Parkrun arrives in North Solihull

A NEW fitness event is now up-and-running at Babbs Mill Park.
The Kingshurst site will be the setting for a 5km parkrun every Saturday morning, with residents invited to complete the timed circuit.
The council's public health team hopes that the course will mirror the success of the run which is already taking place at Brueton Park, in the south of the borough.
Tudor Grange Kingshurst Academy has also lent a hand in setting things up.
Coun Karen Grinsell, cabinet member for adult social care and health, said "I am delighted that Solihull now has two venues for parkruns.
"These events bring together people of all ages and levels of fitness."
As well as helping residents to lose weight, it is hoped that the weekly session will benefit mental health.
In fact many GPs are being encouraged to "prescribe" outdoor activity to those grappling with conditions like depression and anxiety.
Those interested in getting involved are invited down to Babbs Mill tomorrow (Saturday, August 21) at 8.30am. More details are available at the official parkrun website.

Expansion of school parking scheme in Marston Green

A PARKING crackdown is set to be introduced in roads around Marston Green Junior School next year.
Tough new measures – preventing parents from parking in or even driving through certain streets at peak times – were announced last month.
Similar restrictions have been in force at nearby Marston Green Infant Academy since September 2017.
Now the council has confirmed that it plans to extend its School Streets scheme to three more locations in the coming months.
Among the sites set to be included in the latest phase of the project is Marston Green Juniors. According to road chiefs, the restrictions will be introduced either after Christmas or following next year’s February half-term.

Uncover our Anglo Saxon history in Kingshurst

DELVE into North Solihull's Anglo Saxon past with a family history event later this month.
Next Saturday (September 21), the Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst will be opening up its outdoor education centre.
This is a chance to try your hand at archery, don Dark Age chainmail, get a glimpse at a working forge and see how wheat is milled.
There will also be information on hand about the Chelmund and Beorma tribes, who settled in the Cole Valley area more than 1,000 years ago.
The heritage open day will be taking place at the Cooks Lane site from 10am-2pm. Activities are free for all.

"Fake beggars" target North Solihull shops

BEGGARS have become an increasingly common sight in the centres of both Castle Brom and Chelmsley Wood, a recent report admitted.
There have been concerns in recent months about a growing number of individuals preying on people’s good nature by pretending to be homeless.
Solihull Council has confirmed that the majority of beggars in the borough in actual fact have a roof over their head.
And it has named North Solihull’s largest shopping areas as among the “hotspots” to have seen a dramatic increase in activity.
Coun Alison Rolf, cabinet member for stronger and safer communities, suggested that shoppers needed to be wary.
“The trouble in Solihull is that people are generous, people are concerned and in some respects that’s being taken advantage of by some of these people.
“That’s what we’re trying to get to the bottom of. Who genuinely needs our help and who are the ones who are just really thinking that we are a soft touch here in Solihull.”
Figures show that reports of begging have increased most dramatically over the last 12 to 18 months. In the whole of 2017 there were just 20 reports in total, whereas almost 300 cases were flagged up in the first four months of this year.
This rise isn’t unique to Solihull, but locally it could have been driven by a greater number of people coming in from Birmingham.
Amid concerns that the problem is having a negative effect on shopping parades and fuelling issues like drug use and intimidation, the authorities have drawn up a new strategy.
Organisations like the police and council will also be investigating suggestions that some begging is being “coordinated” by criminal gangs.
Alison McGrory, a senior council officer, has admitted that some of the activity appeared to be “organised”.
Smith’s Wood councillor Ben Groom (Green) said it was important that publicity about con merchants didn’t overshadow the plight of those who really had fallen on hard times.
“It’s hard enough being homeless,” he said.

Funding boost for Chelmsley gardening project

A CHELMSLEY Wood group which transforms neglected land into gardens has received a £5,000 boost, thanks to money seized from criminals.
The Police and Crime Commissioner has confirmed cash from his Active Citizens Fund will pay for new uniforms and gardening equipment for Gro-Organic's Dig-it Crew.
It is the latest hand-out from the pot of money, which enables criminals' ill-gotten gains to be put to good use in the community.
The Gro-Organic team grow fruit and vegetables, care for rescued battery hens, and help counteract food poverty through community cooking events and distributing food to vulnerable groups in the community.
David Jamieson, the West Midlands PCC, said: "It is pleasing to see how money seized from criminals can be spent making a real difference in the community.
"Transforming abandoned tracts of land into lively community gardens, gives local residents a sense of pride in their area, helping to reduce criminal damage and anti-social behaviour."
Gro-Organic's chief executive Sarah Gill said: "Since 2013, the Dig-it crew have been shaping and transforming the local area.
"The money given by the Police and Crime Commissioner will help us increase the number of community gardens in the local area and support more vulnerable adults to get involved in volunteering."

