Review of the Year: Part 1

As the year draws to a close, Other Side of Solihull takes a look back at 2015...

January:
IT was a great start to the year for a stalwart of the Castle Bromwich community.
Phil White, involved with the local Lions club and a number of other groups, was awarded the British Empire Medal in the New Year Honours List.
There was also a reward for Chelmsley Wood man James Hefford – even if he’d had to wait over 70 years to get it.
The 91-year-old, a veteran of the Arctic Convoys campaign, was informed he would receive a Russian bravery medal for the part he played in the war.
Elsewhere two men were jailed after police discovered £72,000 worth of cannabis in a two bedroom flat in Smith’s Wood.
But there was a big boost in local efforts to nurture rather more wholesome business ventures, with the official launch of the multimillion pound Enterprise Centre at Chelmund’s Cross.

February:
Marston Green residents were pleased to receive confirmation of a police restructure, following long-running concerns that the village wasn’t receiving enough attention from officers.
From boots on the ground to homes up high – Chelmsley Wood’s tower blocks emerged as the unlikely stars of a national photographic exhibition.
Over in Castle Bromwich there was once again talk about drivers being slapped with fines for parking on grass verges and pavements, with frustrations boiling over about the behaviour of selfish motorists.
Similar anger was simmering at Solihull Council, where members dismissed calls to introduce the
Living Wage for staff. Green Party councillors – well represented in the north of the borough – were quick to condemn the decision.

March:
The local authority came in for further criticism in March over its handling of plans for a so-called “halfway hostel” in Ipswich Walk, Chelmsley Wood.
Over 500 residents had signed a petition against the scheme, accusing the council of keeping them in the dark about the nature of the proposals.
As one side of the estate saw red, the other had gone green. The success of the Bluebell Community Garden saw volunteer Craig Duffy receiving national recognition.
Students at the Grace Academy received a visit from classical singer – and keen rugby player – Laura Wright. The young performer dropped in as part of an ongoing initiative to get more women involved in the sport.
From a thorny issue to a prickly problem - what to do about a dwindling hedgehog population. Around North Solihull, residents were encouraged to throw their support behind a new project to help the creatures.

April:
There was something of a rumpus in Marston Green after a group of travellers pitched up at Millennium Wood. It would be one of several encampments to appear during the course of the year. If villagers were glad to see the back of the caravans, there was a rather more reluctant farewell to Mary Parfitt, who retired from the local infant school after 20 happy years.
Chelmsley Wood’s Amelia Jane-Harris gave a candid account of her ongoing battle with Crohn’s disease. The debilitating condition had seen the young woman shed 18 stone in the space of just 20 months.
With the nights growing lighter, police once again pledged to take a tough line with those driving off-road bikes around local parks and open spaces.
The ongoing problem of boy racers had previously been identified as a top priority for officers.

May:
Election fever gripped North Solihull as the month began, with voters casting their ballot papers in both national and local elections.
Conservative candidate Caroline Spelman was returned as MP for Meriden with a thumping majority – increasing her share of the vote from 2010.
On the council, Labour lost out to UKIP in Kingshurst & Fordbridge – the defeat of Alan Nash meaning the party was left with one solitary representative.
As some councillors were shown the door, others showed their hand, with news that the local authority was poised to introduce fortnightly bin collections – the latest in a series of cost-cutting measures.
Elsewhere, the Kingshurst & Fordbridge Medical Practice was once again mired in controversy, with allegations that more than 100 complaints had been received about the quality of services.
Also this month, plans to build a new engineering academy in Chelmsley Wood were given the go-ahead.
The proposals had sharply divided the community, amid concerns about the impact that the new campus would have on local infrastructure.