A dog walker at Camp Road with the message in the field above
Dogged determination to spell out message in Sutton
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has come in for some ‘ruff’ treatment at a Sutton Coldfield dog care centre.
Straw bales were rearranged to spell out a message to the embattled PM, which caused some amusement.
Passers by and users of Pawpounders Dog Daycare on Camp Road, Sutton Coldfield, saw the ‘Sack Boris’ message spelled out on one of their fields.
On its website, the firm says: “We are the only five-star rated licence holder in Sutton Coldfield awarded to select companies that have proved to offer over and above the standard licence regulations with an in depth procedure manual and procedures in place to ensure your dog is in very safe hands.”
Karen Williams received an OBE in the New Year’s Honours list
Sutton-based Karen awarded OBE for helping children fleeing domestic violence
The founder of a Sutton Coldfield-based charity, that helps children fleeing domestic violence has been formally presented with her OBE by the Princess Royal.
Karen Williams, founder of the Buddy Bag Foundation, was awarded the OBE in the Queen’s New Year’s honours list in 2021 for services to the victims of domestic violence.
She said: “Karen said: “On receiving the news that I was to be awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours list I was both shocked and surprised, then as it sunk in honoured and extremely grateful.
“I will be forever indebted to my parents who taught me that if something is worth achieving then it is worth working for, as well as the importance of focus and positivity.”
Buddy Bag Foundation co-founder Chris Williams added: “We are delighted to see Karen get this award. Everyone at the charity is so proud of all her achievements and to be recognised in this way is fantastic as she has always been extremely dedicated to helping others.”
Achieving something special
Karen collected her award on 9 February in a ceremony at Windsor Castle. She said: “Receiving this accolade has been an absolute privilege. My dream six years ago was to set up a charity that could and would make a real and meaningful difference to children in emergency care.
“With the assistance and support of all our volunteers we have realised this dream.
“Thank you to all our volunteers and supporters. Together we have achieved and are continuing to achieve something truly special.”
The charity is now based in Minworth near Sutton Coldfield.
The Buddy Bag Foundation provides a bag of essential items to children who find themselves in emergency accommodation after fleeing domestic violence. Often, they are forced to leave home in a rush and arrive at the accommodation with none of their belongings. Since the charity began in 2015, 100 percent of the donations have been given to the children.
In December 2021 the foundation’s team of volunteers celebrated as they passed the milestone of packing over 40,000 Buddy Bags.
Karen said: “This achievement far exceeded our initial target; we can now look to the future with optimism at the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”
St Giles Hospice nurse Charlotte Griffiths says a big thank you to all who supported the raffle
St Giles Hospice is thanking kind-hearted people in the local community for helping it to start 2022 on a high note after its Christmas raffle raised more than £100,000.
The money raised by the raffle will be used to fund care and support for patients, and their families, living with a terminal illness.
Elinor Eustace, Income Generation Director at St Giles Hospice, said: “We are absolutely overwhelmed by the kindness of our supporters who showed the true spirit of Christmas with their generosity this year.
“By playing our Christmas raffle and making additional donations on top of their ticket purchases our supporters have raised an amazing £101,363, which will make a huge contribution towards funding care services for the families we support.
“This is the fourth successive Christmas raffle to raise more than £100,000, which is a fantastic achievement. It takes a community to make a hospice and our raffle total shows how vital our local supporters are, year-on-year, in helping to keep our services running.
“Our summer and Christmas raffles have been more important to us than ever over the last two years, as our other fundraising income has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we can’t thank people enough for continuing to support St Giles.”
Sutton Coldfield mum Rebecca Horton-Worby helped St Giles to promote the raffle to thank the hospice for looking after her mum, Sandra Horton, who was admitted to St Giles Hospice on Christmas Eve in 2018 for end-of-life care.
Rebecca, from Boldmere, and her sister Abbie were grateful to St Giles for helping to make their mum’s last Christmas special and for supporting the whole family during Sandra’s final days. The hospice had also previously cared for Rebecca’s nan, Cynthia Rose, and Cynthia’s husband , Ken.
Rebecca said: “I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who played this year’s Christmas raffle. Your generosity makes a huge difference to local patients and their families at a time when they need the hospice’s support the most.
