Terrible lizard makes trip to Chelmsley Wood

A PREHISTORIC specimen will be stomping around Chelmsley Wood Shopping Centre later this month.
The Dinosaur Discovery Day will be taking place at the precinct on Saturday, January 27 (from 12noon-4.40pm).

Chelmsley to host clinic for survivors of sexual violence

A NEW clinic to provide support and advice to survivors of sexual abuse will be held monthly in Chelmsley Wood.
Sexual health charity Umbrella has joined forces with the Rape and Sexual Violence Project (RSVP) to run the regular sessions, open to anyone over the age of 13 who has experienced rape, sexual abuse or sexual exploitation.
The abuse survivors clinic will be held at the Primary Care Centre, in Crabtree Drive, and will take place on the last Thursday of every month (between 10am and 1pm).
Rachel Caswell, a clinical lead for sexual violence and domestic abuse, said: "Sexual abuse and violence affects so many people, from every walk of life and it can make a huge difference to have someone to trust, talk to and confide in.
"In my role within Umbrella I continue to marvel at the bravery and courage of survivors."
You can find out more at the Umbrella website.

Listen up! Radio scheme on its way to Smith's Wood

A PROJECT offering media training to local people and not-for-profit groups is starting in Smith's Wood this Saturday (January 13).
The scheme, aimed at those on the Cars estate who are interested in developing their own radio show, will be taking place at Auckland Hall.
If you would like to get involved contact terri@switchradio.co.uk

Archery event aims to hit hall's fundraising targets

EVER fancied trying your hand at archery?

Budding bowmen and women might be interested in an event taking place at Marston Green Parish Hall this Saturday (January 13).
Three targets will be set up, with experienced archers on hand to offer guidance. Anyone over seven can have a go (with a charge of three arrows for £1).

There will also be face painting and glitter tattoos at the event, which will be aiming to raise money for the venue.

The session will run from 11am-3pm. Admission is 50p for adults and free for children.

Holy matrimummy! Victory for local MP's campaign

A CAMPAIGN to update ancient laws on marriage certificates, which critics say discriminate against women, has been spearheaded by Meriden's MP.
Dame Caroline Spelman has co-ordinated the latest push to ensure that the mothers of the bride and groom are recorded on the official documents.
At present the paperwork only has space to note the name and occupation of the couple's fathers.
Those who have campaigned for the certificates to be updated have noted that the current format has remained unchanged since 1837 - the year that Queen Victoria came to the throne.
Past efforts to force a change have failed, in part because the Government had claimed that it could cost millions to replace tens of thousands of register books around the country.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron had previously endorsed the idea in 2014, admitting that the current arrangement didn't reflect modern Britain. But supporters of reform were frustrated when his administration later appeared to kick the issue into the long grass.
More recently Dame Caroline - who is the Church of England's official representative in the Commons - has been at the forefront of a renewed campaign, backed by a cross-party group of MPs. Now she has said that plans to implement a new digital record have finally paved the way for modernisation. Indeed, the MP's office reported last week that the proposal had been signed off by the Home Office.
She said: "Having fought a long-standing campaign in Parliament to bring about this change, I am delighted that the Home Office has indicated that it will support my Marriage Registration (No.2) Bill to change the way marriages are recorded in England and Wales and to include the names and occupations of mothers on marriage certificates for the first time.
"The introduction of a new, digital system of marriage entry will not only save money... but will right a historic wrong - something which has been called for by over 70,000 petitioners in recent years."

Little George follows on from Big Ben

IT was a memorable New Year for Castle Bromwich's Katrina Jones, whose new son became one of the first babies to be born in 2018.
Big Ben had barely stopped chiming when George Jake Rowland arrived at 12.02am on January 1.
Katrina's waters had broken earlier in the evening and George was born at Heartlands Hospital after a five hour labour.
He is the 30-year-old's first child and her partner Keith was there to support her throughout the birth.
Katrina said: "I was very calm throughout it – I think even the midwife was surprised about how calm and relaxed I was.
"I spent some time in the birthing pool but George had other ideas and I ended up giving birth to him in the delivery suite. I’m head over heels in love with him already."
Grandmother Lisa Hughes said: "Katrina attended all of her ante-natal classes and even paid to go to some private sessions too, to make sure she was ready for George to arrive.
"I am so proud of her for bringing my first grandchild safely into the world."
Statistics suggest that in the region of 2,000 babies nationwide will share George's birthday, although his arrival minutes after midnight will make him one of the earliest arrivals of the New Year.

Students engage in heated debate on climate change

EMERGING THREAT: Despite a recent cold snap, English winters are
expected to become milder and wetter due to changes in climate.

FOUR schools from North Solihull were among those who recently came together to take part in a Model Climate Conference
The Mayor of Solihull, Councillor Stuart Davis, welcomed the students to the Civic Suite for the discussion session - which focused on one of the biggest challenges facing world leaders.
Pupils from the CTC Kinghurst Academy, Grace Academy, John Henry Newman Catholic College and Park Hall Academy, joined representatives from Lode Heath and St Peter’s.
The event was organised by the charity Interclimate Network, which works nationwide to raise awareness about the environmental dangers to the planet.
The conference aimed to give students the experience of what it feels like to negotiate at the United Nations. The pupils received background papers and each group was assigned a country that they would represent at the conference.
Following the discussions, pupils were tasked with coming up with a series of pledges that they will have to persuade their school to sign up to.
These included creating art pieces using only recycled materials, hosting Great British Bake Off-style competitions using only Fairtrade ingredients and working to make sure their school becomes more energy efficient.