay tribute to those who have been special to them. They can write something or add a photo into the paper books within each petal or speak to one of the Marie Curie team.

Daffodil pins are available in exchange for a donation at the Great Big Daffodil from volunteers around the city until the end of March from Marie Curie shops, Superdrug, Spar, Hotter and Wyevale Garden Centres.

Birmingham is one of six cities around the UK where the giant daffodil will appear during the charity’s annual Great Daffodil Appeal. The memories, stories, pictures and tributes to people around the UK will come together and be celebrated at a special event in London.

Those who can’t get to the Great Big Daffodil can still take part by sharing stories or following its 1,500-mile journey around the UK on social media using #everydaffodil.

Marie Curie Fundraising Engagement Lead, Amy McNaughton -Brown, said: “In our busy lives, we often don’t have time to stop and pay tribute to the people who are special to us – both the loved ones we’ve lost and those that are still here. Behind every daffodil, there’s a story – and we hope our Great Big Daffodil will help people to find a moment to reflect and share theirs. Whatever your story, donating and wearing a Marie Curie daffodil will help make sure one of our nurses can be there when someone special needs us most.”

To donate £5 to Marie Curie, text DAFF to 70111.

Spring might have already sprung in some parts of Europe but that doesn’t mean ski season is over. This is a great time to get away to the slopes and enjoy a last-minute ski escape. Travellers that haven’t yet enjoyed some après ski, or challenged themselves to take on a new run, can rest assured that the perfect short-haul breaks can still be booked.

Furthermore, Easter is a great time to get away and make the most of the bank and school holidays.

Whether families are seeking more time away to make the most of the school break, or simply looking to take advantage of the bank holiday weekend, there is an Iglu Ski deal to suit every schedule.

With availability up until early May, and competitive packages designed with families in mind, take to the slopes this spring for a holiday that delivers adventure, quality time and new skills. Chalets with in-house childcare, all-inclusive options, children’s clubs and ski schools are also included in many of Iglu Ski’s deals.

Deaf children and their hearing classmates in Birmingham spent the day learning all about deafness with a series of informative and engaging workshops.

The workshops were organised by the National Deaf Children’s Society as part of its Roadshow, an eight ton purple lorry that tours the country and turns into a high-tech classroom.

The Roadshow visited Percy Shurmer Academy and passed on support, advice and information to some of the city’s 1,526 deaf children and their hearing friends, teachers and parents.

One of the workshops, Look, Smile, Chat, provided advice and tips on how to communicate with a deaf child:

• Get their attention with a wave, or a tap on the shoulder
• Speak one at a time
• Face them when speaking
• Don’t cover your mouth
• Be visual! Don’t be afraid to use gestures or actions
• Never give up and say “I’ll tell you later”!

The National Deaf Children’s Society also showcased the latest technology and equipment available to deaf children to accompany the key skills learnt on the day. This included flashing doorbells, vibrating alarm clocks and technology that helps deaf children listen to an iPod or mobile phone.

Steven Gardiner, the Roadshow’s Logistics Officer, who is deaf himself, said: “We’re travelling the country to help empower deaf children and raise awareness of deafness among their friends, family and teachers.

“When a deaf child is struggling with their confidence, independence or communication, a visit from the Roadshow can make a real difference. We want to help everyone understand what it’s like to be deaf and show deaf children some of the technology and resources available to them.

“Most importantly, we want to remind every deaf child that they have incredible potential and should be aiming high. With the right support, they can do anything other children can do.”

Sandwell Council has been praised for its efforts in engaging with the community and schools to raise awareness of elections and the importance of voting.

The council was invited to showcase its ways of reducing barriers to electoral participation at the Association of Electoral Administrators national conference held in Brighton earlier this month (February).

The conference, attended by almost 300 delegates from nearly all the electoral services in the country, heard how Sandwell has developed its work to make sure voter registration and democracy awareness barriers are reduced as much as possible.

The council’s electoral participation officer Surinder Singh highlighted the key points on how Sandwell engaged with schools and faith and community organisations.

He gave examples on how the council ran special voter registration surgeries across the borough and helped to train democracy ambassadors within the community.

Emma Smith, head of democratic engagement at the Cabinet Office, said that Sandwell Council is doing "some really wonderful work in this area and that it would be great for other councils to implement this good practice in their communities too”.

