Community News

Birmingham Hippodrome has unveiled its newest exhibition Once Upon a Time: A Visual History of Pantomime. The exciting exhibition features previously unseen archived pantomime imagery, celebrating the history of pantomime and its stars. For this unique exhibition, artists Craig Earp and Danny Lloyd created eye-catching pieces using original artwork and re-appropriated archived imagery.

Already in residence in Gallery Two is an exclusive collection from LSE Woman’s Library, marking 100 years since women were first allowed to vote. The Face of Suffrage depicts some of the phenomenal women who were involved in the suffragette movement. The sticking display complements a unique large-scale art installation created by Helen Marshall and co-produced by Grain, which is currently on view at Birmingham New Street Station. Consisting of more than 3,500 photographs the floor-based mosaic combines historical images of women involved in the movement and modern photographs submitted by local women.

Interestingly, friends of Birmingham Hippodrome are also getting in the picture with another exhibition, In the Wings: New Perspective featuring candid photographs captured by two of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s very own ballet dancers turned photographers, Tyrone Singleton and Lachlan Monaghan. Visitors will get a unique view from the wings of the company’s most iconic performances including The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty.

Jonathan Harris, the newly appointed Visual Arts Producer at Birmingham Hippodrome commented: “There’s so much more on offer in our building recently, including some things that you might not expect, like our fantastic exhibitions.

“If you’re coming to see a show it’s well worth you coming in a little earlier or staying a little later to see what exciting pieces we have on display. Or why not just pop in to catch an exhibition and grab a drink in our Coffee Bar as a break from Christmas shopping!”

The artwork is on display in the corridors off the Stalls, Front Circle and Middle Circle foyers (levels 1, 2 & 3).

The recently held International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT) International Community Tourism Conference themed: Building Communities as Businesses, was staged at Mona Visitor’s Lodge, UWI, Mona, November 12-15, 2018 in Jamaica. The four-day event commemorates 2018 as the ‘International Year of Community Tourism & Peace in collaboration with Countrystyle Villages as Businesses’ which represents 40 years of Community Tourism.

The well-organized international conference was Chaired by Mrs. Diana McIntyre-Pike, President, Countrystyle Villages as Businesses and IIPT Caribbean and Co-chaired by Mrs. Gillian Rowlands, Vice President IIPT Caribbean, Master of Ceremonies and Mrs. Valerie Dixon, VP Countrystyle Villages as Businesses. The Conference was supported by title sponsors Compete Caribbean and Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), representing Caribbean governments. The International Conference was presented by IIPT International Community Tourism Network in association with Countrystyle Villages as Businesses, The University of the West Indies Open Campus, Making Connections Work Ltd UK, Diaspora Connect 2022, YES Foundation, Caribbean Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Livelihoods, National Best Communities Foundation and The UWI Mona Tourism Society.

Numerous case studies were showcased and community representative presenters, some of which are mentioned here: Barbados Community Tourism Network, Lopinot Countrystyle Community Tourism Network (Trinidad), Beeston Spring (Westmoreland), Manchester Peace Coalition (An IIPT endorsed project), Treasure Beach (First Village Home of Community Tourism), Marcus Garvey & Taino Heritage (Mandeville & Resource Village), Rastafari Indigenous Village and Charles Town Maroon Village (Portland). Displays of Villages as Businesses products were represented by Orange Bay, Beeston Spring, and Kitson Town, Resource Village and others which featured Agri-tourism Arts & Craft, Wellness & Music.

Outstanding presentations were well received from UWI lecturers Dr Carolyn Hayle, Dr. K’adamawe K’nife and Professor Ian Boxill, Vice Principal UWI and Chairman Countrystyle Villages as Businesses. Compete Caribbean/Caribbean Tourism Organization shared their community-based/sustainable tourism programme for the Caribbean region. Coldwell Bankers one of the main sponsors, Charles Town Maroon Council, Treasure Beach Community Tourism displays were just a few examples on exhibit.

