Sunshine and mirth in Marston Green

MARSTON Green’s May Market is now just a few weeks away.
The annual favourite will be taking place at St Leonard’s Church on May 5.
Aside from a traditional Maypole dance, there will be stalls, a tombola and other attractions from 10am-2pm.
Admission is £1 for adults and children get in free.

New night flight plan is agreed

A NEW set of restrictions to night time flights at Birmingham Airport is scheduled to come into force later this year.
At the most recent meeting of Solihull Council's planning committee, members approved a new policy relating to air traffic during the night time period.
The arrangements were agreed following discussions with airport bosses and consultation with the local community.
The council's officers argue that the new policy, which is to replace an agreement last reviewed in 2013, will go further in limiting the impact on communities such as Marston Green.
The report presented to the committee acknowledged that the current set of restrictions did not discriminate between arrivals and departures or take account of noisier aircraft.
With this in mind, the new policy will insist:
1. That there is no increase in the annual number of departures between the hours of 11.30pm-5am.
2. That certain aircraft will not be able to operate between 11.30pm-6am.
3. That the noise limit during the night flying period is reduced from 85dba to 83dba, with a further reduction to 81dba to be considered at a future date.
The new restrictions, which will take effect in October and remain in place until 2021, have been welcomed by a well-known ward councillor.
Coun Jim Ryan (Con, Bickenhill) suggested that the situation had been made easier by advances in technology, which had made for quieter flights in recent years. Nonetheless, he paid tribute to the airport for coming to an agreement which he described as "a major improvement."
In a statement issued earlier this month, an airport spokesman said: "We welcome Solihull Council’s support for the new Night Flying Policy which is in place for the next three years.
"We also thank them for their positive comments about the airport’s approach to community engagement and the way in which it has worked in collaboration with key community representatives throughout this process."

Cromwell's troops come to Castle Brom

PERIOD DRAMA: The Regiment of Cromwell's Brigade.

TAKE a trip back in time to one of the most important periods of our history this weekend.

Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens is playing host to Colonel John Pickering’s Regiment of Foote - a group which specialises in Civil War re-enactments.

Members will be holding demonstrations, invoking the events which would tear 17th century Britain in two.

It's not widely known that the first skirmish between the Roundheads and Cavaliers took place, in 1642, just a few miles away from North Solihull.

The Regiment will be giving visitors a glimpse of what preparations for the Battle of Curdworth Bridge, fought in the fields to the south of the Warwickshire village, may have been like.

The event will be taking place from 12.30-4.30pm both today (Saturday) and tomorrow.

Further details are available at the official website.

A loaf or death matter for Meriden Park's ducks

PEOPLE paying a visit to Meriden Park are being urged not to feed bread to the ducks.

Posters have recently been put up at the Chelmsley Wood site, warning that the hunks of Hovis and Kingsmill thrown to the waterfowl can cause water pollution.

The problem arises when the chunks of loaf rot and lead to harmful algae forming on the surface.

Not only can this spread diseases to the birds, it can kill fish and cause an unpleasant smell.

The public notices, which are being promoted by Solihull Council's Love Solihull team, also draw attention to the fact that bread isn't too good for a duck's diet.

This is because the food, while filling, is lacking in nutrition and can lead to deficiencies if birds aren't eating much else.

For this reason, visitors are asked to consider other offerings, such as cooked rice, bird seed and oats - which are rather better for the Mallards and other species which flock to the waterside.

Concerns about bread causing water pollution have previously been raised by conservationists at a nationwide level. 

Three years ago, the Canal and River Trust carried out a survey which suggested that something like six million loaves each year are being sunk into ponds, lakes and other waterways by well-meaning members of the public.

Tributes to former Mayor

TRIBUTES have been paid to a former Mayor of Solihull who passed away last month.

The public service of Arthur Harper, who was a Fordbridge councillor for more than 15 years, was mentioned at last night's meeting of Full Council.

Mr Harper, who was first elected to represent the ward in 1986, also wore the borough's chains of office from 1999/2000. 

Away from local politics he had worked as a head porter at Heartlands Hospital and was described by his constituency party as being passionate about the NHS.

Chair of Solihull and Meriden Labour Party, Nick Stephens, said: "It was a privilege to know and work with Arthur who was a great servant to the Labour Party.

"Even when he was not reselected to fight Fordbridge ward in 2002 he was happy to help the party and stood as our candidate after this three times in Shirley. He was also a great family man and all who knew him will be very sad to hear of his death."

Mr Harper passed away on March 15 following a long illness. He was 81-years-old.

His funeral will be held at Woodlands Cemetery on Tuesday, April 17 (12noon). The service will be followed by a reception at The Onward Club, Chelmsley Wood.

Have your say on the local health service

RESIDENTS will have chance to air their suggestions or concerns about local health services at an event in Chelmsley Wood tomorrow (Wednesday).
Healthwatch Solihull, an independent "consumer champion" for health and social care services, would like to hear about local people's experiences.
It has once again been a difficult winter for the NHS, with added pressure on hospital wards and doctor's surgeries, and there have also been a number of major changes locally.
On April 1, Solihull's Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) merged with two others in Birmingham to form the largest organisation of its kind in the country. The combined body serves a population of more than a million people and has an annual budget of around £1.8billion - which means that its spending is equivalent to £57 a second.
Healthwatch hopes that by inviting residents to have their say on local services, the feedback can be used to drive improvements.
A spokesman said: "Whether you have an experience that you want to share about your GP, dentist, hospital, mental health service, local care home or any other NHS service, come along and speak to us confidentially."
The session will be taking place at Chelmsley Wood Library between 11am-1pm. For further information call 0800 470 1518 or email enquiries@healthwatchsolihull.org.uk

Elections 2018: Who's standing where you live?

DETAILS have been published of the candidates standing for Solihull Council at next month's local elections.
The borough will head to the polls on May 3, with a third of the local authority's 51 seats to be contested.
The statement of persons nominated confirms that both the Conservatives, who have control of the council, and Labour will field a full slate of candidates.
The Greens will be standing in 14 of Solihull's 17 wards and the Liberal Democrats will be represented in ten. UKIP will be contesting two seats, both in the north of the borough.

Full list of candidates in North Solihull:

Bickenhill (inc Marston Green): 
Stephen Caudwell (Green), Reece Colley (Lib Dems), Alison Rolf (Con), Joe Wood (Lab).

Castle Bromwich:
Cheryl Buxton-Sait (Green), Emma Chidler (Lab), Mike Robinson (Con).

Chelmsley Wood:
James Burn (Green), Hazel Dawkins (Lab), David Skelding (Con).

Kingshurst & Fordbridge:
David Cole (Lab), Debbie Evans (UKIP), Diane Howell (Con), Carol Linfield (Green).

Smith's Wood:
Adrian Duffen (UKIP), Ben Groom (Green), Lee Skinner (Lab), Angus Young (Con).