New business takes root in Chelmsley Wood

A NEW nursery is opening its doors in Chelmsley Wood this week.
In The Woods, which is based on Chelmsley Circle, will be offering childcare for youngsters aged from three months to five-years-old. The official opening is tomorrow (Tuesday).
To arrange a viewing or for more information call Sarah Stroud on 07956004743.

Review of the Year: Part 2

JUNE:
MERIDEN MP Caroline Spelman was returned with a handsome majority, although Conservatives
nationwide were stunned after losing seats.
During the campaign we attended a hustings at Chelmund’s Cross, with the audience there whipped into a frenzy over the EU, foreign policy and ailing public services.
Other Side of Solihull also spoke to some of those behind a campaign to improve levels of funding for cash-strapped schools in Solihull.
This month also saw a flurry of enquiries from residents in local high-rises, who feared for their safety following the tragic fire at London’s Grenfell Tower.
In a grim coincidence, a blaze had in fact broken out on the roof of Chestnut House a few weeks before the conflagration in Kensington, but the flames were fortunately dowsed.
As the year reached its half-way point, North Solihull also welcomed Radio 4’s Any Questions and saw a flurry of arrests following a major disturbance in Chelmsley town centre.

JULY:
AFTER a series of delays – which left local residents deeply frustrated – plans to revamp the ageing Kingshurst Parade finally moved forward.
Fall out continued from the Grenfell Fire tragedy, with increasing calls for Solihull Council to install sprinkler systems in every single tower block.
Steve Sandford from Chelmsley Wood needed nerves of steel after he had to deliver his baby daughter by the side of the Collector Road!
From a new arrival to a long-awaited reunion, Andy Steggles returned from the US to meet the man and woman who had saved his life when he fell into Hatchford Brook as a toddler.

Castle Bromwich residents were growing increasingly anxious about plans by Birmingham Airport to change flight paths over the suburb.
If that noise wasn’t enough, a fresh spate of incidents involving off-road bikes racing around parks and side streets led to renewed calls for action.

AUGUST:
KINGSHURST was left reeling following the death of 20-year-old Callum Lees. A young man
was subsequently charged with murder.
Such were the fears about violent crime on the estate, an urgent meeting was organised at St Barnabas Church to provide locals with an opportunity to air their concerns.
In what proved to be a difficult month, a man also lost his life at Marston Green Railway Station and a brutal robbery took place outside the village’s One Stop store.
Better news came when Kingshurst Caterpillars, a local nursery, secured a £50,000 grant from Children in Need, and another popular event took place at The Green, in Meriden Park.
And St Mary and St Margaret’s Church rang the changes, with the culmination of the long-running project to restore its bells.

SEPTEMBER:
AS pupils returned to school after the six-week break, parents at Marston Green Infant Academy had to adjust to the introduction of tough new parking restrictions.
Mums and dads were also increasingly frustrated by the fact that youth services in and around North Solihull continued to dwindle. We ran a special report on the controversy.
Elsewhere, Caroline Spelman refuted claims that the north of the borough had been singled out for a disproportionate amount of new homes – though she admitted she felt the Babbs Mill development was a mistake.
It emerged that councillors were poised to sign off savage cuts to the crossing patrol budget – with the facility in Hurst Lane North among those set to be axed.
Troubling new data suggested that Solihull was the most polarised council area in the country, with one Smith’s Wood councillor calling for more to be done to address the gulf in living standards.
In another political development, it was announced that plans to create a new constituency – dubbed Chelmsley Wood and Solihull North – had been dropped. Meriden, it seems, will remain.

OCTOBER:
WE revealed the extent of the housing crisis in areas such as Chelmsley Wood, with one councillor revealing that many local families were regularly reduced to tears by their difficulties.
There was, however, some good news with the official opening of a new facility in Ipswich Walk to assist those facing homelessness.
In Marston Green, parishioners at St Leonard’s Church unveiled plans to install a memorial window in tribute to much-loved member of the local community Anne Dunkley.