Dr. Louis D’Amore, Founder & President International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT) was the Opening speaker. His presence was impactful because he chose to attend the International Conference in Jamaica instead of the highly acclaimed World Travel Market in London.  Days before the IIPT International Community Tourism Conference, Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett was awarded the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT) “Champions in Challenge” Award honoring leaders who have overcome exceptional challenges exhibiting leadership in their words & deeds on November 8, 2018 in London.

Dr Luz Longsworth, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the UWI Open Campus gave the official welcome to the Conference where she shared their commitment to community tourism in partnership with the Countrystyle Academy for Community Tourism (ACT) with the Community Tourism Hospitality Entrepreneurship training programme and other initiatives for educating communities in Jamaica and the Caribbean region.

The Conference Welcome Reception was sponsored by Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston, which featured Theo Chambers, CEO, Panacarib Business Solutions and guest speaker Alexander Pike, General Manager, the new R Hotel in Kingston who shared the proposed Community Tourism programme for Kingston.

Community Tourism pioneer, Diana McIntyre-Pike’s opening statement called on communities to become independent through entrepreneurship, education and training.  Community lifestyle experiences, ‘pick a project and ‘adopt a project’ adds value to visitor experiences. “People don’t want something set up for visitors, they want to enjoy us as Jamaican people.” She continued in saying “this conference was an important one to show the economic benefits of developing rural and urban communities as businesses to promote and attract investment opportunities for local entrepreneurs in their own environment through training and education, which we can provide from the Academy for Community Tourism (ACT) in partnership with the UWI Open Campus.”  She concluded in thanking the UWI Open Campus for granting the Community Tourism Hospitality Entrepreneurship training programme accreditation by UWI Open Campus.

During the early part of his speech, Dr. D’Amore took the opportunity to highlight Diana McIntyre-Pike’s illustrious achievements in Community Tourism, reflecting on how she branded ‘community tourism’ along with her late Community Tourism partner Desmond Henry. He spoke of her numerous awards totalling over 30 some which include appointment by the Jamaican government to the Order of Distinction for Tourism and Community Service, Virgin Holiday Responsible Tourism Award at World Travel Market for the Best Personal Contribution to the world jointly with TUI and IIPT Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Man of Peace, Dr. D’Amore, recounted a history of wars and conflict on the planet noting “as of 2015 there were 50 ongoing conflicts in the world and it is estimated that 90% of current war casualties are civilians, the majority of whom are women and children”. Led by the conviction of no more wars, Dr. Amore has passionately engaged in activities to increase peace parks with the goal of 2000 international peace parks circling the earth by Nov. 11, 2020. Over the years, IIPT has continued to dedicate peace parks as a legacy at international conferences. He highlighted when Mandeville Jamaica became the first IIPT Peace Town with the first Peace Park in the Caribbean in 2013, along with Treasure Beach as the first IIPT Peace Village and Peace Park.

In conclusion, D’Amore left the audience with this thought: “The tourism industry with its global presence has the potential to help preserve the world’s biodiversity as an integral part of God’s creation to facilitate the connection and positive interaction among all of God’s children particularly through Community Tourism.”

A Birmingham graduate has revealed how her time on a unique gaming course equipped her for a role developing one of the world’s biggest video games.

Cissy Biri, who graduated from Birmingham City University in 2016, is among the tech team behind Rockstar Games’ smash hit prequel, ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’.

The Western-themed game, which follows outlaw Arthur Morgan, has already proved a major hit with gamers and sold more than 17 million copies in its first two weeks.

Now the Birmingham graduate has revealed that her time on the unique Gamer Camp Biz Master’s course was crucial to her landing the position of Animation Production Coordinator for ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’.

During her time at the University, Cissy was given the opportunity to sharpen her skills in video game production and worked with a team to produce the ‘Xtreme Drone Racing’ game, which gave players the chance to race virtual drones in a series of different locations.

The Gamer Camp course is designed to equip students with the real-world skills needed to work among some of the world’s biggest games companies, and Cissy explained how it had been integral to preparing her for her role at Rockstar North, part of Rockstar Games.

Cissy Biri is from Athens in Greece and now based in Edinburgh. She said:

“My time at Gamer Camp Biz has had a big impact on my current role at Rockstar North. Having experienced project delivery and working in interdisciplinary teams helped me hit the ground running in my production career.

