Fun runners, serious athletes or those looking for a walk in the sun are being urged to register for the Royal Sutton Fun run. After opening in early February, the 10-week registration period will close at 11pm this coming Monday, 15 April.
This year’s Royal Sutton Fun Run will be staged along its traditional 8.5-mile route on Sunday 2 June.
Entries have already been received from Streetly Academy, Good Hope Hospital, Cookes Furniture, FIT Sutton Coldfield, Acacia Family Support and the Royal Sutton Coldfield Chamber of Commerce.
There is also a final ‘in-person’ registration opportunity tomorrow, Saturday 13April, between 10am and 2pm at the RotoSpa showroom in Boldmere.
Anyone who visits the showroom will go into a free draw to win a week-long spa hire, while anyone who also registers for the Fun Run at RotoSpa, will have the added incentive of going into a free draw for a £25 Sutton Runner voucher.
Event director Tracey Spare said: “Registration will close ahead of the 11pm deadline on Monday if we reach the maximum number of entries [5,500], therefore I would urge anyone still to register for this year’s Fun Run to complete the registration process as soon as possible to avoid any disappointment.
“There’s a link at the top of the Fun Run web site home page www.royalsuttonfunrun.orgwhich will take you to the registration page. It only takes a few minutes to complete the process to secure your place.”
A bargain retailer has closed a store in Sutton Coldfield without warning, less than two years after it opened. One of its local concept stores, it opened in Boldmere Road in 2022.
Signs on the outside of the store state: “Sorry. We have closed. Don’t worry! We’re not far! Visit our store nearby…” and then showing a map to the Poundland in The Parade in Sutton town centre, which is 1.8 miles away. In fact, the Poundland at Princess Alice Retail Park is nearer at 1.2 miles away.
The discount chain, with its headquarters in nearby Walsall, was testing the new format Poundland Local shop to ‘bring convenience shopping to neighbourhoods not currently served by Poundland’.
The store was established to fill the gap between the chain’s big shop at the Princess Alice Retail Park in New Oscott and its town centre outlet in the Parade. However, a little over a year-and-a-half later, the ‘neighbourhood convenience store’ has permanently closed.
In addition to its usual range of discounted items such as drinks, snacks, health and beauty products, and household items, the store also sold fresh bread, fruits and vegetables, hot pies and pastries, and frozen goods.
A spokesman for Poundland told BirminghamLive: “I’m afraid it’s a location where we’ve been unable to secure a lease that would have enabled us to stay there. Whenever we have to close to a store in those circumstances, we do everything we can to look after colleagues.”
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Nick Heath, director of football at Boldmere St Michaels. Image: Boldmere St Michaels)
Tribute have been pouring in following the sudden death of a well-known and much respected football figure in Sutton Coldfield.
Nick Heath, director of football director at Boldmere St Michaels passed away, aged just 51, on Good Friday morning.
Nick died hours after attending a training session on Thursday night at the club.
The passing of Mr. Heath brought the non-league football community in Midland together in mourning. Tributes were paid by The Mikes as well as other clubs in the region. Sam, the son of Mr. Heath, shared on X, “This morning, I lost my best friend and the best dad in the world. I will miss you forever, dad.”
A tribute from the club said: “Boldmere St Michaels are shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of our director of football Nick Heath, in the early hours of this morning. Our thoughts go out to his wife Jo, sons Sam and Rhys and all family members. RIP Nick.”
RIP Nick was trending on X, formerly known as Twitter, in the UK on Good Friday. A number of other tributes were also paid to Mr Heath, who was also head of the football academy at Birmingham Metropolitan College, in response to the club’s post.
Dean Conway, the Mikes under-21 assistant manager, said: “Absolutely floored and completely gutted this morning. Nine years together helping young footballers to become better players and ultimately better people. RIP my friend Nick Heath.”
Other Sutton football clubs, Romulus FC, Sutton Coldfield Town, Sutton United and Boldmere Falcons also posted. Romulus said: “Everyone at Romulus would like to extend their sincere condolences to Jo, Sam, Rhys, their family and everyone at Boldmere St Michaels. R.I.P. Nick. A very sad day.”
The Royals said: “We are saddened and shocked to learn this morning of the passing of Nick Heath, director of football for The Mikes. This is terrible news, and a difficult time for the club. We wish everyone involved in the club, and Nicks family our deepest condolences at this difficult time.”
Sutton United said: “Sutton United are saddened to hear the news of The Mikes’ director Nick Heath’s passing. We hosted Nick and Sam’s U21’s side twice this year and enjoyed two very competitive derby matches. Our condolences go to all of Nick’s family and friends. RIP Nick.”
