How the new Mormon temple in Sutton Coldfield might look
Penns Lane site planned for new church
Sutton Coldfield has been chosen as the site for the first Mormon church to be built in the country for 30 years. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints known worldwide as the Mormons have submitted plans for a new temple in Penns Lane.
The Birmingham England Temple will be built on a 2.7-acre site located at 185-187 Penns Lane, near the Ramada hotel.
Plans showing the new structure call for a one-story temple of approximately 10,800 square feet, with patron housing and arrival facilities.
Church President Russell M. Nelson announced plans for 17 new temples worldwide in 2022.
The preaching of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ began in 1837 in Britain as missionaries, including two members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, began teaching in Preston.
During the nineteenth century, more than 52,000 converts emigrated from Britain to join the main body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United States in Utah. By 1870, nearly half of Utah’s population consisted of British immigrants.
The three temples in the United Kingdom include the historic London England Temple (dedicated in 1958), the Preston England Temple (dedicated in 1998) and the new Birmingham England Temple.
The former Mere Green Takeaway in Hill Village Road will be transformed into an Indian cafe, bakery and sweet centre
New businesses take over empty premises in Mere Green
The ever-evolving face of an area of Sutton Coldfield is continuing to change as new businesses sprout up. A new Indian food specialist and a window company will take over long-time empty premises, just yards from each other in Mere Green.
The Sutton Sweet Centre, which sells Indian street food and sweet treats will take at the long-closed Mere Green Take Away in Hill Village Road, while opposite a branch of Flair Windows will open at the former Barclays Bank premises.
The Indian food venture came about after Arjun Nijjar, his brother, Rajun, and uncle, Gurupeet ‘Steve’ Garcha, found the area’s large Punjabi population had to travel to places like Smethwick or West Bromwich to pick up Indian treats for weddings and other events.
A new café/restaurant in Sutton will offer Indian cuisine with an English twist. They will serve lunch, as well as curry dishes at the venue which ill also sell Indian street food, sweets, and fusion food like desi tacos and burritos.
There will also be chip-shop-style chips with curry toppings and a range of naan and roti breads, plus kids’ snack boxes with chicken nuggets, strips or bites or fish fingers, all with fries.
A variety of drinks will be available, such as coffee, chai latte, and milkshakes. The owners are currently equipping the venue and plan to open at the end of March.
The business is expected to operate from 9am to 11pm.
Fans of the ‘The Man in Black’ are in for a treat when a Johnny Cash tribute act takes to the stage in Sutton Coldfield. Cash Returns has been hailed hands down the greatest and most exciting Johnny Cash & June Carter Tribute in the UK and recently picked up ‘Best Tribute Band’ at the ‘Hot Country TV Awards`. The Sutton Coldfield Town Hall show on Saturday, March 16, is fronted by the award winning JP Mac as Johnny Cash.
He is joined on stage by Karen Martin as June Carter who brings all the vibrancy and onstage sassiness of June Carter complete with fantastic vocals. Combined, JP and Karen along with their fantastic live band truly bring their audiences with them to a place and time when the iconic Cash & Carter reigned supreme.
Cash Returns have been playing in festivals, hotels and theatres throughout all of Ireland, UK and Europe for the past nine years, while also having appeared on various radio slots BBC, RTE 1 and national TV appearances, RTE, TG4 & NVTV.
The show is currently playing to sell out audiences all over the UK, Ireland and Europe. If you go along to one of their shows you will hear all the show stopping classics such as, ‘Folsom Prison Blues’, ‘Get Rhythm’, ‘ Walk the Line‘, ‘Hurt’ and of course the duo hit ‘Jackson‘.
So, if you’re a real Johnny Cash and June Carter fan, you simply cannot afford to miss this spectacular show when it rolls into a town near you!
Entrepreneur Sara Davies. Picture: Jade Mangles and Jodie Blackburn
Businesses in Sutton Coldfield are being invited to hear from TV presenter and founder of Crafters Companion, in a free event organised to celebrate International Women’s Day.
Sara Davies, entrepreneur, star of BBC’s Dragon’s Den and Strictly Come Dancing, will be speaking to local businesses at an event organised and funded by Visit Royal Sutton Coldfield BID, the town’s Business Improvement District company which has been representing local businesses for 12 years.
The event, which will be held at BMET’S Sutton Coldfield College on Friday 8 March from 5pm to 6pm, is the second ambitious high-profile speaker organised by the BID, following a packed-out appearance by high street guru Mary Portas last June.
