The heatwave may be over in Sutton Coldfield, for the time being, but one store in the area really felt the heat.
Tesco Express on Walsall Road in Four Oaks suffered a catastrophe with its stock when the refrigerators failed overnight during the hottest evening on record.
Hundreds of pounds worth of chilled and frozen stock was ruined as the cooling system failed during the intense heat.
Despte some of the food probably being usable, bosses decided it had to be binned.
It was just one of many stores in the area that suffered similar problems as the extreme heat took its toll.
There were reports of similar problems across the country.
One member of staff said:”It’s a tragedy that all this good food is going to waste.”
Colourful elephants to take over Sutton Coldfield in celebration of 40th anniversary
St Giles Hospice is delighted to officially announce the launch of “March of the Elephants”, an exciting public art sculpture trail due to take place in Summer 2023.
The event will celebrate the vibrancy and creativity that our community has to offer as well as showcasing a spectacular variety of talent across Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield and Tamworth.
March of the Elephants will see St Giles Hospice team up with event experts Wild in Art, who have been delivering world class public art events across the globe for over ten years.
More than 60 elephant sculptures will bring colour and joy to the streets, parks and open spaces across the streets for 10 weeks before being auctioned off to raise funds for St Giles Hospice.
Decorated by local and national artists, designers and illustrators, the elephants will form an ‘unforgettable’ trail of colourful sculptures for visitors to discover and enjoy. The free public art event is set to benefit the whole community, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to join in the fun.
Andrew Harkness, Chief Executive at St Giles Hospice, said: “We are so excited to be working with Wild in Art to bring this trail to Lichfield, Tamworth and Sutton Coldfield. The trail will bring tourism and economic benefits to the region, put smiles on people’s faces, promote wellbeing and exploration and raise vital funds for St Giles Hospice.”
St Giles Hospice will soon be announcing some of the partners and sponsors who have already marched on board for 2023, but is now calling out for other businesses to take the opportunity to get involved by sponsoring an elephant sculpture.
There is also an opportunity for schools and community groups to join in the march, with a chance to design and adopt their very own mini elephant sculpture.
If you’re an artist, represent a business, school, college, or local community group and want to be involved, or are interested in finding out more, visit: Insert link here or email elephants@stgileshospice.com
Residents, children, parents and staff enjoy a session at Mercia Grange in Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield residents bridging the age gap
Residents at a Sutton Coldfield care home have made a host of new young friends.
Working in partnership with Kiddibop, Care UK’s Mercia Grange, on Lichfield Road, has been offering weekly intergenerational sessions to residents, the first care home in the region to do so.
Kiddibop is a local organisation which runs music and play classes for children under five. As part of their joint pilot project with Mercia Grange, Kiddibop is hosting its weekly classes at the care home, giving residents an opportunity to join in.
Joyce, a resident at Mercia Grange, said: ”It was the best afternoon ever. It was great to hear the music and see the children.”
Amy Barton, Home Manager at Mercia Grange, said: “We love welcoming the Kiddibop team and children on Thursdays – the sessions are a definite highlight every week and many residents look forward to them.
“Intergenerational relationships are proven to be enriching for both sides, providing older people with a sense of purpose and fulfilment. The sessions also give residents an opportunity to reminisce about raising their own children many years ago – and sometimes even to share their best parenting tips with the parents who attend.
“We’re already looking forward to our next session – and we’d like to invite any parents of young children in Sutton Coldfield to book their space with the Kiddibop team so they can join us for an afternoon of intergenerational fun.”
Mercia Grange is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, nursing, dementia, and short-term respite care.
The three-storey care home, which features 67 ensuite bedrooms, has been designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hair salon and café.
To find out more about Mercia Grange, please call Customer Relations Manager, Rachel Mackay, on 0121 314 3196, or email rachel.mackay@careuk.com
The new German kebab shop has opened in Sutton Coldfield
Chain opens new outlet in Sutton Coldfield
A very different style of fast-food restaurant has opened in a former Sutton Coldfield bank building.
The German Doner Kebab opened in the old Cynergy Bank premises at the corner of Holland Street and the Parade in Sutton Coldfield, on July 5
The German Diner Kebab is part of chain which opened its first store in Berlin in 1989
Meats are imported from Germany ‘to maintain quality and consistency’, while the brand uses locally produced vegetables which are prepared daily along with its ‘special doner kebab bread’. It says it offers a ‘delicious gourmet food experience’.
The new Sutton restaurant has an extensive dine -n area with booths and other areas with stalls. There is takeaway and click and collect, and the now ubiquitous delivery section with a side window in Holland Street.
A spokesperson for the chain said: “German Doner Kebab has opened its doors in Sutton Coldfield, bringing a new fast-casual dining experience to the West Midlands town. It is revolutionising the kebab in the UK, bringing a fresh, high-quality taste sensation that has made it the number one spot to enjoy a kebab.
What’s on the German Doner Kebab menu
“Freshly prepared in front of customers, the game-changing kebabs are made using premium, lean, succulent meats and fresh local vegetables, served in handmade toasted breads with unique signature sauces. The new restaurant in Sutton Coldfield is the brand’s 106th site in the UK as it continues to bring the GDK experience to more locations throughout the country. It is creating in the region of 40 jobs.”
The rapid expansion of German Doner Kebab will see 79 new restaurants open in the UK in 2022, after 39 opened last year. The chain also has outlets in Bull Street in Birmingham city centre, Coventry, Walsall, West Bromwich, Moseley Road, Balsall Heath, with outlets ‘opening soon’ in Merry Hill and Wolverhampton.
Two of the biggest act in music are being celebrated at tribute shows at Sutton Town Hall in September.
Go Your Own Wayis on stage on September 10 and is a spellbinding show featuring the music from the legendary multiple Grammy Award Winning Fleetwood Mac.
Their rock n roll legacy is beautifully performed by a highly talented and acclaimed ensemble of musicians who will take audiences on a powerful journey through their incredible song book.
Meanwhile, on Thursday 15 September, BILLY JOEL – The Piano Man is the ultimate celebration concert to one of the most iconic and best-selling artists of all time, Billy Joel.
In this brand-new touring theatre show Robert Schmuck (Billy The Kid) and his amazing 7 piece band perform breath-taking musical arrangements of multi-million selling songs such as ‘My Life’, ‘Uptown Girl’, ‘River Of Dreams’, ‘Tell Her About It ‘, ‘Still Rock n Roll To Me’, ‘An Innocent Man’, ‘Movin Out’, ‘Just The Way You Are’, ‘We Didn’t Start The Fire’, ‘Piano Man’, ‘The Longest Time’ and many, many more, it’s a non-stop hits show!
The Fleetwood Mac show features hits including “Dreams”, “Don’t Stop”, “Everywhere”, “Rhiannon”, “Gold Dust Woman”, “Little Lies”, “Big Love” and many more.
Paying tribute to their “Rumours” line up of Stevie, Mick, John, Christine & Lindsey, which remains their most commercially successful to date, this show perfectly recreates the live energy and passion of Fleetwood Mac.
Tickets for both shows are now on sale – just click the ticket link box for online ticket sales, or call the box office on: 0121 296 9543, Monday to Friday, 10am – 2pm.
Sutton Coldfield Life 