Boldmere Falcons posted: “Boldmere Falcons are saddened to hear the news of The Mikes’ director Nick Heath’s passing. A true legend of the game that will be missed. Our condolences go out to all of Nick’s family and friends. RIP Nick.”
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A leading Sutton Coldfield investment expert is warning affluent people to look out for two of the most common kinds of financial scam, saying ‘more people fall for them than you might think’ more than 25 years ago, said affluent people are being conned out of millions of pounds each year.
He said: “Research shows that a significant number of wealthy people have been the victim of financial crime.
“According to a recent survey, which spoke to people with assets of more than £250,000, two in five had fallen foul of scammers – that’s 41 per cent. So, more people fall for them than you might think.
“There is a bit of a myth that scammers target naïve, isolated and vulnerable people, but the truth is that no-one is immune to fraud, and there are increasingly sophisticated scams that target the affluent.
“Two of the most common types are investment fraud and pension fraud,” Mike explained.
Investment scams tempt victims either into a fake scheme, or one that makes them pay in more than the potential returns. According to UK Finance, in the first six months of 2023, investment scams collectively cost victims more than £57million.
Mike said: “These scams can be very difficult to spot and may appear completely legitimate, with professional websites, testimonials from clients and persuasive marketing.
“The best-known examples are ‘Ponzi’ or ‘pyramid’ schemes, but there are lots of variants.
“My advice would be to be suspicious of anything that comes via cold calling, anyone who applies ‘hard sell’ tactics and certainly anything that offers high returns for low risk. If it appears too good to be true, it probably is.”
Fraudsters usually use pension scams to try to get access to a victim’s pension fund, Mike explained.
“In some ways, this has been encouraged by changes that have given people the ability to self-manage their pension pots, once they reach 55,” he said.
“We hear about cons where victims are persuaded to cash in their pension, or take a loan from it, and then give it to the fraudster to invest. In other cases, they convince victims to move their savings into a new pot, promising higher returns.
“I would advise you to be wary of terms like ‘unlocking’ your pension, unusual investments and overcomplicated schemes, involving different groups, all of whom want their own fee.
“If you are suspicious of a firm that has contacted you, you can check to see if they are on the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) register or on the FCA warning list, or you could check their HMRC status.
“Just a quick online search can tell you a lot about a company’s reputation and financial position. First of all, my advice is, do not deal with anyone who is not registered with the FCA (and check the FCA website yourself, don’t rely on what they tell you).
“Also, contact the firm yourself using the details that are registered with the FCA. Some scammers “impersonate” a genuine firm and so always check whoever you are dealing with really works for the firm that they claim to.
“Then, do not invest into anything that isn’t covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) or that isn’t a genuine registered and regulated investment product (such as a Unit Trust).
“Then, go to Companies House and look the firm up and look at their accounts so that you can see their financial position. Scammers are likely to have very little money in their business and the amount might contrast starkly with what they’ve told you about their investment success. Also, you vcould visit their business premises and check that they’re a genuine business.
“There is help available if you have been scammed, from Action Fraud and the FCA – but the best approach is to reject any cold calls – and don’t believe anything that seems too good to be true.
“Don’t put yourself in a position where you’re risking everything you’ve worked for being taken away from you. In addition, if you look online, you’ll find the details of local, respectable firms of financial advisers.
“Go and see one of them and show them what you’ve been offered so that you can get a professional opinion. Invest the extra time into making sure you’re not being scammed. Always ignore any pressures where you’re being told that you’ll miss the opportunity if you don’t act immediately, this is classic scammer behaviour.”
Dee Mistry Creative teams up with March of the Elephants as Creative Partner
Elephants will be on the march across Sutton Coldfield and the surrounding areas when elephant sculptures will bring colour and joy to streets, parks and open spaces
Dee Mistry Creative, a creative designer with over 15 years of trunk-tastic expertise, proudly trumpets his collaboration with March of the Elephants as the art trail’s official Creative Partner.
The March of the Elephants trail will celebrate the vibrancy and creativity that our community has to offer, as well as showcasing a spectacularvariety of talent across Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield and Tamworth.
More than 60 elephant sculptures will bring colour and joy to our streets, parks and open spaces from July 1 to September 8, before being auctioned off to raise funds for St Giles Hospice.
As the Creative Partner for March of the Elephants, Dee Mistry Creative has been marching on, bringing a trunkful of creativity to shape the visual narrative of the art trail.
Dee said: “I am absolutely delighted to join March of the Elephants as the Creative Partner. This is a mammoth opportunity to contribute to the trail – the team behind the trail is amazing and a real pleasure to work with.