A little over a year on from its installation, Solihull Council hailed the success of a new speed camera erected on the Bradford Road.
A more sombre anniversary was marked by Dawn Lewis who appealed for help in tracing a suspect wanted in connection with the murder of her husband Giovanni 12 months earlier.
And Sophie McEvoy, from Marston Green, had her dream come true when her idol Craig David agreed to perform at her wedding.

NOVEMBER:
IN an important milestone, the opening of Chelmund’s Court care home marked the end of the final phase of the Chelmund’s Cross development.
Residents in Marston Green turned out to cheer on Team Rickshaw, who rode through the village as part of a One Show challenge raising money for Children in Need.
Elsewhere in the village, news broke that a former charity boss was facing jail for his part in a major fraud which had hit Birmingham Dogs Home.
The Three Trees Centre played host to an event with a difference, when it staged a “death cafe”, a session designed to promote discussion about a traditionally taboo topic.
For soap fans there was no reason to be shy about the arrival of EastEnders star Jake Wood, who was booked to flip the switch at the Chelmsley Christmas lights.

DECEMBER:
FED-up residents in Marston Green got in touch with us to complain about planning chiefs’ handling of an unpopular development in Blackfirs Lane.
Following a survey of hundreds of locals, the newlycreated Community Action Network vowed to take action to tackle long-standing concerns in and around Fordbridge.
Castle Bromwich Singers celebrated their 50th year with a Christmas concert produced by Stella Aston - a local woman who had been involved since the group’s very first meeting!
More details emerged about the plans to recreate Meriden Park’s much-missed Bogey on the Stick sculpture.
There was alarm that a fund which helped charities, including Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens, was to be restructured by the local authority.
The final Full Council meeting of the new year saw residents lambast congestion problems on the Chester Road, through Chelmsley Wood.

Car overturns in Castle Bromwich crash

WRECKAGE: The crash near the Castle Practice Surgery
Picture/ @CVSHResponse

POLICE were called to a Castle Bromwich street following a late night car crash.
Officers arrived to find a silver Ford Focus had collided with a lamp post in Hazelhurst Road, overturning and hitting a garden wall.
The incident happened yesterday morning (Friday) at around midnight, with some residents living near the scene of the collision having reported hearing a loud bang.
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: "A 31-year-old man suspected of being the driver was arrested nearby on suspicion of being unfit to drive through drink or drugs and was taken to hospital for treatment to injuries sustained in the crash. His injuries aren’t life threatening."
Fire crews and the electricity company were also called out amid concerns about the damage which had been done to the lamp post.
The incident comes at one of the busiest times of the year for road traffic teams, who tend to step up efforts to tackle drink driving over the course of the festive break.

Temporary closure of Castle Bromwich Library

CASTLE Bromwich Library will close for refurbishment work from lunchtime today (Saturday).
The temporary closure is to allow for improvements to the building's doors and windows, with the branch set to re-open on Thursday, January 18 (from 10am).
A Solihull Council spokesman said: "During this time there will be an extended loan period, so that people can keep books out for a slightly longer loan period than usual."
Alternatively books can be returned to the Hurst Lane Clinic, next door, or any one of the other 13 borough libraries (the nearest are at Kingshurst, Smith's Wood and Chelmsley Wood).
Regular visitors to Castle Bromwich should be aware that the mobile library service will be visiting Chestnut Court, Chester Road, this coming Thursday (January 4). It will be visiting from 1.15-2.00pm.

Review of the Year: Part 1

OTHER Side of Solihull looks back on the major news stories from across the local area during the course of the past 12 months.