“You never know when you or a family member or friend will need to call on St Giles and we want to make sure that the hospice will be there in future to offer families like ours the care and support that St Giles provides both at Christmas time and throughout the year.”
Prizes in this year’s Christmas raffle included a jackpot of £8,000, a second prize of £2,000 and other fantastic prizes. The top prize was scooped by a lucky winner living in Kingsbury.
St Giles runs two raffles each year in addition to the weekly lottery, providing vital income for the hospice. It costs more than £10 million every year to provide the care St Giles offers and, with little more than a third of this total funded by the Government, the hospice relies upon the generosity of the local community.
Anyone who doesn’t want to wait until the summer raffle for their next chance to support the hospice and win a prize can play the St Giles Hospice lottery, which is drawn each week. For details visit http://www.stgileshospice.com/lottery
For more information about St Giles Hospice and the expert care it provides, please visit http://www.stgileshospice.com
The Corsican pine felled and stacked neatly at Manorial Wood off Worcester Lane in Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust to re-stock Manorial Wood
Thousands of new trees are to be planted after a picturesque wood in Sutton Coldfield was cleared of its trees. Now a local charity has pledged to repopulate the area with a new species of trees after felling the woodland sparked local anger and bewilderment.
Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust is set to launch the next phase of its progressive plans to replant with English deciduous broadleaved trees at Manorial Woods on Worcester Lane, Four Oaks – one of the Trust’s own private woodlands.
The entire site will be restocked, in mid-March, with 4,500 trees of both UK-grown hardwoods and an intimate mix of conifers to aid the establishment of the crop – following the recently harvested Corsican Pine.
The Corsican pine piled highThe cleared woodland in Sutton
This will increase the hardwood area of the wood by more than 50 per cent of all trees, which will sequester carbon for decades and provide an improved habitat for plants and wildlife.
The decision to fell and replace the trees came after seeking specialist forestry advice over the past two to three years, which revealed that the previous crop of Corsican Pine had reached its potential and would have gone into decline – causing increased safety issues and fire risks to nature and local residents, due to lack of vegetation and plants.
Tina Swani, chief executive of Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust, said: “This woodland was made up of Corsican pine, which was deliberately planted for harvesting to be cut down in a time when wood production mattered much more than habitat. Unfortunately, this means the woodland floor had become laden with pine needles and very little was growing and when the pine needles dry, they can become a real fire risk.
Tina Swani
“In order to restore this area, we are planting the whole space with a greater number of English broadleaved trees – a mix of species – and we’re planting more trees than have been felled. This will help to increase the biodiversity in this wood, a richer mix of plant life on the woodland floor and a greater range of wildlife living in these woods.
“This project will greatly enhance the environment for generations, not just decades, to come. That, in turn, will create a much better environment for people, for the wildlife, and for quality of the air.”
Robert South, timber harvesting director at Bronwin and Abbey, said: “Landowners play a key role in the sustainable use of natural resources. Carbon neutral jobs, homes and communities will be delivered, through stewardship of the land, and a view to improving nature and biodiversity.”
Timber harvested from the site will be used in construction, fencing and power supplies, with products embedded with carbon and residues used for power and heat – reducing the need for fossil fuels.
The principal objectives of the Trust are the provision of Almshouses, the distribution of funds and other measures for the alleviation of hardship and other needs for inhabitants and organisations within the boundaries of the former Borough of Sutton Coldfield.
The Trust’s origins can be traced back to Tudor times. Throughout a long history it has improved the lives of generations of people in Sutton Coldfield, particularly those in the greatest need. It has sustained its core priority to alleviate suffering, while redefining and extending its benefits to reflect changing times and needs.
2022 GETS OFF TO AN INK-REDIBLE START FOR MERE GREEN RESIDENTS AT GIGGLING SQUID
Thai cuisine fans in Mere Green are in for a tasty treat as award-winning restaurant chain, Giggling Squid, announces the launch of a brand-new breakfast menu, exclusive to its Mere Green restaurant.
Trialing the delicious new offering at Giggling Squid Mere Green before looking to expand across further Giggling Squid locations, the new breakfast menu includes flavourful Morning Fuel Juices, Giggling House Smoothies, Breakfast Bowls, Thai Specialties and Classic Dishes, all sure to get those taste buds tingling at the start of the day.