“The production methodologies and best practices I studied have been indispensable while working on cutting edge technological projects of this scale and ambition. Gamer Camp Biz provided me with the tools I needed to not only get a job at a leading studio, but also to continue to learn and grow.”

Birmingham City University’s Gamer Camp allows students to take part in a number of different video game disciplines, from Video Game Digital Art, to Video Game Enterprise, Production and Design.

Zuby Ahmed, Associate Professor of Games Design at Birmingham City University, said:

“Year upon year we have a fantastic relationship with Rockstar Games; they recognise that the teaching and learning within Gamer Camp is of a really high industry-standard, so our graduates are able to hit the ground running at lightning speed.

“I am so very proud to know that several of our recent graduates, including Cissy, have already gone on to help shape ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ become the global success it is.”

Chiswick Auctions this week sold the first ever printed edition of the Bible in English for £37,500 over four times its’ low pre-sale estimate of £8,000 to a private collector.

Described as the most important book in the English Language, the ‘Tyndale Bible’ was the first to be translated directly from Hebrew and Greek, by William Tyndale.

This copy is Tyndale’s Final revision and is the first of seven editions, dating from 1536. Most of the early copies of Tyndale’s New Testament are in bad condition, or have been destroyed, as although thousands of them were smuggled into England, they were vigorously hunted and destroyed by ecclesiastical authorities, thus making this exceptionally rare.

The University of Wolverhampton is opening a new centre of the Institute of Physics (IOP), to foster activities and awareness of the public at large in all the areas of Physics.

The Institute of Physics is a leading scientific worldwide membership society working to advance Physics. The opening of the Wolverhampton IOP centre will be celebrated with an inaugural lecture in a series of events to promote the science.

The first lecture will be given by a leading forensics expert outlining how a degree in Physics prepared him for the world of work.

David Wilkinson, Midlands Regional Officer for the Institute of Physics, will be giving a talk on ‘Medical to forensic research: it’s all the same physics’ on Wednesday 12^th December at City Campus in Wolverhampton.

David graduated from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 2001 with a degree in physics with medical applications. He immediately went to work for the Home Office as a government science in what was then called the Police Scientific Development Branch. He became a project manager in the less-lethal weapons programme and ran the scientific assessment of TASER technology before its introduction to the UK in 2005. He then moved to drugs detection where he worked with University College London on a project using low-angle X-ray scattering.

In 2007 he became the Midlands Regional Officer for the Institute of Physics and has subsequently gained Chartered Physicist status and been appointed a visiting fellow at Nottingham Trent University. David is also a published science fiction author, with his second novel published this year.

Fabrice Laussy, Professor of Physics in the School of Sciences at the University, said: “We’re really pleased to offer our first Institute of Physics sponsored event – the first of a series of events which will really put the spotlight on the subject matter of physics which has been recently re-introduced by the University of Wolverhampton as a degree subject.

“Physics is the most multi-facetted of science, and the Wilkinson seminar will show how a degree in physics prepared David for work in all kinds of unexpected areas. Future lectures will further illustrate this point with topics spanning from formula 1 car (in January) to the connection between Astronomy and Art (in April). All events are open to the members of the public with an interest in the sciences.”

The FREE lecture will take place in Wulfruna Building (MA030), Wulfruna Street on Wednesday 12^th December from 7.00 pm until 9.00 pm, with refreshments available at the start of the evening. Book your place here.

A Sandwell organisation which offers much-needed services to visually impaired people in the borough has been awarded a council grant to buy computer equipment to improve its work.

The Sandwell Visually Impaired group offers services to an estimated 1,400 registered visually impaired people in the borough to help them live independent lives.

SVI spokesperson Sandra Troth said: "We respond to the needs of anyone who is affected by sight loss and seek to support them to overcome issues and concerns, encouraging and supporting them to live the life of their choosing.

"We help those who are recently diagnosed to access services and acquire coping skills, as well as providing on going peer support and a range of services to longer term blind and visually impaired people."