JANUARY:
IT may have been a mild winter, but as the year began the police received a frosty reception in Castle Bromwich.
Scores of residents had packed into a parish council meeting to confront an inspector over rising levels of crime in the suburb.
We revealed how one family had been left furious after masked men had tried to break in while their teenage daughter was alone in the house – only for officers to stand down the emergency response.
From calls for more boots on the ground, to a ban on trainers in the classroom – the CTC was unamused after more than 100 students turned up in casual footwear. A prank note was apparently to blame.
There was also anger among customers at HSBC, after the bank confirmed it would be closing the Castle Brom branch in the summer.
Over in Chelmsley Wood, residents in Lambeth Close implored the council to end the uncertainty over the future of their bungalows.
While in more cheerful news, old film footage discovered in a loft shed light on life in Marston Green many decades ago.

FEBRUARY:
ONCE again residents were concerned about over-development - with Smith’s Wood councillor Mark Wilson arguing it would be “a calamity” if Auckland Hall closed its doors.
The possible loss of Bosworth Wood playing fields was also causing concern, with local mum Stacey Lanchester suggesting this would spell the end for a junior football club.
Elsewhere on the estate, it was confirmed that the Sports College had decided to close its sixth form in response to a dwindling roll-call.
Boy racers were back in the news, with those living near the Collector Road growing increasingly

frustrated by the regular bike rallies taking place on the dual carriageway.
There was also a lot of noise being made about dog mess, with the revelation that it cost Solihull Council £80,000 a year to empty the bins.

MARCH:
COUNCIL tax bills were hiked up by borough councillors, as the local authority admitted it was struggling to meet the mounting costs of social care.
Rather more appetising than a rates rise was the food cooked up by Marston Green school chef, Jose Davies Kochakkadan, who made it to the final stage of the National School Chef of the Year Awards.
After many years of hard work, the Three Trees Centre celebrated the official opening of its revamped premises...
Although later in the month, the community venue was left baffled by an apparent complaint to the police about a poster advertising a screening of the film 1984!
Chelmsley Wood residents learned that the HS2 rail development, which will rattle past Yorkminster Drive, had finally received the green light.
And we uncovered statistics which revealed that people living in Smith’s Wood and Kingshurst were among the most likely in Solihull to be involved in a road accident.

APRIL:
POLITICIANS crossed swords over the possibility of Solihull releasing more land for housing – always a concern in the densely populated wards locally.
From green belt to blue beds, denim fibres were used to prepare the ground for a number of a new wildflower beds in North Solihull.
Castle Bromwich takeaway Lime Pickle announced it was naming a dish in memory of regular customer Alan Watkinson who had died in a road crash.
There was a terrific response to the launch of the B37 Project – a Chelmsley Wood arts initiative which briefly occupied an empty unit in the town’s shopping centre.
Residents also rallied behind the Meriden Adventure Playground, which was reeling from the news that Solihull Council was to withdraw funding.
We visited the facility to meet parents and volunteers and formally launched a campaign encouraging people to help keep the playground open.
As the month drew to a close, allotment holders in Kingshurst were left fuming by a spate of arson attacks on the site.

MAY:

STREET Associations set up in Smith’s Wood and other local communities were hailed for bringing neighbours together.
There was rather less good feeling in Cooks Lane, where a learner driver’s test was brought to an abrupt end after it was alleged the instructor’s car wasn’t insured.
Two sisters from Chelmsley Wood were somewhat luckier, after they won £300,000 on a scratch card
– receiving their winnings despite ripping the ticket during their celebrations.
Police appealed for help in solving a terrifying robbery, in which an 88-year-old man from Smith’s Wood was threatened by intruders in his own home.
There was also a plea for help from a Castle Bromwich family, who had lost a treasured timepiece in a burglary.
In what proved to be one of our most viewed stories of the year, National Express confirmed sweeping changes to North Solihull’s bus network – a move which infuriated many passengers.
Claims that areas including Kingshurst had been “cut off” by the shake-up would continue to be heard throughout the year.

Police cuts lay bare the challenge for the force locally.