Surinder said: "Being invited to speak at the conference clearly shows that Sandwell Council’s commitment to make the voter registration process for hard-to-reach communities as simple as possible has gained national recognition.

“This would not have been possible without the help of our fantastic partnerships we have developed with schools, community and faith-based organisations in Sandwell."

New Freedom of Information data obtained by Confused.com reveals 55,610 potholes were reported to local authorities in the region in 2017/18, and a new scrolling animation highlights just how much of an issue potholes cause for motorists in the West Midlands, as the problem is revealed to stretch almost 2km deep.

The animation also allows users to drill down to specific areas within the West Midlands, and Birmingham comes out on top for having the deepest pothole problem in the region, with almost 14,000 potholes reported in one year, stretching to 545m deep.

Top 5 local authority areas in the West Midlands with the biggest pothole problem in 2017/18, ranked by depth.

“Re-claiming the costs for pothole damage can be confusing for drivers. Many don’t know if it’s best to claim from your insurer, or from the council. To help clear this confusion, drivers looking to claim for pothole damage can find all of the information they need to start the process in our guide.”

Sandwell Council is one of only 21 councils to receive money from central government from the Supporting Families Against Youth Crime fund.

The successful bid by Sandwell Council will see more than £370,000 being used in projects in partnership with Sandwell Children's Trust, West Midlands Police and the voluntary sector.

The money will be used to deliver a targeted one to one mentoring programme for at-risk students and parents which will include support in the community. They will also work with parents through the programme ‘Triple P’, an evidence-based support system for the parents of vulnerable children.

Councillor Simon Hackett, Sandwell Council's cabinet member for children's services, welcomed the funding boost. He said: "I'm pleased we have been successful in getting funds to support work to help families in Sandwell.

"I am also pleased we are being recognised on a national level for the good work we have already done. This extra money will help us and our partners continue to help vulnerable young people and make Sandwell a safer place."

The money given to Sandwell is part of a £9.5million fund set out by the government's Communities Department to help families who are vulnerable to the devastating effects of knife crime and gang culture.

Birmingham Bach Choir mark Passiontide, the final two weeks of Lent, with an inspiring revival of rarely performed choral works by Howells, Tallis, Leighton and more (30 March 2019, St Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham).

The concert, which is part of the choir's centenary celebrations, includes Antonio Lotti's timeless Crucifixus, written in the early 1700s by the German-born contemporary of JS Bach, and two motets by Austrian composer Anton Bruckner, Ave Maria and Christus factus est.

Sixteenth century choral composers Thomas Tallis' In ieiunio et fletu, and Orlande de Lassus' Tristis est anima mea are also included, as is JS Bach’s better known and loved Ruht Wohl, first performed in 1724 in Leipzig, and taken from the second part of his St John Passion.

However, the heart of the programme lies in two 20th century small-scale masterpieces, both with a personal connection to the choir's longstanding conductor, Paul Spicer.

Kenneth Leighton’s powerfully dramatic cantata Crucifixus pro nobis - a mini Passion for choir, organ and tenor soloist - was written for the choir of New College, Oxford in 1962 and Paul was a boy chorister in its first performance. The almost electrical charge of the music is heightened by the final movement, a setting of Phineas Fletcher’s beautiful words ‘Drop, drop slow tears’, being left completely unaccompanied.

The other great work in the programme is Herbert Howells’ extraordinary Requiem. Written in 1932, Requiem was originally intended for the choir of King’s College Cambridge, but never submitted and remained unpublished until 1980. However, elements of the piece later formed the core of Howells’ large-scale choral and orchestral work Hymnus Paradisi, written as a memorial for his nine-year-old son Michael, who died of polio in 1935. With its unusual structure, the searingly moving Requiem expresses not just deep grief but also eternal hope.

Paul Spicer studied composition under Howells at the Royal College Of Music, London, and went on to publish the definitive biography of the composer, Herbert Howells: Border Lines, in 1998.

Says Paul: “I shall cherish performing the Leighton and Howells again: singing at the premiere of Leighton’s powerful Crucifixus pro nobis was an unforgettable experience for me as a young impressionable boy, while Howells’ Requiem is one of his most powerful works and holds a special place in my heart."

Birmingham Bach Choir: Music For Passiontide, with tenor Robin Morton, is at St Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham, on Saturday March 30.

A regionally co-ordinated cycling strategy with funding targeted at 26 priority routes was backed by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).