Available from 31st January between 8.30am and 11am daily, the delectable breakfast menu features fragrant and light Thai dishes alongside more classic brunch favourites, served with a Thai twist.
From the Coconut Pancake Stack and Brekkie Bao Buns to Thai Omelette Wedges and Mango & Coconut Porridge, Mere Green residents will be spoilt for choice when it comes to their next breakfast or brunch outing.
Andy Laurillard, CEO comments: “We’ve been wanting to launch our breakfast menu for a while. Thai food lends itself well to fresh and flavoursome dishes to start the day. We’ve been so pleased with the response to our food since launching in Mere Green and can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks of this new idea.”
Giggling Squid Mere Green is located at 9 Mulberry Walk, Sutton Coldfield, B75 5BS and is open 09.30 – 22:00 Mon-Thu, 09.30 – 22:30 Fri-Sat and 09.30 – 21:30 Sun.
The upgraded international standard hockey pitch has been completed at Wyndley Leisure Centre in Sutton Coldfield.
Wyndley Leisure Centre is one of the official training venues for Birmingham 2022.
Sports such as hockey, triathlon and Para triathlon will use the centre ahead of the Games and the improved facilities will be used by the community after Birmingham 2022.
Training venues play a pivotal role in any athlete’s preparation in the build up to a major event, and Birmingham 2022 has ensured that world-class venues, which will replicate each sport’s competition venue, have been selected.
Wyndley was previously announced as the training venue for triathlon, Para triathlon and hockey, with the existing hockey pitch being upgraded to a Federation International Hockey (FIH) standard pitch, to replicate the playing surface at the University of Birmingham, the hockey competition venue. Improvements are also being made to the fencing and floodlights on the site.
As well as ensuring that the teams invited to compete at the Commonwealth Games have excellent training facilities, the improvements will have a long-lasting benefit for local community groups, schools and local hockey players too, such as those from Sutton Coldfield Hockey Club, who are based at the site.
The club’s members include Jane Sixsmith, who won a silver medal as part of the Team England hockey team at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Jane said: “It’s very exciting news that Wyndley Leisure Centre has been selected as an official training venue for the hockey teams competing at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
“Not only will it be inspiring for members of the club to know that our home pitch will be used by some of the global stars of hockey, but it also means that the facilities we use are receiving a significant upgrade, so we’ll have an international standard pitch to play and train on – it’s a fantastic legacy for the Games.”
Wyndley Leisure Centre is owned by Birmingham City Council and operated by Birmingham Community Leisure Trust.
The improvements at Wyndley include the athletics track on site being refurbished.
Race for Life runners will be in Sutton Park in May
PEOPLE are being invited to kick start their fitness and help beat cancer by signing up to Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life in Sutton Coldfield.
The charity’s much-loved events are returning and anyone who joins before the end January can claim a special 50 per cent off the entry fee by using the code RFL22J50.
The Race for Life series kicks off for the first time in Sutton Park with 5k and 10k events taking place on Sunday, May 8. Further events will take place across the region until Saturday, July 16. Adults and children of all ages can choose from 3k, 5k and 10k Race events as well as several 5k Pretty Muddy obstacle courses.
Every year around 34,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in the West Midlands* region and one in two people in the UK born after 1960 will get cancer in their lifetime. **
Money raised at Race for Life enables scientists to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer – helping to save more lives.
Paula Young, Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson for Sutton Coldfield, said: “Everyone can play their part to help beat cancer.
“January is the perfect time for people to commit to getting a little more active. By signing up to Race for Life, there’s the chance to raise money for life-saving research. Sadly, cancer affects all of us in some way. Whether people are living with cancer, taking part in honour of or in memory of a loved one with cancer or signing up to protect their own children’s future, everyone has a reason to Race for Life.
“Our Race for Life events are open to all. For some people, the Race for Life is literally a walk in the park. Slow and steady still wins. For others, it’s a jog. Others may opt to push themselves harder and take part in the 10K distance. But what is for certain is we’re looking forward to welcoming people of all ages and abilities. Race for Life will be fun, emotional, colourful, uplifting and an unforgettable event this year.”
