Recycling Christmas trees raised £65k for hospice

Sutton Coldfield people are being urged to help make St Giles Hospice’s annual TreeCycle campaign next January (2022) the most successful yet.

Since 2016, local families and businesses have been disposing of their real Christmas tree in a clean, convenient and eco-friendly way by signing up to have their trees collected by the hospice’s army of volunteers in return for a small donation.

In January this year, 76 volunteers took part in TreeCycle. They picked up 4,428 Christmas trees, raising over £65,000 for the hospice, which cares for local people and their families living with a terminal illness.

This year St Giles is hoping that even more people will sign up to have their real Christmas tree recycled – and is calling for volunteers to step forward to help collect trees in January (2022).

Chloe Herbert, Head of Fundraising at St Giles Hospice, said: “TreeCycle is a brilliant fundraising campaign which supports our work at the hospice and makes a real difference to the environment too, so we’re delighted to be running it again this year. 

“We received an amazing response from our supporters and volunteers last January, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and we’re hoping that this year’s event will be bigger and better than ever. If you’ve got a real Christmas tree then please sign up to TreeCycle, and we’ll take away your tree with no mess and no fuss.

“We’re also looking for enthusiastic volunteers to join our TreeCycle team – so if you want to banish your winter blues by taking part in something truly worthwhile then we’d love to hear from you. It costs St Giles £850,000 every month just to keep our services going so every donated tree and every hour volunteered makes a huge difference to everyone at the hospice.

“St Giles would also really like to thank Lichfield Tree Works, Greener Composting and Wincanton – without their support this campaign would just not be possible.”

Julie Deaves (47), a regular St Giles volunteer who lives in Lichfield and runs a business with her husband Ian (48), has taken part in the last two TreeCycle collections with Ian and their 12-year-old son Riley.

She said: “We absolutely loved taking part. It was really nice to do something worthwhile together as a family. St Giles is a great cause and it was really good to be able to help out. Riley really enjoyed it too – he said that when he’s a teenager he’s going to volunteer and get all his mates to join in.

“Volunteering for TreeCycle is our way of giving something back to the local community and we’d encourage anyone who is thinking of taking part to get involved. Signing up as a volunteer for TreeCycle is also a great way to be able to contribute to a good cause by giving up your time.

“Not only is it very rewarding,” she added. “It’s a great workout too and a good way to start getting back in shape after Christmas. It’s also great for the environment as you are putting your old tree to good use, as well as saving you time as you don’t have to queue at your local tip.

“TreeCycle is a great event which really helps the charity and the difference it makes is beyond words – especially when the charity is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic when shops had to close and events were cancelled.”

This will be the seventh year that St Giles has been running TreeCycle to raise funds for the hospice, and teams will collect trees from around Lichfield, Walsall, Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Burton, Rugeley, Burntwood, Uttoxeter, Swadlincote, Stafford and surrounding areas.

TreeCycle will be collecting trees from Wednesday 5th until Wednesday 12th January 2022. The suggested donation for trees up to 8ft is £10 and the donation for trees up to 10ft is £12. For trees over 10ft, please call 01543 432538. 

Collections must be booked by 5pm on Wednesday 5th January 2022 and trees should be left out overnight on Tuesday 4th January as collections will start early the following morning.

Lichfield Tree Works and Greener Composting in Wall, Lichfield, will be recycling the trees for agricultural uses and as a result artificial trees cannot be accepted. 

To find out more about volunteering for TreeCycle, please email fundraising@stgileshospice.com or call 01543 432538. For more information or to book a collection visit www.stgileshospice.com/treecycle. 

Welcome for Sutton’s newest drinks venue

Sutton Coldfield’s newest pub will open its doors next week on December 2. Work is continuing at the Mere Green venue to get the micropub ready for the grand opening on Thursday.

Run by the McDiarmid family, it will be their fourth Ale Hub.

The former premises of Garner Canning Solicitors on Hill Village Road has been undergoing a refit and in its new incarnation will offer traditional ales for drinkers together with a selection of gins, other drinks and bar snacks and provide a relaxed environment for customers.