Ambitious plans, including goals to raise cycling investment to at least £10 a head each year, were set out in a report endorsed by the WMCA board at its meeting in Birmingham.

In considering the report, which also listed potential investment of up to £250m to improve cycling infrastructure, the board reaffirmed its commitment to see more people making the switch to pedal power.

The co-ordinated, region-wide approach to cycling, which is a first for the West Midlands, puts forward 26 priority corridors for investment, covering nearly 200km through Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry and Solihull.

The report, drawn up by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), also sets out plans for:

The appointment of a Cycling and Walking Ambassador

A flagship cycling corridor and support for councils to deliver local schemes

The co-ordination of events into a family festival of cycling

New West Midlands Cycling and Walking brands

Working with communities to create great places to cycle and walk

Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said: “Cycling can reduce traffic congestion, improve health and wellbeing and reduce pollution. It is good for the cyclist and good for the wider travelling public so we have set out ambitious targets to increase the number of journeys made by bike in the region.

We have already made a significant start and have also now launched one of the country’s biggest bike share schemes with nextbike. Once fully rolled out that scheme will see thousands of bikes for hire on the streets of the West Midlands.

One of the biggest barriers to cycling is safety, so we are planning to focus investment on 26 key routes that link communities across the West Midlands and offer people a genuine alternative to their cars.

Cycling and Walking Minister Jesse Norman, said: “Getting people cycling and walking is key to improving air quality, encouraging healthy exercise, and boosting our high streets and economic productivity.

These new safe cycle routes, which the Department for Transport is supporting through the Transforming Cities Fund, will help to make cycling the natural choice for journeys across the region.

We are also investing around £2 billion to support cycling across the country as part of our long term Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.”

Cllr Roger Lawrence, WMCA portfolio lead for transport and leader of the City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “We are witnessing a revolution in transport in the region with investment in new rail, tram and rapid bus routes. This report sets out how we are also being equally ambitious for cycling.”

The WMCA board has already allocated £6 million from the region’s Transforming Cities Fund and this will now be used to deliver one of the priority cycle routes set out in the report.

Artist Martin Firrell has partnered with Out of Home media owner Clear Channel UK, to display a series of his new public artworks that explore the idea of power and gender. The project includes perspectives from women and men on the understanding and experience of men and women in power.

Do women understand, hold and use power differently from men? 

What can be learned from the experiences of women in positions of power that might contribute to a happier and more benign use of power in society? 

Firrell explores these questions in 12 digital billboards with the participation of:

• Inga Beale, former CEO of Lloyd’s Insurance market

• Liv Garfield, CEO Severn Trent and the youngest women to head a FTSE 100 company

• Alex Mahon, CEO Channel 4

• Annie Rickard, former Global President Posterscope, now steering committee member and Director of the Women’s Equality Party

• Clare Short, Former Secretary of State for International Development

Clear Channel will be displaying ‘Power and Gender’ artwork across their digital Out of Home network nationwide through to March 8. Running across Storm, Adshel Live, and Wrap sites, the project also aims to show how the power of Out of Home can be used to drive public discourse and positive social change.

If the project Martin says: "I believe men and woman regard power differently and I want to ‘open up the layers of that difference’ in front of the public. My residency with Clear Channel makes that possible. If you can create debate, eventually change will follow.”

Clear Channel CEO, Justin Cochrane, says “Clear Channel’s national digital network of screens is uniquely positioned as the perfect “art gallery” to broadcast Martin’s thought provoking work. We’re proud to be supporting this project that opens up public conversation on progressiveness and promotes Fairness – one of Clear Channel’s core values.”

Martin Firrell is a French public artist who stimulates debate in public space to promote positive social change. His work has been summarised as 'art as debate'. Working as Clear Channel’s Artist in Residence, this first project entitled ‘Power And Gender’ is the first part of socialart.work, a mass public art project looking at women's equality and masculinity, alternative forms of economic and social organisation, Black power, and solidarity between people from different backgrounds and ethnicities.

An improved Solihull bus network with routes to support the local economy and make it easier for people to take jobs will come into effect this weekend.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is providing funding to pay for new services to key employment sites including the Blythe Valley Business Park and the Jaguar Land Rover site at Fen End.

Both sites, which employ hundreds of people, have not had regular and convenient public transport on a consistent basis during recent years.

Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said: “The new network is a good example of how we can step in and subsidise services that can make a real difference to people’s lives -making it easier for them to get to where jobs are available.