Race for Life events across the UK this year will follow current government guidance to protect against COVID-19. Hand sanitiser will be provided at all events.
Paula added: “We hope that none of our Midlands Race for Life events are cancelled in 2022 and we will do everything we can to keep people safe. If we do have to cancel any of our events we will let participants know as soon as possible and they will be entitled to a full refund.”
Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, in partnership with Tesco, raises funds for world-class research to help beat 200 types of cancer – including bowel cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, testicular cancer, brain cancer, children’s cancers and leukaemia.
Oonagh Turnbull, Head of Health Campaigns at Tesco, said: “This will be our 21st year in partnership with Cancer Research UK and Race for Life and we hope this year can be the biggest yet.”
Volunteers Lew and Ann Turner out on their TreeCycle round
St Giles Hospice collects 5,000 Christmas trees and raises £69,000 in best-ever year for TreeCycle
St Giles Hospice is celebrating after January’s TreeCycle campaign became the most successful yet, collecting even more trees than last year’s record-breaking Christmas tree collection.
The environmentally-friendly recycling campaign saw more than 5,000 Christmas trees picked up by volunteers in return for a small donation to St Giles, raising over £69,000 for the hospice. Last year’s collection picked up 4,428 trees.
All funds raised by TreeCycle help to ensure that St Giles Hospice can continue to support local people and their families living with a terminal illness.
Between Wednesday 5th and Wednesday 12th January, 115 dedicated and energetic volunteers braved the freezing winter weather to join the eighth annual TreeCycle collection, following Government COVID-19 guidelines.
They picked up Christmas trees from Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield, Walsall, Tamworth, Burton, Rugeley, Burntwood, Uttoxeter, Swadlincote, Stafford and surrounding areas.
Chloe Herbert, Head of Fundraising at St Giles Hospice, said: “This year’s TreeCycle campaign has been a huge success and we are absolutely delighted with the results. Our 2021 collection was a record-breaking event following the amazing goodwill we had from our supporters during the COVID-19 pandemic so to beat that total in 2022 is simply amazing.
“We need to raise £850,000 every month just to keep our services going, so the success of this year’s TreeCycle will make a massive difference to local people and their families at a time when they need us the most.”
Wincanton provided St Giles with vital logistics and volunteer support during the collections, and the trees will be recycled for agricultural uses at Greener Composting in Wall, Lichfield.
“We’d also like to thank Lichfield Tree Works, Central England Cooperative, Darwin Electricals, Robson Lister and DHL Fradley for joining our volunteers in the TreeCycle collections this year,” added Chloe.
“As always, our volunteers, community and businesses have been amazing and we couldn’t have made TreeCycle such a huge success without their dedication and support – it honestly couldn’t happen without them.
“Our volunteers tell us that they really enjoy TreeCycle and get a great sense of achievement from taking part and we hope they will encourage even more volunteers to get involved next year, so that we can collect more trees than ever.
“If you would like to volunteer at next year’s TreeCycle or if your business can offer us their support we’d be very happy to hear from you. To find out more contact our Volunteer Team by email at volunteer@stgileshospice.com or call us on 01543 434533”
For more information about St Giles Hospice and the expert care it provides, please visit www.stgileshospice.com
Employers puts compassion at the heart of support for staff
Employers across Birmingham are being invited to join a special online conference as part of an initiative to make it the country’s first officially-recognised compassionate city.
National charity Compassionate Communities UK (CC-UK) will host the Birmingham Compassionate City Charter – Employers Conference on Thursday, 17th February 2022 between 10am-4pm. The event is designed to support businesses and other organisations to improve the health and wellbeing of their workforces.
A compassionate community is one where people actively encourage and support one another during life’s most challenging times such as those relating to serious illness, death and bereavement, and the charity’s accreditation has already been awarded to the Staffordshire communities of Whittington and Fisherwick and Brereton and Ravenhill.
Organisations from Birmingham including charities, community groups, public sector bodies, schools, universities and hospices are now working together with CC-UK to ensure that Birmingham becomes the first city to be awarded City Charter status as the charity spreads its learning nationwide.
