Monthly Archives: January 2021

Lifestyle, News

Join Evie and go those extra miles for hospice

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Evie Deeley raised more than £1,200 with her Miles 4 St Giles effort in the first lockdown.

Give it up – or bring it on – to support St Giles

Sutton Coldfield resident are being urged to wave goodbye to bad habits and feel fitter for 2021 by giving it up – or bringing it on – to support St Giles Hospice in the New Year. The charity has launched two fundraising challenges to inspire anyone who wants an added incentive to stick to their New Year’s resolutions in the months ahead.
People can Give it up for St Giles – sacrificing something they want to shake off with the added
incentive of sponsorship – or they can test themselves with a new exercise challenge by joining Miles 4 St Giles to kick-start their healthier lifestyle. Youngster Evie Deeley, aged nine, from Armitage, led the way in the first lockdown when her activities raised more than £1,200 for the hospice.
Chloe Herbert, Head of Fundraising at St Giles Hospice, said: “Everyone thinks about changing their lives for the better as New Year comes along, and our two challenges could be just the incentive you need to make a vow and stick to it! Whether you wave goodbye to gaming, or cut out your coffee and cake, you can give it up for St Giles in 2021 and help to raise much-needed funds for local people living with a terminal illness.
“Or if you want to take up a new exercise challenge you can give yourself a great target to aim for with Miles 4 St Giles by pledging to run, walk or cycle 30, 60, 90 or 120 miles or your own set
distance over 30 days.”

Whatever you say farewell to after Christmas is over, be sure to get support from your friends, family or colleagues – your sacrifice deserves sponsoring


Miles 4 St Giles was first launched last summer to encourage people to keep fit safely during the Coronavirus lockdown while raising money to help fund vital care services at St Giles in a year when the hospice’s shops were forced to close and fundraising events had to be cancelled.
The new Give it up for St Giles campaign offers another opportunity for people to help St Giles while taking steps to strengthen their physical and mental health at a time of year when many can struggle to motivate themselves.
“Whatever you say farewell to after Christma, be sure to get support from your friends, family or colleagues – your sacrifice deserves sponsoring,” Chloe added. “And every penny and pound you raise, will make a huge difference to St Giles Hospice and the services we provide to local people and their families when we need it most.
“So if you’re already thinking: ‘New Year, new me’ then why not join #TeamStGiles for the commitment and motivation to achieve your goal this January.”
Just £28 could pay for an hour of one-to-one nursing care for a patient at St Giles, and £40 could fund one hour of running the hospice’s Advice and Referrals line where dedicated clinical staff are at the end of the phone to help patients and their families 24 hours a day.
A donation of £202 could pay for home visits to a patient by St Giles community nurses and £676 could pay for 24 hours of hospice care for a patient at the end of their life.
For further information about Give It Up for St Giles visit http://www.justgiving.com/campaign/Giveitup4StGiles and to join Miles4StGiles, visit
http://www.stgileshospice.com/how-you-can-help-us/fundraise-with-us/miles-4-st-giles/

Business, News

Honour for charity boss Karen

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Buddy Bag founder wins recognition for helping child victims of domestic abuse

A Sutton Coldfield woman who founded a Midland charity that helps children fleeing domestic violence at home has been awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours list.
Karen Williams, CEO of the Buddy Bag Foundation, was recognised by the Queen for her services to victims of domestic abuse.
The foundation provides buddy bags – back packs filled with home comforts and essential items – to children living in emergency accommodation. That can be refuges, hotels or B&Bs.
Since its launch in 2015, the foundation’s volunteers have packaged and delivered over 30,000 bags to children after raising more than £750,000. 
Karen, 59, who lives in Sutton Coldfield with partner Sean, said: “I am both honoured and humbled to have received an OBE in the New Year’s Honours list.

My dream five years ago was to set up a charity that could and would make a real and meaningful different to children in emergency care.
“With the assistance and support of all our volunteers we have realised this dream.
“We have packed over 30,000 Buddy Bags, far exceeding our initial target and look to the future with optimism at the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.