“So we hope these new services will better connect people not just to jobs but also health care, education and leisure pursuits. That in turn will help support the local economy and wider efforts to improve air quality.”

The new TfWM subsidised routes will see Elmdon-based LandFlight run two services to Blythe Valley while Henley-in-Arden based Johnsons will operate the 87 and 88 to Fen End.

Winning the contract to run the new services on behalf of TfWM has seen Land Flight take on 24 new drivers locally.

Cllr Bob Sleigh OBE, leader of Solihull Council joined the Mayor in meeting up with Danny Matthews, director of business development at LandFlight ahead of the new services taking to the road.

Cllr Sleigh said: “Unfortunately places like Blythe Valley and Jaguar Land Rover at Fen End, which are outside the urban area, have not always enjoyed the best public transport.

“That has made it difficult for people, and especially young people, to take advantage of the job opportunities available at such locations so we believe these new services can improve people’s job prospects while also making it easier for people already working at those locations to switch from car to bus.”The sustainable travel team at Solihull Council will also be working with businesses based at Blythe Valley and with Jaguar Land Rover to help staff make smarter travel choices and take advantage of the new services.

Lewis Payne, development director at IM Properties which owns Blythe Valley, said: “We welcome the introduction of the new bus service to Blythe Valley Park.

“This is a hugely positive step forward, providing proper public transport connectivity for some 3,300 people working at the park, linking key residential areas around Solihull as well as public transport nodes such as Solihull and Dorridge stations.”

The services are due to start on Sunday (February 24) with passengers also benefitting from low floor, low emission buses on most of the new routes.

The new network follows a public consultation held last October which saw more than 1,300 individual responses, helping to shape routes and frequencies.

This March, Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice will be celebrating 40 years of care across Birmingham and Sandwell – and to mark the occasion, the Hospice is inviting local people to a very special gala dinner.

On Friday March 1, the well-known and much loved charity will be hosting a black tie event at Edgbaston Stadium, which will include a drinks reception, three-course dinner, musical entertainment and live comedy from the self-proclaimed ‘most popular housewife in Kings Heath’ Barbara Nice. 

Barbara (mother-of-five, keen ‘Take a Break’ reader and stage-dive enthusiast) is a character created by comedian Janice Connolly and will be entertaining guests at the prestigious event. She will be joined by Antique Roadshow’s Will Farmer, who will be hosting a live auction, and former Baggies legend Brendon Batson, who is a patron of the charity.   

The event kick starts the Hospice’s 40^th anniversary celebrations and will honour the care and support it has provided across the city and beyond for the last four decades.

Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice was founded in 1979 by Monica Pearce and was the first independent hospice in the Midlands. A former NHS matron, Monica’s vision was to ‘enable anyone with a life-limiting illness to live their life to the full’ – a mission that the Hospice’s staff and volunteers still stand by today.

Doctors and nurses at the Hospice – which was first known as ‘St. Mary’s Hospice’ – cared for its first patient on Monday 5 March 1979.

Tina Swani, chief executive at Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice, said: “Monica Pearce was a remarkable woman who worked tirelessly to provide vital end of life care to local people. She pioneered hospice care in the Midlands, after recognising that much more needed to be done to support people who are living with an incurable illness.

The 40^th Anniversary Gala Dinner is our way of honouring Monica’s legacy, as well as highlighting how crucial hospice care still is in our city today. It’s set to be a fantastic evening and I look forward to welcoming Barbara Nice, Will Farmer and our wonderful supporters to a night of dinner and celebration.” 

In 1979, Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice provided care at its ward only and had a maximum bed capacity of 25. Four decades later and the Hospice is supporting over 400 people every day across Birmingham and Sandwell, providing care in people’s homes, in the community, at its Day Hospice facility and at the Hospice’s Inpatient Unit.

The vibrant Rum and Reggae Festival is returning to Birmingham this year.

The night is set out to give visitors a real reggae experience a the night features carnival dancers, steel performances and a range of authentic food.

Birmingham’s own Global Reggae Band will also be performing on the night.

On arrival at the event all guests will be greeted with their own rum atlas to get an insight into where the different types of rum are from.

The 19-date tour will have Rums from the West Indies, Philippines, Mauritius, Australia and South America.

Festival goers will then get the opportunity to create their own cocktails at demonstrations which will be going on throughout the night.

