Pantomime time at Arden Hall

CASTLE Bromwich Theatre Group are busy rehearsing for this year’s pantomime. Oh yes they are!
The troupe will be performing Sleeping Beauty – the time-honoured fairy story – at Arden Hall (from January 17-20).
In the run-up to opening night, the group has been posting profiles of members of the cast, which includes people who have performed in a number of previous shows and several who are new recruits.
Kerrie Eleanor Glavey, who has been with the troupe for four years, said: "I love being part of the group... the social side it gives is brilliant as I've made so many amazing friends through it!"
Tickets for the show are available on 07505 521 309.

New charity shop opens its doors on Bosworth Drive

A NEW community charity shop opened in Fordbridge this morning (Friday).
Dame Caroline Spelman cut the ribbon at the Citizens Advice Solihull Borough premises in Bosworth Drive. The MP thanked staff and volunteers for their warm welcome and wished the venture well.
The store, which is initially open for a 12-week trial period, will sell clothing, bric-a-brac, costume jewellery, school uniforms, children’s toys, games and books.
It will be open to the public Monday to Friday (between 10.30am and 3pm).
If you are interested in volunteering at the new shop please call Jackie on 0121 788 6527.

Council cuts blamed for closure of Marston Green day centre

ELDERLY residents have lost a valued link to the outside work following the closure of St Leonard's Day Centre, in Marston Green.
The Elmdon Road facility, which opened in the 1990s, had provided meals and a wide variety of entertainment to the pensioners who attended, many of whom had disabilities or lived alone.
But the day centre's future was thrown into doubt following Solihull Council's decision to cut funding.
When the news broke in the summer of 2016, managers warned that the loss of revenue meant a stark choice between imposing a daily charge which many of the users would be simply unable to afford or closing for good.
Less than 18 months on, St Leonard's said it had been left with no alternative but to shut its doors for a final time. A Christmas party was organised to give staff and users the opportunity to say goodbye.
A Solihull Council spokesman said: "The St Leonard's Day Centre and its manager, Rick Smallwood, have over the years given outstanding service to a wide community covering Solihull and Birmingham.
"We are sad to hear that Rick has decided to close, especially after all the support Solihull Council has provided over the years, more recently to help him plan for the future of the day centre.
"We will support Solihull residents who use St Leonard's to determine exactly what kind of day opportunities they need and how they can access them."
Other Side of Solihull has contacted borough councillors for comment.

Council adopts new policy as space runs out at cemetery

SOLIHULL Council is to stop residents from reserving grave plots at Woodlands Cemetery, amid concerns that the site will soon be full.
Previously the local authority has allowed families to purchase plots for future use or to ensure that loved ones are interred close to one another.
But late last year, councillors agreed to put a stop to the practice to extend the use of the site, which is a stone's throw from Chelmsley Wood.
Under the current system, it had been suggested that the 340 remaining plots would be sufficient to meet the needs of the local area for around another 18 months.
By ending the option to reserve a plot, the council expects that use will be extended for maybe five more months.
A spokesman said: "Although people would not be able to reserve plots together at Woodlands they would be able to do so within Solihull borough at Widney Manor Cemetery [in Bentley Heath].
"Alternatively people wishing to be buried together may chose to use the same plot which can be dug to double or triple depth."
Work is currently underway to secure land for an extension at Woodlands in order to provide a longer-term solution. The council has said that doing nothing would leave the local authority without a burial site in the north of the borough.

Ticket price hike for Marston Green commuters

PASSENGERS who use Marston Green Station are among millions of rail users to have been hit by the biggest increase in fares for five years.
Average ticket prices have risen by 3.4 per cent as part of changes which took effect from today, with many commuters having to contend with increases in their season ticket of more than £100.
Trade unions and pressure groups have claimed that travellers are increasingly being "priced off" the rail network by the annual hike in prices.
According to the website TrainLine, a 12-month ticket for journeys between Marston Green and London Euston will set passengers back an eye-watering £5,760.
Stephen Joseph, the chief executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said: "We called for a rail fares freeze to help struggling commuters, but the Government chose to snub rail passengers and only freeze fuel duty.
"Today season ticket holders will have had to fork out almost as much as drivers will save this year. That doesn’t seem fair to us or the millions of people who commute by train, especially as wages continue to stagnate. What’s good enough for motorists should be good enough for rail passengers."
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said that the increases were higher than he would wish, although he insisted there were difficulties in tying fare rises to a lower form of inflation.
His opposite number in the Labour Party, Andy McDonald, reiterated the Opposition's support for renationalising the railways - with privately-run franchises reverting back to state control.

Meteor lights up the sky on New Year's Eve

SKYGAZERS in North Solihull may have spotted something more unusual than a rocket if they'd happened to glance upwards yesterday teatime.
Eyewitnesses around the UK reported seeing a large green meteor streak across the horizon.
The object, which burned brightly but was visible for just a few seconds, was spotted at just after 5.30pm. Hundreds of reports have come in from across England and Scotland.
A father-of-two, who lives near Castle Bromwich, told Other Side of Solihull that he had seen the meteor while walking to the shops.
"It was burning very brightly and it appeared to be falling towards the Earth," said the 66-year-old.
"I instantly wondered if it was a meteor, but because it was New Year's Eve I wasn't 100 per cent sure if it had been a firework.
"It was only when I saw it on the BBC this morning that I knew for certain."
A spokesman for the UK Meteor Network said: “[We] received over 570 public reports. Many observers reported green colour and fragmentation at the end. The meteor was apparently moving quite slowly."

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