“Thank you to all our volunteers and supporters – together we have achieved and are continuing to achieve something truly special.”
The idea for the foundation came about in 2014 when Karen, a mother of three and grandmother of four, was in Australia visiting her son.

“The bags go to children who have to flee the family home because of violent situations and often arrive at centres in the middle of the night with nothing.

She read about an Australian charity that helps children who have encountered violence and abuse.
“Reading the piece stirred a deep emotional reaction within me and as a mother I just had to do something for children in emergency care back home in the UK,” said Karen.
“So I set up the Buddy Bag Foundation in 2015.


“The bags go to children who have to flee the family home because of violent situations and often arrive at centres in the middle of the night with nothing.
“Bags cost £25 to fill and contain essential items such as toiletries, pyjamas and underwear and comforting items including books and teddy bears.”
Earlier in December, the foundation celebrated its fifth anniversary. Karen added: “What an amazing journey we have found ourselves on.

“The plan to make a difference to children by supplying our bags has totally exceeded by wildest dreams.
“With the support of our trustees, ambassadors and volunteers, we have raised over £750,000, with 100 per cent of all donations going towards supplying the buddy bags.

We have managed to pack over 30,000 buddy bags and engaged with over 400 volunteers.
“Reading the thank you cards from the children and testimonials from the mums and refuge centres have touched the hearts of so many.”
In 2017 Karen was given a Points of Light award by then prime minister Theresa May, and in 2018 she was a finalist in Lorraine Kelly’s Woman of the Year contest.OBE

News, Schools

Sutton head teacher honoured

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Head teacher Rachel Davis has been awarded and MBE for services to education

School delight at MBE for Rachel

By Bill McCarthy

A Sutton Coldfield head teacher’s achievements has been recognised in the the Queen’s New Year Honours List. The honours recognise the incredible achievements and service of people across the whole of the UK.

Rachel Davis, headteacher at Little Sutton School and from Sutton Coldfield, was awarded an MBE for services to education.

Staff members at the school, rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted inspectors, praised Mrs Davis on their Twitter account saying: “Congratulations to our Headteacher Rachel Davis on being awarded an MBE in the New Years Honours. We are all so proud of her.”

Parents also praised Mrs Davis’ for her work. Clare Macphail, has three children who spent happy years at Little Sutton.

She said: “All three of my children enjoyed time at Little Sutton and that was down to the warm and friendly learning environment created by Mrs. Davis and her staff. Her MBE is well deserved.”

Mrs Davis has been head teacher at the Worcester Lane primary school since 2004 and is both a National Leader of Education (NLE) and an Ofsted inspector for the West Midlands.

National Leaders of Education provide focused support to under performing schools to enable rapid improvement.

According to her LinkedIn profile,  in 2014 she supported a school in challenging circumstances to move from ‘Requires Improvement’ to ‘Good’ in 12 months.

The following year she then helped a school to move from Ofsted category of ‘Special Measures’ to ‘Good’ in 15 months and in 2015-2016 supported a school to move from ‘Requires Improvement’ to ‘Good’ .

Little Sutton Primary School has more than 400 pupils and is designated one of the government’s new English Hubs – one of just 34 schools nationwide recognised for their excellence in teaching and learning.

The hub aims to support schools to achieve excellence in early literacy teaching through an initial focus on developing early language and closing the word gap, developing early reading through systematic, synthetic phonics. It also promotes a love of reading.

Her work was acknowledged by a Tamworth school she supported, who congratulated her for her award on Twitter: “Congratulations from all at Coton Green Primary School… Your help from the English Hub has had an enormous impact.”

Professor Colin Diamond, CBE and Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Birmingham, added: “Warmest congratulations to headteacher Rachel Davis on being awarded an MBE in the New Years Honours. Always the head who goes that extra mile to help others in Birmingham. So well deserved.”