There will be special rums available on the night including Columbian tipple La Hechicera; which is typically aged for up to 21 years; Dark Matter Spiced Rum and Wray and Nephew.

On scale there will be a range of rums and service that allows customers to order and have rum posted to them after the night.

Pirates from the Caribbean Kitchen will be at the festival, serving classic Caribbean dishes such as jerk chicken and rice and peas.

The Rum and Reggae Festival is at The Mill, Digbeth on May 18.

More than £10m has been earmarked to expand park and ride sites at several rail and tram stations in a further boost for commuters, the economy and cleaner air.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) has already ploughed around £17m into providing more than 8,500 car parking spaces at 38 rail stations and three Metro stops over the last two decades.

With congestion costing the West Midlands economy more than £2bn a year, the park and ride facilities have bolstered the transport authority’s wider efforts to reduce the number of cars on local roads and improve air quality.

Now TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), has announced plans to extend several park and ride sites, many of which are so popular they are typically full to capacity before the end of the morning rush hour.

The plans come as Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street and Councillor Mike Bird, leader of Walsall Council, marked the official start of work on a new £2.6m park and ride facility for the West Midlands Metro tram stop at Bradley Lane which currently has no on-site parking.

Mayor Street said: “Park and Ride has been very successful in encouraging people to use public transport for the main part of their daily commute.

It is a useful tool for helping to tackle traffic congestion and poor air quality but it’s fair to say that park and ride has become a victim of its own success and many facilities are full to bursting by 8am.

That can have knock on effects with people parking inconsiderately in nearby residential streets or simply choosing to continue their journey by car so we are focusing on expanding those sites that can bring the most benefit.”

The Bradley Lane park and ride scheme will provide 196 spaces and is due to open this summer. The start of construction follows several weeks of preparation and exploratory work due to former coal mines under the site.

Cllr Bird added: “The future prosperity of our region will rely to a great extent on efficient public transport.

This investment in the Metro system along with proposed improvements to the local rail network is a positive step forward and I very much welcome it.”

Meanwhile planning permission has now been approved for park and ride expansion schemes at Longbridge rail station, including plans for a decked car park, and at Tipton station which could see its 71 space capacity nearly double.

TfWM is also working with Coventry City Council on adding capacity to the existing 330 spaces at Tile Hill.

Transport chiefs expect to see the schemes carried out over the next four or five years with money coming from a variety of sources including the WMCA’s HS2 Connectivity Fund and Capital Programme.

Cllr Roger Lawrence, WMCA portfolio lead for transport and leader of City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “We are looking at investing over £10m in developing and expanding park and ride sites across the West Midlands over the next few years.

We are also looking to establish temporary park and ride sites for the Commonwealth Games and work is already underway to identify suitable locations.

Together with local councils we are developing a Park and Ride strategy that will provide a West Midlands wide approach to future expansion and development so we can bring the maximum benefit to both passengers and residents.”

Subject to further funding being found on top of the £10m, a number of other sites are also being looked at in close liaison with local councils for expansion.

These include Dudley Port, Sandwell and Dudley and Tame Bridge Parkway.  TfWM is also working closely with Solihull Council on plans to increase capacity and improve accessibility.

With the number of adult children sharing the family home with parents at an all-time high, new research from Charter Savings Bank shows they are not always quite so good about sharing details on their finances.

The nationwide study found nearly 69% of parents are open about their finances with their adult children and a further 21% would be happy to discuss money with their adult children, but are never asked. Adult children mainly reciprocate with 69% saying their parents know how much they earn.

But when it comes to debts and savings the 26%² of 20 to 34-year-olds who live with parents – around 3.4 million people – are not as forthcoming. Nearly half (45%) have either debts, savings accounts or both, which their parents are unaware of.

Nearly one in five (18%) have both savings accounts and debts their parents do not know about, while some have secret savings accounts (15%) and others have secret debts (12%).

Adult children living at home are on a good deal, the research shows. Nearly half (47%) of parents do not charge rent for living with them, and the average rent charged by those who do is just £161 a month – a significant saving on average private sector rents.

This reduction in rent is highly beneficial to young adults, as three in ten (30%) admit they would not be able to save for a home if they did not live with their parents. It can, however, be difficult agreeing how much to contribute towards living costs between parents and their adult children, and there are vast differences between families.

Some parents ask for contributions towards food (31%), energy bills (23%), phone and broadband (17%), for example, but a third (33%) do not ask for any contributions at all.