BID manager Michelle Baker said: “Sara Davies is a renowned entrepreneur and a highly respected supporter of women in business, so it’s very exciting to be bringing her to Sutton Coldfield for International Women’s Day.
“The event is free and open to BID members, and we expect tickets will go quickly so we urge businesses that would like to attend to get in touch.
“There are exciting regeneration plans for the town centre in the pipeline and considerable investment coming to the town, and the BID will continue to play our part and host events to boost footfall and support local businesses.”
Sara Davies was born in Coundon and growing up around entrepreneurial parents, showed an interest in business from an early age.
In 2005, Sara founded Crafter’s Companion, a crafter’s supply company, while studying at York University.
While on a placement at a small craft firm, she spotted a gap in the market for a device that could create bespoke envelopes for handmade cards and, with the support of her retired engineer father, Sara designed and launched a ground-breaking craft product called The Enveloper.
Soon after, she launched The Enveloper on TV shopping channel Ideal World, selling 1,500 in the first ten minutes and 30,000 units within six months of the initial demonstration.
Today, Crafter’s Companion is a household name in the industry. It has expanded its range of papercraft products to include sewing and needlecraft items, in addition to its own brand of art materials, Spectrum Noir.
The entrepreneur is passionate about championing women in business, mentoring and the North East of England.
In 2021, Sara became an ambassador of the dressing service and coaching charity, Smart Works Newcastle. The charity believes in the power of clothes and coaching to transform a woman’s confidence.
Sara’s first appearance as a Dragon on BBC2’s Dragons Den was in 2019. The youngest dragon to ever enter the den, she quickly successfully invested in a multitude of businesses across various sectors.
Gracechurch Centre owners BPG and SAV have sponsored her appearance in Sutton Coldfield, while wealth management firm Robson Lister - a longstanding BID board member – has sponsored the buffet that will be provided at the College from 4pm-5pm, prior to the entrepreneur’s talk.
Sara’s appearance will be followed by a business networking opportunity and drinks reception at The Townhouse, across the road from the College, from 6pm-9pm.
Owners, managers, or representatives of businesses in the BID area who would like to attend the event should contact Hello@VisitRoyalSuttonColdfield.co.uk
The GENESIS G70 Shooting Brake redefines the traditional estate car, targeting a younger audience with its sleek design and premium features. Priced at £41,995, this elegant model boasts a 247PS, 1,998cc, four-cylinder engine, reaching 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds. The interior offers luxurious finishes and advanced technologies, including AI-assisted driver assistance features. With impressive ride and handling, it competes with German market leaders.
A Sutton Coldfield landmark pub/restaurant will reopen this Wednesday, February 21, after a four-month absence. The Bracebridge in Sutton Park closed suddenly last October.
The Terrace section of the venue will reopen on Tuesday, March 5, withbookings being taken now. Meanwhile, the Sip and Slice, formerly the Kiosk, is open now – for a coffee and cake before and will soon provide a bakery service.
New owners in a ‘community partnership’ deal. Sam and Emma Morgan, of Open Restaurants Group (ORG), have joined forces with award-winning chef, Andrew Sheridan, who is in charge of the menu, a new kitchen and a new menu.
The venue sits next to one of the Sutton Coldfield beauty spot’s water features – Bracebridge Pool – which gives the venue its name. It will reopen with a ‘new menu full of British pub classics with a twist’. Its neighbouring kiosk, now the Sip & Slice has reopened with coffee and doughnuts and will soon add freshly-baked bread, pastries, and artisan pizzas.
ORG runs three restaurants which all feature in the Michelin restaurant guide – 8 By Andrew Sheridan, which transferred from Birmingham to Liverpool last April and also holds three AA Rosettes. It was named Best Restaurant in the UK at the British Restaurant Awards in September 2023. It also has two upmarket neighbourhood restaurants: Black & Green, in Barnt Green, Worcestershire, and OXA in Oxton, The Wirral.
Andrew said: “We have spent the last few months getting The Bracebridge ready to reopen which includes the installation of a new kitchen. We’ve also been busy recruiting and training a highly trusted team of staff to deliver our menu of British classics featuring top-quality ingredients, and exceptional service.”
Specialists – From left, are Sarah Kent, Dr Alison Macbeth, Dr Alice Duffy and Dr Sarah Ball
Group chooses town for second centre
A private clinic specialising in menopause has chosen Sutton Coldfield for is second site. In a move to enhance support for menopausal women in the West Midlands, Health in Menopause specialists will introduce both in-person and video consultations tailored to the experiences of every woman in and around the West Midlands area.