Dr Emma Hodges, CEO at St Giles Hospice and Business Development Director for CC-UK, said: “Employers have a unique position in someone’s life, whether that is an employee living with a serious illness or a member of their family, or a friend or colleague. Companies are, or can be, compassionate communities both internally and within their locality.
“Employers are able to make significant differences to the memories of those who live on, not just by having modern compassionate leave policies, but also culturally ensuring that colleagues of those who are ill or grieving are confident in their role as part of someone’s natural support network.
“We’d like to invite local employers to join us in being part of a multi-sector, growing group of people committed to Birmingham becoming a compassionate city and to consider the opportunities and benefits to employers in addition to the wellbeing of their workforce.”
The conference will feature a number of seminars by guest speakers, along with workshops and discussions.
CC-UK Director Dr Julian Abel will talk about the new model of primary care that he has developed alongside compassionate communities and the profound effects they can have upon the health outcomes of people living within them.
A seminar about the wellbeing of doctors and nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic and how their experiences can shape compassionate leadership in health and care services will be delivered by Professor Michael West, CBE, Emeritus Professor at Aston University, where he was formerly Executive Dean of Aston Business School.
St Giles Hospice Community Development Manager Ian Leech, who helps communities to better understand end of life care and bereavement support, will share positive and negative stories from people living with a serious illness or who are grieving, to demonstrate the impact that either experience can have on the person and their colleagues.
Dr Emma Hodges will provide insights into some of the challenges and approaches that need to be considered in supporting employees living with a serious illness or who are grieving – especially as many traditional sickness and bereavement policies are often outdated, inflexible and do not always support the individual or the employer in the long run.
The conference is aimed at supporting Birmingham’s work to becoming recognised as a CC-UK Compassionate City but it is also open to a wider audience who may want to consider how their businesses can best improve the relationships within their workforce and communities.
Emily Rich at work at the St Giles Hospice shop in Lichfield
Help out at a St Giles shops to make a difference in 2022
St Giles Hospice is calling for people to help make a real difference for a great local cause in 2022 by volunteering at one of its charity shops.
The charity has three shops in Sutton Coldfield and every sale made at the hospice’s 21 shops across the area helps to fund the charity’s support for local people and their families who are living with a terminal illness, and volunteers play a vital role in helping St Giles to reach the £850,000 total it needs to raise each month to run its services.
Emily Rich, from Lichfield, joined St Giles as a volunteer just over a year ago and gives her time to one of the charity’s shops in the city.
Emily said: “I’ve always loved visiting charity shops and always liked the idea of working in one. When I decided that I’d like to volunteer in a charity shop St Giles Hospice was the obvious choice for me.
“It’s a fantastic local charity which cares for local patients and families when they really need support the most, so I knew it would be a meaningful and worthwhile way to offer my time. It’s really fulfilling to help out and see the shop supporting St Giles because we know how much of a difference the money we raise can make to hospice services.
“As a stay-at-home mum I really look forward to the social aspect of my two days a week at the shop. I’ve made friends with so many staff members and volunteers and you get to know the regular customers who come in on the same day each week. It’s great fun – it doesn’t feel like work, it’s more of a pleasure or a hobby to me, and there’s always something new to learn.”
Emma Yates, St Giles Head of Retail, said: “If you’ve volunteered for us before or would like to try something new and support St Giles by volunteering in one of our hospice shops we’d be delighted to hear from you. We’re looking for people to join our team right now.
“We have 21 shops across our area, each one at the heart of their communities. We sell fantastic individual items which have been gifted by our donors. Our volunteers are vital to the running of our shops – we really could not care for so many patients and families without the generosity of all of the people who donate their time to help us out.
“There are many ways you could get involved with us, from visual merchandising and preparing stock to serving customers and sorting donations, the list is endless, and we will provide you with training and an induction to complete your role. Whatever your interests, strengths and experiences, we have something to suit you and we have a range of shops across our catchment area, so you are never very far away from a convenient volunteering opportunity.”
Anyone interested in volunteering at a St Giles Hospice shop can pop into their local shop to speak to a member of the team and pick up an application form or visit www.stgileshospice.com/shopvolunteer.
For more information about St Giles Hospice and the expert care it provides, please visit www.stgileshospice.com