This is at odds with what their children believe they are contributing towards, with 85% believing they put money towards food bills, and a high proportion saying they help parents towards TV and entertainment subscriptions (67%), maintenance (66%) and energy bills (62%).

What Parents and Adult Children Say

The study found that, on the whole, children are honest with their parents about general spending, although sometimes this is only because they are asked directly. Just over a third (35%) openly tell their parents how much they spend on gym or health club memberships, and a further 52% would do if asked.

The aspect of their spending that adult children are least forthcoming about with their parents is transport costs, with a sixth (15%) admitting they wouldn’t tell their parents how much they spend on their car, or taxis and Ubers.

Paul Whitlock, Executive Director, Charter Savings Bank, said: “Keeping debt a secret from close family may be tempting, but a problem shared can be a problem halved, as discussing finances may help alleviate stress.

While living at home, young people have a fantastic opportunity to work towards clearing debt and start saving towards their goals, whether that be buying a property, travelling or further education.

Saving as much as possible from an early age is a great habit to get into; even a small amount will soon grow. It also means people are used to setting aside some of their income each month, which is good practice for when they move out of the family home.”

Ghulab Chandio played an important role in the renovation of Arts Council of Pakistan, he was from very initial people who initiated with us. He was a great actor and a human being. When we started a new group to maintain Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi, he contested in the election, we often see him helping people silently.

Said by President Arts Council of Pakistan Muhammad Ahmed Shah in the condolence reference of famous TV and Film actor Gulab Chandio. On the occasion, Saadat Jafri, Abid Naveed, Sikandar Gill, Tasleem Rana, Rehana Ameen, Asif Mughal, Safi Ur Rehman, Dr. Ayub Shaikh, Sinhala Qureshi, Wakeel Farooqui, Syed Asjad Bukhari, Manzoor Garaz, Munawar Saeed and Ali Gulab also addressed at the Condolence reference including many other family members, friends and those who loved him.

President Arts Council said that Arts Council of now an unbiased institute for the poets, writers, actors, philosophers, and Artists, we are helping these people and giving them opportunities in our capacity. Arts Council is being own by the society and we are working with the help of the society. Member Governing body Arts Council Karachi Iqbal Latif has said Gulab Chandio was a great actor but at the same time he was a greater human being, he worked in different TV shows and films and he did a theatre for us. we spend a great time all together and people like Ghulab Chandio can be born in a hundred years. The other people appreciated his work for film and TV and paid tribute to him.

Children across Birmingham and the West Midlands are being offered the chance to win art materials in a competition to picture their favourite moment.

The winners and runners-up will also see their artwork featured in a special month-long exhibition at a popular Birmingham café.

Organised by John Taylor Hospice in partnership with Oikos Café on Erdington High Street, the Moments that Matter competition is open to children aged 11 or under.

Youngsters are being urged to draw, paint or colour special moments as part of the hospice’s work to encourage families to discuss what matters to them.

John Taylor Hospice Head of Community Engagement Mark Jones said: “Our hospice’s motto is every moment matters so we would like children across the region to create a picture of their special moment. It could be a collage of their favourite holiday, a drawing of their pet, a painting of their family or simply a picture of something they love to do.

We are looking forward to seeing these special moments which are what make life so worthwhile. As a hospice we are there for people as they approach the end of their lives and we also encourage everyone we care for to celebrate their lives – and all their special moments.”

The Moments that Matter competition has been launched by the hospice as part of the Birmingham-wide festival A Matter of Life and Death which aims to encourage people of all ages to have open and honest conversations about living and dying.

The competition forms part of the hospice’s community engagement work with schools, groups and local businesses.

Erdington High Street’s Oikos Café will host the exhibition featuring the winning artwork during the month of May. The winners will also be invited to a special Café Arts Evening of Creativity at Oikos Café on Friday 17 May from 6pm where their prizes will be presented.

Oikos Centre Manager Ben Jeffrey said: “We are really looking forward to hosting the exhibition during May. We know from our creative sessions here at Oikos that children and young people can create amazing works of art and we are delighted to be able to share their achievements with the local community.

Their pictures will be on view to café visitors during our opening hours and we look forward to welcoming the children, their families and their schools to see their art on our walls.”

Closing date for the competition is Wednesday April 27. Entry forms are downloadable from the hospice website and are also available at Oikos Café, John Taylor Hospice charity shops and the hospice reception.

For more information and