It will be open from midday to 11pm seven days a week.

The mini boozer, will have a capacity of around 12 tables. There will be background music, but no electronic machines, with the emphasis on conversation and socialising with few distractions.

Opening well in time for Christmas, it adds a new dimension for drinkers in the Mere Green area, adding more variation to the already vibrant food and drink scene.

The family said they have a love of real ale and their aim is to help to revitalise the local pub scene and provide the community with a choice of refreshing and well-kept drinks in a relaxed and friendly environment.

The tiny new pub, sandwiched between a general store and a barbers shop, will offer another option for tipplers in the area.

Operation Sceptre weapons sweep

WEST Midlands Police are again attempting to stem the tide of knife crime with another Operation Sceptre initiative in Sutton Coldfield.

Police says that with Covid restrictions in place they can’t involve the community in their work as much as they would like to, but Sutton residents may see officers involved with weapon sweeps where we will be looking for knives hidden in public places.

They will also be:

• Test purchasing – where we will be checking that retailers are being responsible and only selling knives to people of the correct age

• Using knife arches and knife wands to search for weapons

• Having a more significant presence at transport hubs including bus stations

Police say they would normally be talking to children in school about knives and the dangers of knife carrying but we cannot do this at the moment.

However, if you want to take this week as an opportunity to talk to your child about knife crime officers have help and advice on how to have that chat, including what to say on our website.

https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/campaigns/life-or-knife

Sutton Coldfield revellers warned to beware

With drink spiking reaching epidemic proportions, not least in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands Police have offered guidelines over how to avoid the it.

Our priority, as always, will be to keep you safe. We know that there’s still lots of concerns about being spiked while out so we’re doing even more to stop crimes before they happen.

Our officers on patrol and CCTV operators will be using behavioural science techniques to identify suspicious behaviour and body language. If they spot something, they’ll have a chat and see what’s going on and take further action such as stop and search if they have to.
Our sniffer dogs will also be out walking queues ready to detect drugs and weapons while our drone team will be monitoring crowded places.

We’ve bought in 500 multiple drug test kits and have detectives ready to respond to reports of spiking. The aim is to get samples from the casualty as soon as possible to help us detect drugs in their system. This will help us bring offenders before the courts

. We’ve also been sharing the signs of spiking so people know how to stay safe, what to look out for and when to get help.
Bars are briefed and almost all of them are taking extra measures to keep their customers safe. ID checks and extra searches can be expected along with more patrols inside the venue with close monitoring of CCTV.
Staff are ready to help if people need it, with larger clubs providing on site medics.

Some places are also offering free drug detection kits for people who are worried their drink may have been tampered with.
Street Pastors and wardens will also be out patrolling and ready to respond. 
Detective Superintendent Sean Phillips is leading on our response to the rise in reports of spiking. He said: “The aim of spiking may be to incapacitate someone enough to rob or sexually assault them. Sometimes it is just intended as a joke – a bad joke because it’s very dangerous.
“People can be spiked with extra shots added to their drinks or by drugs being added. Spiking has also come to mean being injected with drugs without their knowledge or permission.

“Spiking is an act of violence – most often by men against women and it’s got to stop. We’ll do everything we can to make that happen.”
No needle stick reports in the West Midlands have resulted in subsequent crimes against the victim, such as robbery or sexual assaults.
Sexual offences have followed in 10 drink spiking crimes. These include rape, attempt rape, sexual assault and causing a female to engage in sexual activity.

Spiking is against the law. It’s a serious crime with serious consequences.
People are more aware of spiking than ever before so you’re more likely to be found out.

If you spiked someone to enable sexual activity, you could face 10 years in jail, you may also be placed on the sex offenders register.
A criminal conviction will change your life. You may lose your job, your home, future careers will be affected when you tell them about your past and you may also face restrictions on travel with countries like the USA not giving visas to people with convictions for serious crimes.

