Town solicitors’ offer can support St Giles Hospice in ‘Make Your Will Fortnight’

Sutton Coldfield people will be able to get their Wills expertly written in return for a donation to St Giles Hospice in a campaign supported by local solicitors this month (October).

Enoch Evans and Woollastons Solicitors in the town are taking part in ‘Make Your Will Fortnight’, which is being run by the hospice between 18th-31st October, 2021.

During those two weeks, the solicitors will donate their time and expertise for free to help clients make a new Will or update their existing Will. All clients have to do is make a suggested minimum donation to St Giles Hospice of £100 for a Simple Will or £150 for a Mirror Will (a pair of Wills for couples who want to mirror each other’s wishes).

Wills typically cost £150-£250 for a single Will and even more for a Mirror Will, so ‘Make Your Will Fortnight’ offers people the chance to write or update their Wills for less while supporting their local hospice.

Enoch Evans, are based at 5 Emmanuel Court, 2 Mill Street, Sutton Coldfield, B72 1TJ. (Tel: 0121 355 2336).

Woollastons Solicitors, are based at 331 Jockey Road, Boldmere, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B73 5XE. (Tel: 0121 355 5516) and 64 Walsall Road, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B74 4QY. (Tel: 0121 308 4030).

All of the donations from the campaign will help fund care for local people living with a terminal illness and their families.

Elinor Eustace, Income Generation Director at St Giles Hospice, said: “Have you been meaning to write your Will but keep putting it off? We are here to make things easy for you. 

“By having your Will written in return for a donation to St Giles you can save yourself money and have the peace of mind of knowing that you are protecting the future of your loved ones – while protecting the future of your local hospice as well. 

“Writing a Will ensures that your family know what your wishes are, about your plans for your belongings and about funeral arrangements if you choose to include them. It can spare your loved ones from having to make important or complicated decisions at a distressing time.

“We’re immensely grateful to all of the solicitors who take part in ‘Make Your Will Fortnight’ for their support and expertise. Appointments are limited and are on a first come, first served basis, so please get in touch soon to make sure you don’t miss out.”

Anyone wanting to take part in the scheme should call the participating solicitor of their choice and quote ‘St Giles Hospice’ when they make their appointment.

Michael Lillywhite, Director, of Jennings Perks Solicitors, one of the firms taking part in the scheme, said: “When I was approached about participating in St Giles Hospice’s ‘Make Your Will Fortnight’, there was no hesitation on my part to lend my assistance.

“Having witnessed first-hand the brilliant work that they undertake and the services that they provide during horrendous times in people’s lives, I cannot speak highly enough of the charity and would actively encourage anyone thinking about making their Will to use this opportunity to make a donation to the charity to ensure that their work can continue.”

For more information about St Giles Hospice’s ‘Make Your Will Fortnight’, or to take part in the scheme, please visit www.stgileshospice.com/makeyourwill

Fundraisers in abseil challenge for St Giles Hospice

Adventurers with a head for heights can enjoy a bird’s eye view of Birmingham as they raise money for St Giles Hospice on an abseil challenge next month.

Fundraisers will be descending more than 100ft down the seven-story Green Man Wall on the Custard Factory building in Digbeth on Saturday, 9th October.

Next month’s event will be the second St Giles Hospice abseil at the Custard Factory, following the successful launch of the charity challenge in November 2019. 

After a year when the hospice’s fundraising events had to be cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s abseil will go ahead in accordance with current Government guidelines.

Claire Barton, 47, from Lichfield, took part in the 2019 St Giles abseil fundraiser while her father David ‘Chas’ Chandler was receiving end of life care at the hospice.

Musician Chas had been supported at home for six months by the St Giles community nurse team after being diagnosed with a brain tumour, before being admitted to the hospice in his final days.

Claire said: “I’m absolutely terrified of heights but when I was standing there at the top I thought: ‘I’m so scared, but I’m doing this for my Dad.’

“My husband took a photo and we sent it to my Dad, and my Mum sent a photo back of my Dad doing a thumbs-up when she told him I’d done it. Even now, I feel so happy that I did it and could tell my Dad about it, rather than waiting until later when he had passed away. We were able to raise nearly £1,500 for St Giles.

“I never dreamed that our family would need St Giles, but we would never have made it through Dad’s illness without them and I want it to stay there for the people who are going to need it in the future.”

Chloe Herbert, Head of Fundraising at St Giles Hospice, said: “We’re thrilled to be running our abseil challenge again and we’d like to invite intrepid supporters to join us to turn the Green Man Wall orange as we descend one of the tallest buildings in Birmingham. You don’t need any training or special skills – just bring your bravery!

“You’ll enjoy unique views of Selfridges, the Bullring and the Birmingham skyline and your fundraising will make a big difference to local people, and their families, living with a terminal illness.

