Marston Green man enters TV's biggest boardroom battle

A MARSTON Green man is hoping to show he has what it takes to launch a business venture alongside one of Britain's best-known entrepreneurs.
Gary Poulton is taking part in the latest series of BBC's The Apprentice, which got underway this week.
In Wednesday night's opening episode, 18 men and women wheeled their suitcases into Canary Wharf (or a studio doing a decent impression of said office block) for their first meeting with Lord Alan Sugar.
The grizzled businessman - known for his plain speaking - will be presiding over a series of challenges designed to test their business acumen (or lack of it.)
Gary, aged 34, will be hoping to persuade Lord Sugar - formerly Sir Alan, before his promotion to the House of Lords - that he is the brightest prospect.
If successful the father-of-one will win a £250,000 investment to help get his business proposition off the ground.
"My game plan is to be myself," he said. "I look like the nice, easy going laidback Brummie, but once I start doing my business people know I’m the real deal.
"I don’t like people trying to talk down to me. People see me as ‘Alroight there I’m Gary from Birmingham’ but little do they know I can fight with the best of them."
Gary, a graduate of Aston University, has previously worked as a project manager for Tesco and is now employed by hospitality firm Whitbread.

Marston Green man joins Star Wars celebration

MAY the four strings quartet be with you…
A Marston Green voice-over artist, who has previously lent his vocal talents to the Star Wars films, is teaming up with the CBSO for a concert with a difference.
Marc Silk will be appearing at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall this week for the musical celebration of the famous sci-fi series.
The rousing score of John Williams will be performed live, interspersed with stories from Marc about what it was like to work on one of the most popular franchises in cinema history.
For fans of the series, the one-off concert will be an ideal appetiser for the release of the seventh film – The Force Awakens – later in the year.
Friday Night Classics: Star Wars will be performed on Friday (October 16). Tickets are available from the box office on 0121 780 4949.

Arrests in Chelmsley Wood following fatal shooting.

SHOT DEAD: Connor Smith

THREE people were arrested in Chelmsley Wood earlier today, in connection with the murder of a teenager last week.
Nineteen-year-old Connor Smith was shot in the stomach in the Hawkesley area of Birmingham.
Following his death last Thursday evening, police launched a murder investigation and had already detained three men in Coventry.
In the early hours of this morning (Tuesday), they swooped on the North Solihull address.
A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and two women, aged 22 and 26, were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Det Insp Warren Haines urged anyone with information to come forward.

Engineering academy organises new drop-in session

YOUNG people interested in studying at the WMG Academy for Young Engineers are invited to a "meet the principal" event tomorrow evening (Tuesday).
Building work is now under way on the Chelmsley Wood-based campus, which is expected to welcome its first students in September 2016.
Those keen to take a place there can have a chat with Stewart Tait, associate principal, at North Solihull Sports Centre. Tomorrow's drop-in session runs from 5-7pm.

Castle Bromwich Singers get ready for their concert

CASTLE Bromwich Singers will be raising the roof at Arden Hall this week.
The group will be performing their Circle of Life show from October 14-17. Net proceeds from the concerts will go to Heart Research UK.
Tickets available from Greg (07825 969298) or Stella (0121748 7635). For more details about the Singers, visit www.castlebromwichsingers.org.uk.

Big Hoot sculpture flies home to Castle Bromwich

OWL'S ABOUT THAT: The larger birds, above, were put on public display
in Birmingham this weekend.

A SCULPTURE which formed part of a massive public art project has been taken to its new permanent home at Castle Bromwich Junior School.
Pupils there had come up with the colourful design for one of more than 120 owlets which had been strategically placed at venues around Greater Birmingham.

Hands On was designed by

Castle Brom Junior School

Castle Bromwich was one of the select few schools in Solihull invited to take part.
The junior school’s contribution was Hands On! – one of several birds which took pride of place at Birmingham Airport.
The owlet formed part of The Big Hoot – the ambitious art trail which has captured the public’s imagination over the past few months.
The children’s owlets were placed alongside slightly larger statues, whose intricate designs were the brainchild of various professional artists.
This weekend, the bigger birds were all brought together at Birmingham’s Millennium Point so that members-of-the-public had one final chance to see the feathered fellows in all their glory.
On Thursday (October 15), the owls will be auctioned off for charity, with organisers hoping to raise around £500,000 for Birmingham’s Children’s Hospital.
You can find out more about how the project was put together at www.thebighoot.co.uk

Crowdfunding event to launch in Chelmsley Wood

A NEW project to help local people get their idea for a business or community project off the ground is being launched in Chelmsley Wood next week.
The first North Solihull Soup session will be taking place at the Three Trees Centre a week today (October 16.)
In one way the event owes a debt to BBC series Dragons' Den, in which budding entrepreneurs make a pitch to a panel of business gurus and hope they will be persuaded to invest. The difference with Soup is that the people who turn up are the investors!
Here's how it works. Everyone pays £3 on the door and will sit through a four minute pitch from four local people. After each presentation, there will be a couple minutes more to ask questions.
Soup will be served and everyone has the opportunity to chat about the ideas they have just heard.
Afterwards the group votes for their favourite proposal and the one which wins the greatest support will receive all the money collected at the door to put towards their project.
The idea started life in Detroit, America and has quickly caught on around the world.
It was recently decided to get the scheme up-and-running in Solihull, with Chelmsley Wood chosen as one of two venues (another Soup is expected to launch in Dickens Heath.)
The introductory event takes place from 6.00-7.30pm.