Spring concert in Chelmsley Wood on Saturday

NORTH Solihull Singers will be in full song for a spring concert on Saturday (May 17).

The group will be joined by special guests for the show at John Henry Newman Catholic College, Chelmsley Wood. Concert starts at 7.30pm.

Tickets are £6.50/£5 on 0121 788 3402 or email tickets@northsolihullsingers.co.uk

You must book in advance.

Police and crime commissioner to hold Chelmsley Wood surgery.

LOCAL residents will get the chance to chat with the West Midlands’ police and crime commissioner on Friday, May 16.

Bob Jones (pictured), who was elected to the role in November 2012,  will be presiding over a surgery in Chelmsley Wood.

People will have chance to raise concerns with the man responsible for holding the region’s police force to account.

The session will be start at the Bluebell and Buttercup Room, in the Solihull Connect Centre, at 2pm. Book a place on 0121 626 6060. 

Factbox:

• Police and crime commissioners were elected across the country 18 months ago.
• The Government introduced the roles to encourage “greater accountability” and provide a higher-profile, directly-elected figurehead to scrutinise the way the police operate.
• There was concern about a lack of interest, following a dismal turn-out when the elections were held in 2012. Only one in eight residents in Solihull cast a vote.
• Mr Jones, a former Labour councillor, came top of the local polls. While many of the commissioners represent an existing political party, others were elected on an independent platform.
• He is one of several commissioners elected who made it clear they were opposed to the position for which they were standing. He has lobbied for a return to the police authorities, which comprised of councillors, magistrates and other individuals.

Kingfisher foodbank supports close to 1000 people in last year.

URGENT NEED: Families feeling the pinch in North Solihull
have turned to foodbanks for support.

THE Kingfisher foodbank has helped more than 800 adults and children in need since it was launched 12 months ago.
The service was set up in 2013 to help feed families who “have fallen into crisis”, with more than 6300kg of food dished out to local people. The amount is equal in weight to a male African elephant.
Churches, schools and Tesco supermarkets across North Solihull and East Birmingham are among those to have donated dried and canned goods to the cause.
Rev Jo Johnson, chair of Kingfisher Foodbank, said: “I am delighted with all the hard work of the volunteers and the generosity of people who have helped us provide people in crisis with food over the past year.”
The Trussell Trust, the largest food bank provider in the UK, revealed last month that there had been a “shocking” rise in the number of people who had turned to the lifeline service.
The number of food parcels handed out nationwide rose by more than 50 per cent to 913,000 in 2013.
Chris Mould, the charity’s chairman, said: “Perhaps most worrying of all this figure is just the tip of the iceberg of UK food poverty, it doesn’t include those helped by other emergency food providers, those living in towns where there is no foodbank, people who are too ashamed to seek help or the large number of people who are only just coping by eating less and buying cheap food.”
Solihull’s Citizens Advice Bureau confirmed last year that Solihull had not escaped the difficulties reported nationwide, with a huge surge in demand for food parcels.
Some have blamed recent welfare reforms for the increase in people who are struggling to manage, but these claims have been denied by the Government.
A celebration service, to mark the foodbank’s first anniversary, will be held on Sunday (May 18) at St Barnabus Church, Kingshurst. It starts at 3pm.
To find out more about the foodbank – how to make a donation or get support – visit their website.

Selfie craze is an inspiration for local artist

ARTWORK: From iPhone to art gallery...

THE ‘selfie’ is the inspiration for a new portrait exhibition, launched by a local artist.

Alison Saint, who works at Kingshurst Art Space, has used the ubiquitous images as the basis for an entire collection of work.

Using social media, Alison asked friends to send her random ‘selfies’ – for the uninitiated, that’s a photo you’ve taken of yourself, usually on a smart phone or digital camera.

She then started to turn the pictures of people’s faces into hand-sewn portraits.

A Stitch In Time will run at Solihull Arts Complex until June 9.

Man convicted of flytipping in Kingshurst car park

A MAN who dumped rubbish on the site of a former Kingshurst pub has been ordered to cough up over £1000 by the courts.
Chad Nugent, 42, who advertised his own waste disposal business, was convicted of the offence at The Mountfort car park.
But the quick flytipping trip has cost him dear after Birmingham Magistrates fined him £200 and ordered him to pay more than £800 extra in compensation and costs.
The court heard last week how a member-of-the-public had seen a van dump the rubbish at the site on August 31 last year and managed to note down the vehicle’s registration number.
The details from the quick-thinking witness and a name and address actually found in among the rubbish led Solihull’s environmental crime team to the culprit’s door.
It emerged that Nugent, of Kitts Green, Birmingham, had been paid £100 by one member-of-the-public to collect and get rid of the rubbish.
In passing sentence, the court took into account the defendant’s guilty plea and the fact he was claiming benefits. A share of the compensation will go to Solihull Council, to cover the costs of their investigation, and Trust Inns Limited – who owned the site at the time.
The council will now press for Nugent to be disqualified from holding a waste carrier’s licence.
A spokesman from the environmental crime team said: “Although disappointed with the penalty, we’re pleased that this will limit Nugent’s opportunities to fly tip in the future.
“We hope this case reinforces how seriously the council takes these offences, and that this will deter others from fly tipping.”
The old Mountfort site, in Over Green Drive, had previously become a magnet for crime and anti social behaviour but is currently being redeveloped.

• Figures for 2012/13 reveal there were 711,000 cases of flytipping across the country. Those convicted can face fines of up to £50,000 or even a six month prison sentence, depending on the severity of the offence.

Robert Wilkinson's Funfair cancelled

ROBERT Wilkinson’s Funfair – due to pitch up in Meriden Park later this week – has been cancelled.

Solihull Connect tweeted this morning that the popular fairground would not go ahead due to unsuitable ground conditions.

The fair, which was due to arrive on Thursday, always draws a good crowd when it comes to Chelmsley Wood. It’s yet to be confirmed if the event has been rescheduled.

The announcement comes after several weeks of unsettled weather, with more rain than is typical for this time of year. Although the Met Office has predicted conditions may pick up from Wednesday, with warmer temperatures and sunshine on the way.

Series of wildlife surveys to start in Smith's Wood

SURVEY: Warwickshire Wildlife Trust want residents to help
catalogue local wildlife

THE first of three events – highlighting the wealth of wildlife in North Solihull – takes place in Smith’s Wood tomorrow (Tuesday).
Warwickshire Wildlife Trust are organising a bioblitz – a race against the clock to discover as many species of plants and animals in the local habitat as possible.
The survey is part of an ongoing programme, run by the wildlife trust and funded by Solihull Council, which aims to get residents out and about in the area's open spaces.
The nine-month project, which continues until the end of August, has helped highlight the variety of species which live in local parks and green spaces.
Meet outside the post office in Arran Way between 10am-1pm. Similar events will be held in Babbs Mill Park (May 21) and Meriden Park (May 29).
To find out more about the Your Wildlife initiative, call Simon Phelps on 07956993413 or email simon.phelps@wkwt.org.uk

All creatures great and small:
* Babbs Mill has a thriving ecosystem - wildlife blogger, Vinnyman, recorded 29 species of bird during one visit.
* There are also a number of bat colonies. Silver birches, maple and rowan were planted at the Lowbrook development to create an ideal habitat for the flying mammals to feed.
* Rare hairstreak butterflies have previously been recorded on local parkland.