Now the group has been given a £1,000 town grant from Sandwell to increase its ability for volunteer workers to work alongside paid staff. "We will now seek volunteers and work with local colleges and specialist providers to offer short work-placement opportunities for visually impaired students," said Sandra, a development officer with SVI.

"The grant will enable us to purchase up-to-date equipment and we will install accessibility software so that the new computer is equally accessible to sighted and visually impaired people alike,” she said.

"The large monitor will make it easier for partially sighted helpers to use and the audio equipment will make audio typing easier for writing up minutes and letters," she added.

A new reliable computer would enable the members to produce newsletters, leaflets and flyers.

Councillor Ann Shackleton, Sandwell Council's cabinet member for social care, said: “This organisation does such a great job for visually impaired people and I am very pleased that the council has been able to support them with a grant.

"I would also like to thank Councillor Shirley Hosell for her continued support for this group."

Deputy council leader Councillor Syeda Khatun said: “I was very pleased to hear that the grant from the council will lead to an improvement to services at SVI to support the excellent work they do.”

Winner of the first ever Women of the World Poetry Slam in 2008, Andrea Gibson remains one of the most captivating performers in the spoken word poetry scene today. Known for pulling hearts out of chests to either wrench or kiss, Gibson has authored four full-length collections of poems, an illustrated book of their most memorable quotes (Take Me With You, Penguin 2018), and has released seven beloved albums. Gibson regularly sells out 500+ capacity standing room only venues to eager audiences,mouthing along every word, further popularizing the art form and creating a space for each person in the room to feel, and to heal.

In a fierce oscillation between activism and love, Andrea Gibson’s newest literary triumph, released Nov 2018, ‘Lord of the Butterflies’ is a masterful showcase from the renowned poet whose writing and performances have captured the hearts of millions. An artful and nuanced look at gender, romance, loss, and family, this is also a show of protest. While rioting against gun violence, homophobia, and white supremacy, Gibson celebrates gender expansion, queer love, and the will to stay alive. Each emotion in ‘Lord of the Butterflies’ is deft and delicate, resting within imagery heavy enough to sink the heart, while giving the body wings to soar.

Andrea’s ‘Lord of The Butterflies’ tour will be coming to the Uk May 2019.

Middlesbrough's young people are leading the way in the campaign to help people living with dementia thanks to a record-breaking effort.

More than 300 students at Middlesbrough College took part in a Dementia Friends session in a single sign-up event run by Dementia Friendly Middlesbrough Project in partnership with Middlesbrough College

Dementia Friendly project lead Brian Rowcroft said he had “never seen anything like it before and was delighted to be part of such a successful initative” and Middlesbrough Mayor Dave Budd hailed the young people’s understanding and commitment to the issue.

Middlesbrough was awarded Dementia Friendly status in 2016 following a huge amount of work to promote the issue as part of an election pledge from Mr Budd.

Since then hundreds of businesses and local organisations have signed up to the scheme and their staff and members undergone the necessary awareness sessions and become Dementia Friends.

However, the event at Middlesbrough College is thought to have seen the biggest sign up of Dementia Friends ever undertaken.

In total, 330 students at the college became Dementia Friends in one afternoon thanks to Dementia friend’s sessions provided by 19 Dementia Champions.

Mayor Budd said: “This generation of young people at Middlesbrough College have made a real positive statement about how they want to be part of a helpful and understanding society.

“I am incredibly proud that young people in Middlesbrough are leading the way on this issue. The sheer number who took part is amazing, unprecedented in our experience and very possibly a record.”

Zoe Lewis, principal and chief executive of Middlesbrough College, said: “We’re thrilled to have hosted this important Dementia Friends event in Middlesbrough College.

“Our students are motivated to support their communities, and take their responsibilities towards vulnerable and disadvantaged people very seriously.

“I’m constantly inspired by our staff and students and it’s fantastic to see so many learning about dementia so they’ll be able to make a positive impact on other people’s lives.”

Inspirational teachers, talented students and awesome support staff packed into Alexandra Palace for this year’s highly anticipated Outstanding for All awards.

The Haringey Council awards, now in their sixth year, celebrate achievement in education across the borough, with categories recognising a host of roles and subjects.