Chelmsley Wood playground secures seven-year lease

MERIDEN Adventure Playground has received a major boost after the council agreed a long-term lease.
The local authority recently approved a seven-year lease with the trustees who run the Chelmsley Wood site.
The deal is designed to give the playground long-term security and make it easier to apply for funding from elsewhere.
Many grants often hinge on an organisation being able to prove that it has some assurances about how long it can remain at a location.
Chris Barr, the council’s head of public realm, said the playground’s request for a more long-term arrangement was “entirely reasonable”.
An immense amount of work has been done by the Meriden Adventure Playground Association
(MAPA) to make the facility self-sufficient.

This follows the council’s controversial decision to bring funding to an end in 2017.
Other Side of Solihull has since reported on the extraordinary efforts of residents to keep the site going.
Coun Ken Hawkins, the cabinet member for environment and highways, paid tribute to them at the recent meeting.
“We went through all the angst two years ago ... when the council made the decision to pull away from some of this type of funding.
“I think it’s smashing how they’ve evolved, become sustainable and getting grant funding [from elsewhere].”

Meriden MP reveals "death threats" after announcing retirement

DEPARTURE: The Meriden MP at a meeting
in Kingshurst a few weeks ago.

NORTH Solihull's MP has announced she will not fight another election, after revealing she has suffered death threats and abuse.
Dame Caroline Spelman, who has represented Meriden since 1997, told the BBC she had faced a torrent of personal attacks.
The 61-year-old had previously been expected to stand as the Conservative candidate for a seventh time prior to this week's announcement.
On Wednesday the former cabinet minister had voted against her party to help pass a bill to prevent a no-deal Brexit. She had escaped the fate of more than 20 Tory rebels who had been deselected after defying a three-line whip a day earlier.
Despite this yesterday came confirmation that Dame Caroline would not defend her seat at the next General Election, which now looks almost certain to happen within months.
In a tweet posted on Thursday morning, she said: "It has been a privilege to serve the constituency over the last 22 years, but the time has come for a new person to represent the interests of Meriden in a new Parliament which will be dominated by the consequences of Brexit."
Later in the day she divulged that she and her family, as well as staff, had endured abuse.
Chelmsley Wood councillor Chris Williams (Green) was among those to condemn these tactics.
"When violence and death threats are used as political tools rather than the ballot box, we should all be alarmed," he tweeted.
"@spelmanc being hounded out of politics in this way is wrong. I worry for democracy and for MPs across the political divide."
A candidate for the seat could be found fairly quickly given the likelihood of a contest this autumn.
It remains to be seen if the Tories opt for someone local or if an activist from further afield is selected; as a safe seat, the constituency is likely to attract significant interest from would-be MPs.

Caroline Spelman's career:
1997: Elected as Meriden's MP following the death of Iain Mills earlier that year. Her majority is just over 500.
2001: Joins the shadow cabinet under new Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith.
2007: She is named as the new party chairman - her most senior role to date.
2008: The MP faces controversy over allegations about the payment of her children's nanny.
2010: Appointed Environment Secretary in David Cameron's first cabinet - one of only a handful of women to be handed a senior role in his government.
2012: Returned to backbenches following reshuffle. An unpopular policy to sell off forests - which was ultimately abandoned - is thought to have harmed her prospects.
2016: Is made a Dame in Mr Cameron's 'Resignation Honours List'.
2017: Re-elected by a majority of almost 20,000.
2019: Announces her decision to stand down.

Council funding for Hall Gardens to end

COUNCIL funding for Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens is set to come to an end in 2022.
In the past the historic site – often described as “a hidden gem” – has relied heavily on local authority support.
And while another £75,000 will be handed over during the next three years, the council has said that this will be the “final grant”.
It has not entirely shut the door on offering further help in future, but the pay-out will bring the long-term arrangement to an end.
It is hoped this cash, and a separate grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, will help the gardens on its way to becoming self-sufficient.
Coun Joe Tildesley, cabinet member for leisure, tourism and sport, has recently met with the trust which manages the site.
“We’ve given the Hall Gardens ... a considerable sum of money per year, around £35,000 a year,” he said.
“What we’ve decided is that we can’t carry on giving them that sum of money, so what we will do is give them this lump sum. [This will be] with the very clear understanding that they must then live by their own means. And I do know they have very ambitious plans.”
Coun Laura McCarthy (Lib Dem, Elmdon) said the gardens were a real credit to the borough.
“It’s such a gem – it’s a beautiful, beautiful venue.”
While the gardens survived the rapid expansion of the surrounding suburb during the 20th century, by the 1980s they had become badly overgrown.
It was then that a trust was set up to help restore the land to its former glory.
For the first 20 years or so, the visitor attraction had received money from both Solihull Council and Birmingham City Council.
The Birmingham money had come to an end around a decade ago, while Solihull had continued to provide funding at a reduced rate

Event marks airports 80th anniversary

IF you thought this summer's festival season was at an end, think again!

Birmingham Airport will today (Sunday) be holding a host of events at Sheldon Country Park, near Marston Green, to celebrate its 80th anniversary.

The site then known as Elmdon Airport was officially opened by the Duchess of Kent in July 1939.

At the time it was owned and operated by Birmingham City Council and the level of activity on the eve of the Second World War was a fraction of what takes place today.

There will be a packed programme of live performances from 11am-5.30pm. A full schedule of times is available below.