An innovative project which provides free training to children with a talent for dance celebrates its 25^th anniversary in 2022. And to mark the occasion, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Dance Track is inviting everyone who has been through its programme to a celebration, including anyone form Sutton Coldfield who have been involved.

Launched in 1997, Dance Track offers specialist dance training to hundreds of inner-city children aged between six and 11, providing free classes, uniforms, the chance to see live shows and the opportunity to perform.

Run by BRB’s Learning, Engagement, Access and Participation department, the programme aims to reach into the community and support children who may not have access to high quality dance education.

Many Dance Track children have gained places at the Royal Ballet and Elmhurst Ballet Schools and have gone on to dance professionally but the team believe all the participants have benefited.

“I am so passionate about the programme because we are changing lives – it’s not just about teaching dance,” says BRB Learning and Participation Manager Rebecca Brookes.

“It’s about teaching social skills, self-development, independence, how to interact and communicate with each other. It’s also about understanding how to work as a team, how to perform, be an appreciative audience member and learn to be a critical thinker to enhance their ballet skills.” 

Dance Track would not be possible without its many supporters. The programme’s 25^th anniversary activities will be supported by HSBC UK and Birmingham Royal Ballet is totally committed to the project.

Since its launch, Dance Track has supported 3,500 youngsters and now the team are keen to hear from as many former Dance Track students as possible for the 25^th anniversary celebrations which include a new book and an event in the spring.

 “We want to reach all those people who remember Dance Track, remember their teachers, remember what it did for them – however big or small – to know what that impact was. Maybe it changed their life choices,” says Rebecca. “We would like to celebrate the achievements of everyone, students and staff, who have been involved in the programme.”

Nine-year-old Joshua McKenzie was just five when the Dance Track team visited his school, St Teresa’s Catholic Primary in Handsworth Wood, and he was offered a place on Dance Track.

Joshua has excelled and is now a Royal Ballet Associate and an Elmhurst Young Dancer and was picked to dance a child role in this year’s BRB production of The Nutcracker at Birmingham Hippodrome. 

“It’s a life-changing experience for him,” says his mum Pei. “We didn’t know that he would find that ballet was something he would go on to become really passionate about. Before this he was someone who liked to be in the background but ballet has changed him and given him so much more confidence. He now enjoys being in the spotlight.”

This September, Joshua’s seven-year-old sister Kimora also joined Dance Track and Pei is grateful for the opportunities the programme brings.

“Most of the kids on Dance Track are just from normal families,” she says. “Dance Track is a place where everyone comes together and we feel we are valued. It is free and they get the best. Everyone is so wonderful, it’s the best programme in the world.”

*If you are an alumni of Dance Track, the team would love to hear from you at dancetrack@brb.org.uk

A leading Sutton Coldfield GP has said a massive effort was under way in the town to vaccinate 1,000 people a day as the new omicron Covid variant spreads.

Sutton Coldfield Group Practice has ramped up its capacity, to meet that ambitious target, according to a report in the Express and Star newspaper and website.

Doctor Rahul Dubb, the local GP leading on vaccinations, said the efforts were in response to the government announcement and target of offering booster vaccines to all over 18s by the end of the year.

He said: “We are putting these appointments on the National Booking Service and you can book either online or, if you do not have access to the internet, by ringing 119.

“Please remember, if you have not had any vaccination as yet or not completed your initial complete two jabs, or three for those who are immunosuppressed, you can have these at the Sutton Coldfield Town Hall as well.

“It is also vital to continue precautions of washing hands, maintaining space and wearing a mask as advised by the government.”

He added: “I am forever grateful to our volunteers and all SCGP staff who are making this possible by lengthening the times they work to 13 hour days, with more vaccinators and working through some of the bank holiday period to ensure we get our local residents protected as best as possible.

“Although the government have advised us to focus on vaccinations and urgent care as top priorities, I am proud that the practice is being run without closure of services while simultaneously upscaling the vaccination effort.

“Please get your booster jab at three months after your last jab, as soon as you’re eligible to have it. Wishing all Sutton Coldfield residents a safe and Merry Christmas.”

To book online visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/

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