The awards were hosted for the second year running by TV star and Haringey resident Jacqueline Shepherd, who was joined on stage by students Billie Krish and Jakaya Jenkins.

Award presenters included a very special sporting star and Spurs fans were delighted when goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga took to the stage to present the Achievement in Sport Award.

Everyone nominated for an award will also receive tickets to an upcoming Spurs game.

Other award presenters included the Mayor of Haringey Cllr Gina Adamou; representatives from the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London; Haringey Sixth Form College; Ada National College of Digital Skills and Haringey Education Partnership.

Jacqueline said:

“What an honour to return to Alexandra Palace to host these awards. I was very lucky to be joined by some brilliant co-hosts and once again I was blown away by the stories of achievement from Haringey’s young people.”

Guests were also treated to spectacular performances from some of the borough’s most talented young stars, including St Paul’s and All Hallows’ Junior School choir; St Mary’s CofE Primary School Dance Group, Haringey Vox, Haringey Senior Musicians’ Guitar Group and Park View School Dance Group.

Mayor of Haringey Cllr Gina Adamou, who presented the Cllr Egan Achievement award, said:

“It was absolutely fantastic to be joined by so many of our schools and young people, celebrating the amazing efforts of our school community. Events like this remind us why we are so proud of our schools in Haringey and we heard some truly inspirational stories. Thank you to everyone who took part and supported this year’s awards, as well as those who nominated, and a massive congratulations to all of our winners, runners up and nominees.”

Paulo Gazzaniga said:

“It’s important that we support events such as these and recognise the achievements of people in the Club’s local community. I would like to congratulate the winners on their accomplishments and wish them the best of luck for the future.”

This year, Save the Children’s annual Christmas Jumper Day is taking place on Friday 14^th December.

Flashing, festive knits will be sweeping the nation once again as schools, homes and offices across the country will be ditching their day-to-day dress and donning their daftest, most wonderful woollies for the annual fundraiser.

From knits festooned in jingling bells to jumpers covered in lights, shiny neon tinsel and technicoloured baubles, Save the Children is expecting over 5 million people across the UK to take part in the biggest, silliest Christmas Jumper Day ever. Whether it’s with Christmassy colleagues, sparkly school friends or just you and your merry mates, by sticking on a fabulously festive knit, signing up and donating £2 to Save the Children (£1 if you’re at school) at christmasjumperday.org, you will be helping give children hope for a better future.

This year, a range of celebrities have co-knitted to Christmas Jumper Day, including Katie Piper, Kimberley Wyatt, Gary Kemp, Aston Merrygold, Binky Felstead, Georgia Toffolo, Joel Dommett and Love Island’s Eyal Booker, Chris Hughes and Kem Cetinay, who have all popped on a festive pullover to mark their support for the campaign.

To help ready shoppers for the big day, some of the UK’s leading retailers will also be selling exclusive products for women, men and children which carry a donation to Save the Children’s vital work - helping the charity build a better future for children in the UK and around the world.

The Amazon Fashion UK Christmas Jumper Store will be live from 1st November until the 31st December. For every eligible Christmas Jumper [or Christmas clothing/accessory] purchased from the Christmas Jumper Store on amazon.co.uk and smile.amazon.co.uk, Amazon will donate 20% to Save the Children.

Save the Children and Selfish Mother will join forces for a third year with a new series of slogan sweatshirts. The range of unisex, organic cotton sweatshirts come in black or red with festive gold slogans: PEACE, LOVE, HOPE AND JOY. They will be priced at £55 with a 50% donation to Save the Children and exclusively available to pre-order from Selfish Mother’s online shop, ‘The FMLY Store’ from 1st November.

WHSmith has teamed up with Tom Fletcher to launch the first ever Christmasaurus cuddly toy, based on his bestselling book The Christmasaurus and designed in partnership with the leading author. This festive friend will be sold exclusively by WHSmith for £14.99 with a £3 donation to Save the Children. A limited edition of The Christmasaurus book will also be sold for £6.99 with a 50p donation to the charity’s vital work.

