Fire engine relocated to Chelmsley Wood

A FIRE engine has been moved to Chelmsley Wood town centre following concerns that it was taking too long to respond to incidents in the north of the borough.
West Midlands Fire Service aim to arrive at the scene of an emergency within five minutes of receiving a 999 call, but concerns had been raised that crews were often struggling to get to incidents within this time limit.
In response to the problem, the engine will be based at the Asda supermarket for a three-month trial period.
The crew will have specific responsibility for the Kingshurst, Fordbridge, Smith’s Wood, Castle Bromwich and Chelmsley Wood areas.
Firefighters from Solihull and Sheldon Fire Stations will take it in turns to run the service for five hour shifts.

World record smashed for Sport Relief

WHAT a knock-out! A Guinness World Record was officially broken in Chelmsley Wood earlier this month as part of efforts to raise money for Sport Relief.
Former professional boxer Simon Ford (pictured) battled his way through 141 three minute rounds against some 40 opponents to clinch the world record.
Although it’s been more than 15 years since he hung up his gloves, the 45-year-old fighter was persuaded to get back into the ring to raise money for the charity.
Ahead of the challenge, Simon admitted it was “going to be a long day” but he went the distance and beat the previous record – which had been set only days earlier by an Australian businessman - by a full 14 rounds.
“You just have to be mentally strong as well as physically strong and just go through it and hope that no-one comes to take your head off,” he told Radio WM.
The fundraising challenge took place at Wayne Elcock’s Boxing Academy, in Pike Drive. More than £500 has already been pledged online.
This year's Sport Relief, which has been supported by celebrities including Eddie Izzard, Jo Brand and Steve Redgrave, has raised more than £55million for projects in the UK and overseas.

Latest edition of our digital newspaper is out now

THE March edition of Other Side of Solihull's digital newspaper is available now at Issuu.
Our latest volume carries the full report on the recent Babbs Mill planning decision, as well as other news and events from around the local area.
Don't forget you can email your stories to theothersideofsolihull@gmail.com.

World's largest passenger airliner passes over Marston Green

A LARGE crowd gathered at Sheldon Country Park yesterday to see the world's largest passenger jet make its first public flight to Birmingham Airport.
The plane - which weighs 566 tonnes and is the length of approximately 15 double-decker buses - touched down at just after midday.
Residents in Marston Green got one of the best views of the aircraft, which was arriving in the city from Dubai and will be making daily trips between Birmingham and the United Arab Emirates from now on.

Urgent Care Centre in Chelmsley Wood this Easter

AN URGENT care centre is running in Chelmsley Wood to provide extra medical support over the Easter break.
The facility, based at the Primary Care Centre, in Crabtree Drive, will be open Easter Sunday and Monday (from 9am-6pm.)
The centre will complement the walk-in centre at Solihull Hospital during the Bank Holiday period.
Dr Rachel Clowes, a GP from Bosworth Medical Centre, said: “The Easter break often sees a spike in accidents around the home and garden caused by a combination of the long Bank Holiday weekend, school holidays, longer days and (hopefully) improving weather.”
Health bosses have also advised local residents that they can get clinical advice from the free NHS 111 helpline.

Major Tim sends seeds to schools for ground control

PUPILS from North Solihull schools are being encouraged to take part in a science project that is truly out of this world.
Students will have the chance to grow rocket seeds that have orbited Earth aboard the International Space Station.
The seeds were flown the 400km to the station last autumn and will have spent six months in micro-gravity by the time they are returned to terra firma later this month.
Participating schools will be sent a packet of the precious cargo for the children to grow.
The experiment will also require the pupils to nurture a second batch of seeds which haven’t been to space, to see if there is any noticeable difference in the two sets of herbs that emerge from the soil.
The “Rocket Science” project has been devised by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and the UK Space Agency and the results from schools across the country will be analysed by a team of scientists.
The project is one of several educational programmes that have been put together to celebrate the latest mission to the ISS, the first to involve a British astronaut – Major Tim Peake.
It is hoped that the initiative will encourage young people to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and maths.
Find out more here.

Hats, hunts and games in Castle Bromwich

HOP to it and make a note about Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens' Easter bonanza.
Families are welcome to the family day taking place this Saturday (March 26).
There will be a bonnet parade, treasure hunt and plenty more to look forward to from 11am-3pm.