THE West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner has rubbished claims by the Government that overall crime is falling.
David Jamieson, a former councillor for Kingshurst and Fordbridge, gave a stark assessment of the challenges facing officers when he addressed Solihull Council this month.
He revealed that since 2010, the force’s budget had been cut by £145million (around a quarter of the total) and it had lost around 3,000 staff (two thirds of whom were uniformed officers).
“Sometimes you will hear government ministers say that crime is reducing, well you just have to go around your own ward and ask that question...
“Crime is not reducing. Some crimes have reduced, some have increased and some crimes have increased in importance.”
The Commissioner also took a number of questions from borough councillors on matters of concern locally.
Coun Mark Wilson (Green, Smith’s Wood) wanted to know why it was that crime was on the rise.
While Mr Jamieson said that there was perhaps a greater willingness for people to report certain incidents – such as sexual offences – cuts had also played their part.
“The blue line is thinner than it was. That’s just a fact. We’ve got 3,000 fewer people now working on crime in the West Midlands than we had seven years ago, so that must be a contributory factor to it.”
Only this week, a survey suggested that almost half of people had not seen a uniformed officer patrolling their area at any point this year.
The poll, conducted by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, found that the number of respondents in England and Wales who had not seen a single patrol over the course of the 12 months had risen to 44 per cent. This was up from 41 per cent in 2016 and 36 per cent the year before that.

Couple sentenced over animal charity fraud

"PURE GREED": Simon and Alayna Price were sentenced on December 22

A FORMER charity boss from Marston Green has been jailed for five years after admitting defrauding Birmingham Dogs Home out of hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Simon Price, 53, who had been the charity's chief executive, was handed a custodial sentence last week after admitting multiple counts of fraud by abuse of position.
His wife Alayna, 39, who had worked as the organisation's commercial manager and head of fundraising, received a two year suspended prison term for her part in the the fraud.
Birmingham Crown Court had heard that specialist investigators from West Midlands Police had begun looking into the couple's dealings last November, when the Dogs Home first reported that £399,274 had gone missing from the sale of a property in Digbeth, Birmingham.
It transpired that Simon Price, who oversaw the transaction, had instructed for proceeds to be paid into his own bank account having claimed it was a business account used by the charity.
He was arrested and subsequently admitted stealing more than £650,000 − money donated by members of the public for animal welfare − and squandering it through online gambling.
Enquiries revealed that he created bogus invoices from solicitors, construction companies and marketing firms − and authorised payments straight into his own account − while his wife stole £250,000 left to the charity in people's wills.
Det Con Arron Cox, from the Economic Crime Unit, said the pair’s home in Somerton Drive, plus another property they owned and rented out in Wheelwright Road, Erdington, had been seized by the force.
He added: "We have control of those properties and will be looking to seize them under the Proceeds of Crime Act and sell them… with the profit being handed back to the Dogs Home.
"We will also be looking to take whatever other assets or cash the couple has that we can show was accrued through this fraud and again refunding the charity. We will do all we can to ensure as much money is paid back as possible.
"This fraud was motivated by pure greed: between them they took home handsome salaries but still felt the need to steal from the charity. And of course they were taking money that had been donated by generous people in the West Midlands and beyond − money that was earmarked for animal care but instead was splashed on gambling and a lavish lifestyle."
The Prices were both previously of good character and the Judge, Patrick Thomas QC, said that he had taken into account that Mrs Price was pregnant in deciding not to impose an immediate custodial sentence.
Birmingham Dogs Home, which was founded in 1892, had moved to a new purpose-built base near Catherine-de-Barnes in 2015.
John Wheatley, the charity's chairman, said: "We remain bitterly disappointed that a position of trust was abused in such a manner, but we now look to the future under the guidance of our new CEO and with measures in place to ensure something like this never happens again.
"Some of the funds have now been returned and we remain hopeful that more can be recovered. We will work closely with the relevant authorities to do all we can on this matter.
"Once again we would like to thank our wonderful supporters for standing with us and helping us to continue to care for our dogs during an exceptionally difficult time."