Peppa Pig loves Christmas, everyone loves Christmas… This year Entertainment One’s (eOne) Peppa Pig will be teaming up with Save the Children to support the biggest Christmas Jumper Day yet! There will be a range of Peppa Pig Christmas goodies to spoil your little piggies – including a Peppa Pig Christmas Puzzle and a range of Christmas jumpers.

HeadStart Wolverhampton is joining forces with local community organisations to provide a range of family-friendly activities to help get young people in the festive spirit.

Auditions took place earlier this month, with 13 acts through to the Friday’s final including a 90-year-old singing sensation. Other acts include dance groups, gymnastics, magicians and comedy performances.

On Saturday (1 December) people can enjoy a festive pantomime at the Bob Jones Community Hub at 3pm. Chaplins Pantos will be performing the children’s classic Cinderella, but with a twist – this year, Cinderella will encourage emotional resilience and promoting positive mental health and emotional wellbeing. Tickets can be bought from the Bob Jones Community Hub for £5.

After the pantomime, families are invited to YMCA Black Country’s free festive activities at the Bob Jones Community Hub on Saturday from 5pm to 6.30pm or at the Harvest Temple Church Hall, Wolverhampton Road, on Monday 10 December from 3.30pm to 6.30pm.

Express your creativity with relaxing arts and crafts, enjoy puzzle-solving team games or take a break with mindfulness sessions. There’s also a chance to win a family festive hamper in the raffle, with other prizes including high street gift vouchers, and free mince pies for everyone on arrival.

For more information, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 01902 371562.

Also starting on Saturday is Gazebo Theatre’s Winter Wonderland at Bilston Town Hall. Parents, families and children of all ages can enjoy this magical interactive experience which will see people work together to solve puzzles and find clues to discover the true meaning of Christmas – with a little help from the Cheeky Elves and your favourite pantomime characters.

The Winter Wonderland is open every Thursday and Friday from noon to 3pm and Saturdays from 11am to 4pm until Christmas. For more information, please visit www.7905d1c4e12c54933a44d19fcd5f9356-gdprlock/GazeboTheatre.

HeadStart Wolverhampton, part of a £56m National Lottery funded programme set-up by Big Lottery Fund, is designed to improve the emotional mental health and wellbeing of children and young people aged 10 to 16 by giving them the skills they need to cope with the challenges of modern life.

Councillor Paul Sweet, the City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said “We are pleased to be working with local organisations to provide a wonderful programme of Christmas events.

“There’s plenty to get you in the festive mood, as well as supporting the emotional wellbeing of our young people.”

As well as running a series of specific programmes in its four key target areas, HeadStart Wolverhampton offers city-wide help through a Support and Guidance Directory at http://support.headstartonline.co.uk which provides emotional mental health and wellbeing resources from different organisations, including information targeted at young people, parents and carers, and professionals.

Projects to keep young people safe were at the top of the list as Sandwell’s Safer 6 campaign swung into action in Oldbury.

Clean-ups also saw rubbish cleared by offenders as well as volunteer litter picks.

Each of Sandwell’s six towns has a focus week during the six-week Safer 6 campaign, which promotes safety, crime prevention and healthy living to all ages.

Oldbury Local office held an information roadshow in Oldbury Civic Square, which saw a wide range of Safer Sandwell partner organisations promoting the services and support they offer.

More than 70 pupils from Christ Church C of E Primary School came along, learning about safety. They even got the chance to sit in a police car and fire engine and climb aboard the Youth Bus and Eco Bus.

Among the Oldbury week’s many highlights:

• Nearly 70 young people attended Staying Safe workshops run by the council’s young people’s services team – on the Burnt Tree estate, Brook Road, by Rounds Green Library and at Langley Youth Club – which covered anything from personal safety to the dangers of drugs.
• Police – supported by the fire service, schools and Deputy Mayor of Sandwell Councillor Carol Goult – launched the ‘Bin the Knife: Save a Life’ wristbands project. Wristbands are being distributed to thousands of students in local schools to encourage solidarity against carrying knives. Police also encouraged people to dispose of knives in the weapons surrender bin at Sainsbury’s Oldbury.
• Nearly 40 children enjoyed Go Play Sandwell’s Let’s Play sessions at Bleakhouse Library, Rounds Green Library and Brades Green play area.
• Offenders doing unpaid Community Payback put in 110 hours, clearing nearly 1.7 tonnes of rubbish and overgrown trees and bushes at the old Beeches Road allotment site and in Groveland Road.
• Sandwell Crime Prevention Panel volunteers and police gave advice to shoppers visiting Sainsbury’s Oldbury, Oldbury Civic Square and ASDA Oldbury. They talked to more than 300 people, handing out 266 property marking packs, 240 purse bells, 151 card protector sleeves, 122 Faraday pouches for car key fobs and 86 personal attack alarms. Sandwell Police also signed up people to their WMNow email messages.
• Oldbury Local, police and councillors held community speedwatch operations on roads in Langley, Oldbury, Bristnall and Old Warley wards, checking the speeds of hundreds of vehicles and issuing warnings to more than 20 found to be speeding.
• Police held a road safety operation at Birchley Island, stopping more than 20 vehicles. Two vehicles were seized for insurance and licence issues, one was issued with prohibition notice for bald tyres.
• Oldbury Local and council anti-social behaviour officers chatted to residents and raised awareness of community safety on the Lion Farm estate and at Lancaster House. Anti-social behaviour officers also joined environmental protection officers dealing with complaints about parking in New Henry Street. Police issued anti-social behaviour warning letters to 19 people in the Brandhall area.
• Council trading standards and neighbourhoods officers, the fire service and police held white goods safety roadshows and delivered advice letters to residents at Lancaster House, Heronville House, Paget House and Wryley House. The fire service also carried out 29 ‘Safe and Well’ checks at these flats to advise on smoke alarms, fire safety and general wellbeing.
• Litter Watch volunteers carried out litter picks in Pinfold Street and Lion Farm estate, collecting 23 bags of litter.
• Council domestic abuse officers and Black Country Women’s Aid provided advice at the Oldbury Civic Square roadshow and visited local hairdressers to raise awareness of support available.
• Road safety officers gave safety tips to pupils at Rounds Green Primary School.
• A surgery for residents with police and council neighbourhoods officers was held at Rounds Green Library.
• The anti-slavery van was in Oldbury Civic Square to encourage people to spot the signs of slavery and human trafficking and know how to report these issues.
• A walkabout was held in the Broadwell Road/Flash Road area raising awareness to residents about potential rogue traders.
• The council’s private sector housing team promoted advice for tenants and landlords about empty homes at an information stand in the main foyer of Sandwell Council House, Oldbury.

The £5.2million project is courtesy of a Heritage Lottery Fund grant as part of its nationwide ‘Parks for People’ initiative.

Thanks to National Lottery players, the focal point of the project will include a new two storey pavilion located in the centre of the park to replace the original refreshment rooms lost in the 1980’s. This will bring the community activity back into the centre of the park with the facility due to open to the public in January 2021.

This much anticipated restoration and revitalisation of West Smethwick Park will also include a comprehensive programme of targeted community and fitness activities ranging from dance, exercise, & martial arts classes, to environmental training exhibitions and community art projects with strong references to the history of the Chance Family Glass works. A contemporary new café will offer a good quality and value catering service on site, which reflects cultural and dietary needs.

Additionally, the new facility will be a welcoming environment for local schools and groups, as well as the local arts and heritage scene, plus there are plans to host mini sports festivals.

Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for leisure Councillor Bill Gavan said: “The new pavilion at West Smethwick Park is going to be a fantastic asset for the local community. The project as a whole is going to transform the park and a big part of that will be the new pavilion and the superb leisure, community and heritage opportunities it’s going to bring.

“It will also be a stone’s throw from the new aquatics centre and another great thing for Smethwick to look forward to. I look forward to seeing the new pavilion open to the public and being enjoyed as a place for fun, fitness and families.”

 Lynda Bateman, Chair of the SLT Board, says: “We are delighted to be awarded this exciting contract to manage what will be a fantastic new £5m+ leisure and community facility and legacy, located in the heart of West Smethwick Park from 2021. We continue to work hard in partnership with Sandwell Council to deliver the shared objectives of providing quality sport, leisure and community facilities and activity space for the whole neighbourhood to enjoy.