Make the right choices and look out for each other.
Get information on spiking at west-midland.police.uk
The charity Victim Support are ready to help you if you’ve been spiked in the past and are struggling to cope. Call them 24/7 on 0808 1689.
kind regards
 

This message was sent by Stefanie Sadler (Police, Engagement & Consultation officer, Birmingham Partnerships)

Company’s event raises £4,774 for St Giles Hospice

A Sutton Coldfield company’s charity golf day has raised a tee-rific £4,774 in aid of St Giles Hospice.

The event, hosted by Logan Khan, Practice Director at The Boss Partnership based in Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Lichfield and Birmingham, took place at the JCB Golf & Country Club, near Uttoxeter, on Monday, 20th September.

Logan’s friend and golf club member Steve Withers, Chief Executive of Burton on Trent-based Herongrange Group Ltd, donated tickets for the event. Steve also provided tickets for another golf day in aid of St Giles hosted by his brother Paul, Managing Director of Tamworth car dealer AW Carhouse, on Monday, 6th September.

Logan’s mother Vivian spent her final days at St Giles Hospice in 2019 after she was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Paul and Steve both knew Vivian who, Logan said, had received ‘world-class care’ at St Giles.

Logan said: “At St Giles the staff really understand the meaning of end-of-life care and they work so hard to make you five-star comfortable. The staff there were all marvellous, and members of staff gave my mum as much love as my sister Rachel and I could have. They were incredible.

“After the last turbulent 18 months when charities have been so badly hit by the pandemic, this has been our first opportunity to fundraise for St Giles and I’m so grateful to my friends Steve and Paul for supporting this charity.”

Steve added: “Herongrange’s charity golf days have together raised a grand total of £10,058 for St Giles Hospice. This is an incredible amount and resounding success, and I’d like to offer my heartfelt thanks to our partners and to everyone who attended and donated for making this possible. 

“St Giles Hospice is a charity that has great significance to the Withers family, and we have proudly supported them for a number of years now.  They provide such vital services and support for families and individuals when it is needed most, and I am humbled by the important work they do.”

Samantha Storey, Regional Fundraising Manager at St Giles, which cares for patients who are living with a terminal illness and supports their families, said the hospice was very grateful for the fundraising efforts of all three companies and their guests.

She said: “We would like to thank Logan, Steve and Paul so much for organising these fantastic events and thank everybody who took part for their incredible generosity. We really couldn’t carry on providing the care services we offer to local families without the kindness of our community and the support of our local businesses. 

“The money they have raised will make a huge difference to the lives of the patients and families we care for. It costs £676 to fund 24 hours of hospice care for a patient at the end of their life. If any other local businesses would like to organise an event in aid of St Giles Hospice we would be delighted to hear from them.”

Businesses can contact the St Giles Hospice fundraising team on 01543 432538 or contact fundraising@stgileshospice.com

For more information about St Giles Hospice and the expert care it provides, please visit www.stgileshospice.com

Route for 2022 Commonwealth Games event

 Sutton Park is gearing up for one of the biggest event in its hisitory when it hosts Commonwealth Games triathlon events s next year.

The course has been unveiled for the events, which will be held in Sutton Park and on surrounding roads on July 29 and 31, 2022.

The maps of the course have been unveiled but the central point will be Powells Pool in the park.

Matt Kidson, Director of Sport for Birmingham 2022 said: “We are pleased to be able to publish all of the courses for our road events.

“These routes will help to profile some fantastic landmarks from across the region and showcase the West Midlands and Warwickshire to the world.

“Publishing these details with nine months still to go until the Games begin also means that local residents, businesses and other organisations have plenty of time to make plans for when these one-day events are staged in their local area.”

The Triathlon and Para Triathlon (for athletes with a visual impairment – PTVI) events will take place within Sutton Park and on the local roads to the south of the park, in and around Boldmere High Street.