“Invite your friends and family along to take part or to cheer you on and you can all join in the celebrations afterwards. Not only will this adrenaline-fueled charity challenge take you to new heights for St Giles, but local businesses will be offering a range of different discounts to our brave participants to make your day extra special.”

Entry to the event is £25, with a minimum sponsorship target of £75. The Green Man Wall is a short 13-minute walk from Birmingham New Street train station and 11 minutes from Birmingham Moor Street and there are two car parks nearby.

For further information visit www.stgileshospice.com/abseil contact the fundraising team on 01543 432538, or email fundraising@stgileshospice.com.

Real ale lovers will soon be in for a treat when a new micropub opens in Sutton Coldfield.

The Ale Hub will open in Mere Green, based at the former premises of Garner Canning Solicitors on Hill Village Road. It will be open from midday to 11pm seven days a week.

The tiny new pub, sandwiched between a general store and an barbers shop, will offer another option for tipplers in the area, offering a range of traditional real ales together with various gins and other drinks.

It will add more variation to the already vibrant food and drink scene in Mere Green.

The firm already runs micropub in Dickens Heath, Shirley and Worcester and says it prides itself on being a family-run business.

It says its goal is to revitalise the local pub scene and provide the community with a choice of refreshing and well-kept beverages in a relaxed and friendly environment.

Birmingham City Council has approved the planning application submitted by the company with various conditions attached.

A plan submitted to the council shows the ground floor will have a bar area, cellar and around a dozen tables, with toilet facilities on the first floor.

There will be no TVs, electronic games or food, apart from bar snacks like crisps and nuts and the firm says it will concentrate on making the premises customer friendly. There will be one full-time manager with three other part time staff.

In a statement to Birmingham City Council planning department, The Ale Hub said: “We are looking to operate a micropub out of the premises which will have a focus on being a pleasant friendly space for the local community.

“There will be no TVs or loud music as it is a traditional micropub that is focused on listening to its customers, mainly serving cask and craft ales, promoting conversation and shunning all forms of electronic entertainment. We will also offer a range of gins as well as other drinks.

We will not serve meals, only pub snacks such as crisps and nuts

“We will look to recruit locally which will remove the need for our staff to require parking spaces as the majority of our staff at our other micropubs live within walking distance.”

Comment

Sutton Coldfield, it seems, is surrounded by a ring of steel. Steel barriers and traffic lights that is. It was bad enough in May, when we were still under lockdown restrictions, but the mayhem just goes on.

There has been not let up and it has got even worse, farcical in some areas, as the school summer holidays seemed to be a a trigger for even more diggers.

Easing lockdown has meant more people are back at work which in turn means more and more people are on the road.

From Maney Corner /Birmingham Road roadworks through to resurfacing pavements on Lichfield Road and work on the island at London Road there has been traffic chaos for months.

There were more traffic lights at Mere Green while the Lidl supermarket was being completed and resurfacing still onongoing at Slade Road, Four Oaks on the way to Bassetts Pole. That seems to have been going on forever.

To make matters worse, both Anchorage Road was closed off for resurfacing at the same time as work started on the corner of Little Sutton Lane causing with a three-way lights system, causing mayhem on routes into and out of the town centre.

This was in addition to a one way system past the police and fire stations being in place between rush hour periods for resurfacing.

 To compound this a three-way set of traffic lights at the junction of Hollyfield Road and Reddicap was causing severe tailbacks, with all of these routes potentially affecting emergency services from Good Hope Hospital.

It is to be hoped that planners can get their act together as this is exactly the kind of chaos that hits business hard, just as they are starting to recover from the Covid lockdown.

Let’s not forget either the potential for more chaos when work on the giant Peddimore estate gets under way.

Pull on a cape to take part in the St Giles Hospice Hero Walk

Do you have what it takes to become a hero for St Giles Hospice? St Giles is summoning caped crusaders and fundraising families to Lichfield’s Beacon Park for its Hero Walk on Saturday 25th September – and is calling on people to celebrate their own heroes in style as they take part in the event.

People are encouraged to dress up as their favourite hero before tackling a 5km walk with a series of fun challenges along the way. The event is suitable for all the family and all funds raised will support hospice care for patients and their families who are living with a terminal illness.

Zoe Wright, Events Manager at St Giles Hospice said: “Whether you’re in fancy dress or looking for something fun and exciting to do, our Hero Walk is a great day out. We’re calling on our community to pull on their capes and show they care by walking for their hero. 

“Our Hero Walk has activities and entertainment for everyone – including doggie sidekicks. The fun begins at the hero hub, where all of our heroes will be assembling. You can enjoy games, refreshments and pose for some super family snaps before setting off on your activity adventure. 

“There are also awesome activities along the route to test your hero skills to the limit and a hero’s welcome awaits when you cross the finish line to collect your medal. So please sign up to make memories in a mask and celebrate your own heroes – and by raising funds for St Giles as you go, you will become a hero of ours too.”