“One of the Council’s main aims is to make Sandwell’s green spaces highly valued, well used and a focus for community pride and this timely investment will breathe new life and potential into West Smethwick Park, strengthen our local communities and provide a great outdoor place for people to get together, relax and exercise.”

Thank you to everyone who attended on Friday evening at the ICC, from our sponsors, to our readers and everyone inbetween, and a massive congratulations to all of the award winners, we hope you had an amazing night.

Look out for photos coming soon!

Liz Topliss, 75, from Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands, has won a national award for volunteering after leading a stroke group and supporting the stroke community in various roles for almost 40 years.

The Stroke Association’s ‘Life After Stroke Award for Volunteering’ was presented to Liz by Actress Elizabeth McGovern, at a ceremony at the Landmark hotel in London on 21 November 2018.

On hearing that she had won a Life After Stroke Award, Liz said: “I wasn’t expecting it and I feel very humbled and surprised. Stroke survivors are very inspiring people, so to be part of that community is an honour. It’s so encouraging to see such courage every day. Stroke has become a passion and it did take over my life – wherever I go I have my ‘stroke’ hat on.”

Liz decided to join the Sutton Coldfield stroke club after a close friend had a stroke. Unfortunately Liz had lost three of her grandparents to the condition and later on, in addition to running the club, she cared for her mother for nine years following a stroke.

Originally applying to volunteer as a driver for the club, Liz soon found herself on the committee before being made secretary of the club and eventually club organiser.

Liz said: “I ended up becoming a member of the committee almost by accident. I was there a couple of months before I was made secretary of the club. When the organiser resigned, I stepped up as I felt as Secretary, it was my role to keep things going for a few months.”

Remarkably, Liz was still leading the club 32 years later. With over 50 members and 25 volunteers, the club has become a life line for many people. Stroke survivors have said it’s a place they can find empathy and mutual support as well as stimulating activities including speech therapy, group outings, craft workshops and physiotherapy sessions.

Liz said: “One of the things that made the group such a success is that we didn’t look at people as stroke survivors but as people who enjoyed being together but just happened to have strokes. We would help our members have a go at things and in turn they could start living again.”

Liz retired from the organiser role in 2017 after over three decades but still maintains a close association to the club as one its Trustees.

As if managing a hugely successful stroke club wasn’t enough, in 2014 Liz also became a committee member for the UK Stroke Forum, a coalition of 30 organisations committed to improving stroke care in the UK. The annual conference attracts over 1,400 professionals from across the whole stroke pathway.

As a member of the scientific conference committee, Liz engages with stroke survivors and carers across the UK to ensure their concerns are being heard by professionals and other decision makers. She has also worked on various projects including developing a scientific session at the Forum to showcase the importance of difficult decisions at the end of life and how vital it is to engage carers.

Throughout her work, Liz has become fascinated with the brain and the priceless value of research especially in the field of vascular dementia, a condition often associated with stroke.

Liz said: “Working with professionals at the top of their game was a bit scary at first but everyone was very welcoming. Unfortunately, the resources just aren’t there to do everything we want to do. There isn’t enough provision for rehabilitation but things have changed a lot thanks to the work of the Stroke Association, they have put stroke on the map but there is still a lot of work to do.”

This year’s UKSF will be the last one for Liz who is the Lead Service User representative and the longest standing member on the committee.

Tony Banks who is head of Stroke Association conferences and events said: “This is our last year with Liz at the forefront of volunteering which will be such a huge loss to the stroke community. Everyone that has worked with Liz comments on how dedicated, knowledgeable and passionate she is – they can’t quite imagine the stroke world without her. We would like to wish her well with her retirement and hope she enjoys some well-earned downtime with her devoted husband Colin.”

Elizabeth, who presented Liz with her award said: “It is a real joy to be asked to give Liz this award. She is a remarkable volunteer who has so much drive and genuine determination to improve stroke care and the quality of life for stroke survivors. She is an inspiration after 40 years of loyal service to this amazing cause.”