“As a small business, this allows me to share and showcase the creative services that my business provides. But, most of all, I’m a dad, and I just can’t wait to experience the trail and see the elephants with my family!”
Emma Yates, Associate Director of Income Generation at St Giles Hospice, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Dee Mistry Creative on board as our Creative Partner for March of the Elephants.
“We’re still on the hunt for a few more sponsors to adopt an elephant sculpture that will feature in our herd. If you want to find out more about sponsorship opportunities, please get in touch at elephants@stgileshospice.com.” For more information about March of the Elephants, please visit http://www.marchoftheelephants.co.uk
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Broadband firm installs free high-speed connectivity in new community youth area
A Sutton Coldfield football club is powering ahead both on the field and off with its new Youth Zone.
Boldmere St Michaels FC is now up and running with ultrafast full-fibre broadband, thanks to sponsor Lit Fibre, as the club opens the doors to its brand-new area.
As part of its ongoing commitment to invest in the local community, LitFibre has sponsored the new Youth Zone area, aptly named “It’s Lit”.
It’s a place for designed for children to have fun in a safe space on a Saturday night, during football matches and can also be hired out for parties.
Spaces for young people to have fun safely have been on the decline, and in the last decade 77 per cent of youth services have been cut, and violent offences among young people have escalated according to the National Youth Agency, making spaces like the ‘It’s Lit’ Youth Zone even more important to the local community.
Lit Fibre has installed its broadband connection free of charge in the Youth Zone, clubhouse bar and pitch-side terrace so visitors can now have access to the fastest internet speeds, with the supplier claimed gamers won’t suffer the buffer!
This marks the beginning of a partnership, aimed at creating numerous opportunities to support both the club and the community, which includes sponsoring the FA Women’s National League match on Sunday, May 5, a local derby against Sutton Town FC.
Lit Fibre provides Sutton Coldfield and surrounding areas with full-fibre broadband at the lowest prices. Sutton Coldfield residents now have access to Lit Fibre’s 10Gb capable network which is up to 18x faster than the UK average*, so they can stream more, play more and do more.
Carly Cartwright, Commercial Manager, at Boldmere St Michaels FC, comments: ‘We are delighted to form a strong partnership with Lit Fibre and after the passion and commitment held towards their customers, right from our initial discussion, we are privileged to be able to showcase their full-fibre broadband in our Youth Zone, clubhouse bar and pitch-side terrace.
Sarah Morgans, Lit Fibre’s Community Manager for Sutton Coldfield and surrounding areas, says: “We are proud to be able to help Boldmere St. Michaels FC and support the great work that the team is doing in the local community. Being able to support the younger generation with a safe space is a great start to this partnership and we’re excited to see it develop over the coming months.”
Lit Fibre’s full-fibre broadband service is already available in Sutton Coldfield and Erdington. Residents can use Lit Fibre’s postcode checker www.litfibre.com/get-lit to see if their home is covered by the service and register for further information.
Students model the new uniforms. The school will hand out 800 free blazers, ties and PE tops to the students later this year
A Sutton Coldfield school is changing its look and its name as it aims to become the town’s ‘school of choice.’ John Willmott School will hand out more than 800 free blazers and ties to its students as part of a journey of improvement,
That will see the school renamed the Royal Sutton School in September, with the readopted motto of ‘Potential into Reality’, a redesigned school badge and a brand-new uniform.
Elsewhere at the school, which is part of the respected Arthur Terry Learning Partnership (ATLP), a revised curriculum is delivering results in the classroom, while innovative ‘Moral Virtues’ are improving behaviour and instilling a sense of pride in the students.
The significant progress at the school also resulted in its first ever ‘Good’ Ofsted rating in January.
Ahead of the new academic year, vouchers to get the new blazers and ties will be provided to students in Years 8 to 11, who will also get a free PE sports top. The vouchers will be redeemable at popular school uniform retailer Clive Mark.
The other parts of the uniform – such as trousers, skirts and jumpers – are all basic navy-blue items, which can be bought at a reasonable price from numerous outlets.
Headteacher Nicola Gould said: “We are so excited to announce this uniform scheme, which will really provide the icing on the cake when the school relaunches under its new name in the autumn.
“Providing the basic uniform items like this removes so many barriers – we are passionate about our students and are very proud of how they have embraced the new direction of the school, so being able to so this enables everyone to stand together and look forward.
“There is real excitement among the students about the uniforms, although a few of them are nervous about having to tie a real tie! We may have to organise a few workshops on how to do it!”
The school was originally founded in 1958 as Sutton Coldfield County Grammar School, and was renamed in honour of John Edward Willmott, a much-respected local figure, in 1975.
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