ABOUT THE ROUTE

THE SWIMMING SECTION

The Triathlon swim section of the event will take place in Powell’s Pool in Sutton Park, starting on a purpose-built pontoon
The athletes will run from the swim course into transition within Sutton Park

THE CYCLING SECTION

Ths cycling section of the course is 5km in length and starts within Sutton Park.
Each individual athlete will complete four laps of the cycling course, except for the mixed relay event in which each athlete will complete a single lap.
When cycling the athletes will exit the park via Stonehouse Road and head straight onto Boldmere Road, passing through Boldmere High Street which will be a key area for spectators
The course will then turn right off Boldmere Road at Antrobus Road and loop back around to Jockey Road, before turning back onto Monmouth Drive and cycle past Boldmere Golf Course
The athletes will turn back onto Stonehouse drive then into the Sutton Park, before either heading to the turnaround point or the dismount line, both lrocated within the venue

THE RUNNING SECTION

The entire route for the running section is located within Sutton Park. It is 2.5km in length, with each athlete completing two laps (apart from in the mixed relay), with a turnaround point within the venue

HOW THE EVENTS WORK OUT

MEN, WOMEN AND PARA

Swim – 750m
Cycle – 20km (4 x 5km lap)
Run – 5km (2 laps of 2.5km)

MIXED RELAY

Swim – 300m
Cycle – 4 laps of 5km (1 per athlete)
Run – 4 laps of 2km (1 per athlete)

Accessibility
We will have a range of temporary accessible facilities on site. With limited hard standing pathways, areas of the park may not be suitable for those with limited mobility or wheelchair and mobility scooter users.

‘Boutique’ gym to open in Sutton Coldfield

A Sutton Coldfield business consortium has hailed a ‘new era’ for fitness lovers in the town after investing almost £250,000 in an innovative new concept.

Built Unique Co is set to open on the former Birmingham Road Blockbuster Video site by the end of November and will be the new home of functional fitness and bodybuilding for the Greater Birmingham area.

Functional fitness means doing movements that mimic everyday actions, engaging multiple muscle groups at the same time. The activity builds strength, stability, and mobility across the whole body, supporting comfortable living both inside and outside the gym environment. 

The boutique gym is the evolution of the CrossFit B76 concept, with ex-partner Gary Smith, heading up operations at Built Unique Co as managing director.

Gary said “I have always had a passion for fitness and in particular functional fitness – it’s how I met many of Built Unique Co’s investors. We’ve always talked about opening a gym and with Sutton Coldfield’s vibrancy and ‘being on the up’, it felt like the perfect town to trial our ‘high street gym’ concept.

“Everyone knows how challenging the high street environment currently is, but we are excited to play a role in driving footfall back to the town center.

With a career spanning over 15 years in the fitness industry, MD Gary has first hand seen the benefits that fitness can bring to the lives of many.

“In addition to supporting people with their fitness and health, it’s great to be bringing jobs to the area. We have already employed six people and we are still on the lookout for other roles such as front of house. We are also keen to speak to personal trainers looking for space to hire out and who essentially want to run their own fitness business.

“Whilst the gym is situated in Sutton Coldfield, we know the calibre of our staff and the programme we are offering will attract function fitness fanatics far and wide.

“We are hoping to gain fame as the home of small classes with a PT focus, as well as making a big impact on the local community. We are keen to help as many people as possible, which is why we will be offering opportunities for schools, clubs, and families to get involved.

“We shall also be running mentoring programs and ensuring that we provide facilities for people with disabilities. Many people think the Co stands for company, but it actually stands for community.

In addition to people benefiting physically from the new gym, Built Unique Co is keen that other businesses benefit from the new venture and really believes this could be a new era for people looking for a gym membership.

“We are also looking to partner with local suppliers and businesses to create a real hub of mutual benefits that are exciting for our members and provide opportunities for people in the area to come to together.”

Built Unique Co is set to offer many different membership options including trial months and a limited number of Founding Memberships. For anyone interested in joining Built Unique Co and the membership packages should registered their interest at https://www.builtuniqueco.com/. For all other enquiries, please email Gary on gary@builtunique.co.uk.