St Giles Hospice’s first-ever Hero Walk, held at Walsall Arboretum in 2019, was a huge success. The event was due to return last year, but had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

One of the superheroes at the inaugural event was Louise Harding, from Willenhall, who took part in memory of her Nan, Lavinia Layton, who received end of life care at St Giles Hospice before her death in June 2019 at the age of 93.

Louise said: “My Nan got exactly the care she needed at St Giles – one-to-one care tailored to her. They were always ready to help us and people were there straight away when we needed support, which makes a huge difference for both the patient and the family.”

Three months after her Nan died, Louise put together a team of superheroes, including friends and three pet dogs, and dressed up as Batgirl to do the Hero Walk in memory of Lavinia.

“The Hero Walk was a celebration of Nan and a way to thank St Giles for the support they gave us to comfort her, as well as for letting us spend time with her until the very end,” added Louise.

“St Giles Hospice is such a valuable service for the area and we wanted to raise funds for the future so that St Giles would be there for other families like ours. The Hero Walk was really special because everyone was walking for a reason. Everyone had their own superhero in mind, which gave it a real meaning.”

The 5km family walk and fun day will kick off at 11am on Saturday 25th September in Beacon Park, Lichfield, with a welcome speech at 11.30am before the walk starts at 12pm. Entry is £3 for under threes, £6 for under 16s, £10 for adults and £30 for a family ticket (two adults and two children). Doggie sidekicks can take part for free!

Zoe added: “All heroes are encouraged to arrive in their costumes ready to leap into action and help raise funds for their local hospice. If you’d like to take on the challenge in true hero style, St Giles capes can be pre-ordered or bought on the day for a £5 donation.

“The entry fee only covers the administration cost of Hero Walk, but by asking friends and family to sponsor you, you will raise valuable funds to help us continue to provide care and support, free of charge, for patients and their families.

“Raising £40 in sponsorship could pay for one hour of our Advice and Referrals team, £202 could pay for visits to a patient in their own home by our community nurses and £676 could pay for 24 hours of hospice care for a patient at the end of their life.”

For more information about the St Giles Hospice Hero Walk, please visit www.stgileshospice.com/herowalk

The Gracechurch Centre set to host community arts project celebrating life after lockdown

As part of its ongoing commitment to supporting the local community, The Gracechurch Centre will be collaborating with a local art collective to relaunch an art gallery within the shopping centre for the first time since lockdown, giving a platform to showcase Sutton Coldfield’s budding artists.

Direct Art Action (UK) is a small charity working within the West Midlands which aims to bring back art into the local community by working with retail destinations like The Gracechurch Centre to repurpose vacant units as galleries.

Charity spokesperson, Katie Hammond herself a local artist and proud Suttonian, explains that the charity saw an opportunity to turn the adversity of the pandemic and successive lockdowns into a source of strength and hope for others by bringing art to the wider public.

The gallery has an exciting body of work that will be refreshed to reflect a new topic each month.

Katie is currently working on a new community art piece centred on the theme of ‘hope and is appealing for the support of local people in creating a community art installation. In native American culture, a pale butterfly is a symbol of hope, and throughout September, starting on Saturday 4 September, Katie will be holding free Saturday drop-in sessions where people can learn to fold an origami butterfly, that will eventually create a wall of butterflies, which will act as a wall of hope.

Throughout autumn and winter, the gallery will also feature an array of artwork based on a variety of topics, such as the environment. As part of this, Katie and the team of volunteers that make up Direct Art Action UK, will be looking at initiatives to raise awareness of a whole host of environmental issues.

One such example will be a scheme to collect and repurpose crisp packets as survival blankets for the homeless, minimising the environmental impact of these single use plastic materials while contributing to the safety and wellbeing of some of the most vulnerable people within society.

Angela Henderson, Centre Manager of The Gracechurch Centre, said: “We’re very pleased to be supporting the Direct Art Action UK art gallery as we feel art can be a real force for good within our society. Initiatives like this are a great way to showcase the talent that is on offer within our town and we’d encourage people to get involved and support projects which make a positive impact.

“We see our centre as an important community hub within Sutton Coldfield, and by offering our vacant space to help support local charitable organisations, we can give something back, making Sutton Coldfield an even more special place in which to live.”

Gallery manager and local artist Katie Hammond added: “Just before lockdown one, I completed my first community art project – The Peace Project. I held free drop-in origami sessions, where I got the people of Sutton Coldfield folding 1000 paper cranes to form a Senbazuru.

“Like many, lockdown was hard for me – missing normality, friends and family, and it was during this time that I got the idea for my next community art project. ‘Hope’, will hopefully demonstrate that even in the darkest of times, even though you may not feel like it, you can find hope.”

Below is a list of Direct Art Action’s programme of summer activities from its new home at the Gracechurch Centre:

Friday 20th August – Butterfly sun catcher making drop in session
Friday 27th August – A class on creating Kandinsky rock art
Saturday 28th August – ‘Tropical Day’ watermelon pinwheel making masterclass