Dr. Alice Duffy, BMS Menopause Specialist, established the original Health in Menopause clinic in Nottingham in 2020 responding to the growing needs of women to access the support and treatment required to resolve menopause symptoms and to gain the knowledge and information to allow women to thrive in midlife and beyond.
The clinic was soon full and a need to expand to include the West Midlands became apparent. In 2023, a second location was found.
Housed within the historic Moat House, a Grade II* listed building on Lichfield Road, Sutton Coldfield, the second Health in Menopause site is situated in the scenic Anchorage Road conservation area.
The group, which recently advocated for the inclusion of menopausal discussions in NHS health checks for women over 40, also highlighted a concerning knowledge gap amongst GPs, underscoring the urgent need for improved education and training to ensure timely and accurate diagnosis and treatment for those experiencing menopausal symptoms.
Carolyn Harris MP, chair of the APPG on Menopause, highlighted the struggle many face, saying: “Women often find themselves lost, without a diagnosis, lacking supply for HRT, or without the support they critically need.”
Against this backdrop, the mission of the Health in Menopause clinic, to listen, guide, and enhance wellbeing during this pivotal life stage, becomes even more pertinent.
Dr. Alice Duffy, founder of Health in Menopause and a doctor with over 30 years of experience in women’s health, said: “Menopause is a transformative phase in a woman’s life, full of complexities and challenges but it can be a positive time if women are provided with the correct information.
“At Health in Menopause we provide holistic care, looking at the individual needs of the woman in the context of her personal medical history, her family history, her lifestyle and her culture.
“We aim to support women to reduce their symptoms and improve their long term health.
“With the national discourse emphasising the need for enhanced menopausal care, our dedication only grows stronger.”
For more details or to book a consultation at the Sutton Coldfield clinic, please contact 01216473676.
Series of closures for weeks on A453 for work on HS2
Motorists in Sutton Coldfield face weeks of road chaos as major road closures loom for the next two months. The main A453 route between the town and Tamworth will have a series of closures for construction work to continue on the HS2 high speed rail line.
Despite the northern leg being scrapped, the controversial line still being developed north of the city to just south of Handsacre where trains will go back on the West Coast mainline.
The route travels from Birmingham to Water Orton and on through Staffordshire.
It crosses the A453 Sutton Road between Bassetts Pole near Sutton Coldfield and Mike Oak in Tamworth. But that road will soon cross the proposed rail line.
To enable works to be carried out a section of the A453 Sutton Road and Drayton Lane, which runs off it will see a series of closures. The A453 Sutton Road will shut overnight between 8pm to 6am every night from next Monday (February 12) to Sunday (March 31).
It will also close for two whole weekends from 8pm on Friday, March 8 to 6am on Monday, March 11. And from 8pm on Friday, March 15, to 6am on Monday, March 18.
While Drayton Lane will be shut from 8pm to 6am from Monday, February 26 t March 1, and also from Monday, March 4 to Friday, March 8, from Monday, March 11 to Friday, March 22 and from Monday, March 25 to Friday, March 29.
Marks and Spencer has announced that its Sutton Coldfield store, the M&S Foodhall located at the Princess Alice Retail Park in New Oscott, will undergo a significant refurbishment. The store will close its doors on February 3rd and remain closed for a month while the refurbishment takes place.
A statement from the company said: “Your local M&S Princess Park store is closing on Saturday 3rd February 2024 to get an exciting new make-over throughout the coming month. This exciting transformation will see a brand-new fresher store, with a new fresh market feel and a new look bakery when we re-open on Monday 4th March 2024 at 9am. During this time, why not follow us on Facebook or TikTok for the latest updates on the progress, and be the first to get news on the exciting new products arriving in your new store when it opens.”
The store will have a new fresh-market feel, providing customers with a unique shopping experience. The new look store will feature modern, stylish, and comfortable seating areas where customers can relax and enjoy their shopping experience.
It will also offer a click-and-collect service for M&S Clothing & Home products, making it easier for customers to shop online and collect their items in-store. Additionally, a brand-new digital Click & Collect service will be introduced to make shopping even more convenient.
The store is scheduled to reopen on March 4, and in the meantime, customers are advised to visit the M&S Foodhall in Mere Green, or other M&S shops in Tamworth, Cannock, or Wednesbury during the closure.
Sutton Coldfield Life 