Review of the Year: Part 2

Other Side of Solihull continues its look back on the past 12 months...

June:
Marston Green residents were shocked by the murder of Anne Dunkley, with warm tributes paid to the retired schoolteacher. The pensioner, who was a much-loved member of the local community, had been attacked in her Elmdon Road home. Her nephew, Gareth Emery, was subsequently charged with murder.
There was concern after it was revealed that the number of people using the Kingfisher Food Bank, in Smith’s Wood, had more than doubled.
Frustrations also boiled over in Castle Bromwich, where the council had come in for criticism over a much-hyped road improvement project. Some drivers claimed that the £1.3million scheme was causing chaos during busy periods.
From slow moving traffic to fast horses, it was a rather better month for racing-mad Dora Franklin. The Chelmsley Wood woman had the chance to celebrate her 100th birthday at Royal Ascot, where she rubbed shoulders with some of her favourite jockeys.

July:
There was a huge turn-out in Marston Green for a memorial service held in honour of Anne Dunkley. Her family later thanked the community for the flurry of heartfelt tributes.
A Chelmsley Wood man was given a serious ticking-off by a Judge after he dropped his trousers during a trip to a Coleshill pub. The outrageous antics in the Red Lion cost the man hundreds of pounds in fines, costs and compensation to the bar manager.
Also in trouble were the reckless drivers who were treating Bickenhill Parkway like their own private race track. Footage of their late-night meetings emerged on YouTube and police vowed to take action to stop the street racers.
Elsewhere, users of North Solihull Sport Centre were furious with the decision to sack long-serving lifeguard Ray Lill. Locals mounted an unsuccessful campaign to have the pensioner – who was dismissed for allegedly using his phone at the poolside - reinstated.

August:
It was a damp squib of a summer, but the sun was shining on Chelmsley Wood’s Angela Moore.
She had started writing following a series of health problems and realised her dream of getting a novel published.
Also flying high, quite literally in this case, was teenage daredevil Declan Hughes. To celebrate his 16th birthday, the brave schoolboy completed a skydive in aid of Solihull Life Opportunities (SoLO).
Elsewhere there was shock over the announcement that the Smith’s Wood councillor Mike Sheridan was quitting the Green Party and horror after a clergyman was subjected to a brutal robbery outside the Church of Latter Day Saints, Chelmsley Wood.
Other Side of Solihull also revealed that speed cameras were returning to the borough, with plans to install two new digital devices in Castle Bromwich.

September:
There was a proper stink after a Chelmsley Wood woman failed to clear up after her dog. The fouling
faux-pas saw the owner stung with costs and fines totalling more than £300.
In less pungent news, Castle Bromwich held a Heritage Festival for the second year running,
welcoming a cavalcade of characters from history.
On the day that Labour elected its new leader, it was perhaps strange that the town crier bore a striking resemblance to Jeremy Corbyn!
Changes were also being rung in Kingshurst, to the general dismay of local residents. It was the plans to develop part of Babbs Mill Park which were once again causing controversy and locals vowed they would not give up their fight against the housing development.
Finally came the news that the group of nuns who had inspired BBC series Call the Midwife were looking to find a new home in Marston Green.

October:
We’ve haddock nuff! That was the message from Castle Brom residents who were fed-up with the amount of takeaways opening in the neighbourhood.
Plans to open yet another hot food outlet in Hurst Lane had seen some locals raise a petition, but when the chips were down the council agreed to approve the plans.
Food fights were something of a theme this month, after a man got himself banned from Morrisons in a row over a pack of doughnuts. Grandfather Michael Blackwell said he was dismayed by the supermarket’s decision.

While that particular resident may have been denied a sweet treat, many younger people were actually turning them down by choice.
In an OSOS exclusive, we revealed that Solihull schoolchildren were far healthier today than they were a decade ago.
Also this month, a Marston Green man was unveiled as a candidate on BBC’s The Apprentice and a new cinema opened its doors at the NEC’s Resorts World.

November:
Drivers were less than pleased by the announcement that roadworks on one of the main roads into North Solihull would drag on into 2016.
One quick-witted motorist asked Birmingham City Council if they intended to finished the Chester Road improvements before the next Ice Age.
Over the border in Solihull, attention was also turning to a cold snap, with highways chiefs announcing their preparations for winter.
In Chelmsley Wood meanwhile, there was concern about continuing crime concentrated around the town centre. The number of offences revived fears about local police cuts.
In happier news, a local man decided to get a tattoo tribute to the hospital staff who had provided his mum with vital cancer treatment, and Patricia Hayes, a familiar face at Chelmsley Baptist Church, received a Civic Honour.

December:
Leader of Solihull Council, and Marston Green man, Bob Sleigh was being tipped as a possible candidate to become the region’s answer to Boris Johnson.
The councillor is considered a contender for Mayor of the West Midlands, after plans to create a new combined authority were finally agreed.
There was mixed news for public transport passengers, with confirmation that bus fares were going up yet again, but also an announcement that the Midland Metro could be on its way to areas including Chelmsley Wood.
North Solihull Soup - a new initiative to help fund community enterprises - continued to go from strength-to-strength, and there was fresh debate in the council chamber about the best way to tackle inequalities between the borough’s richest and poorest districts.