Sutton Coldfield is one of the happiest places in the West Midlands according to a new survey. The borough came fourth across the region, behind Stratford, Leamington and neighbouring Lichfield.
The results came after estate agents Rightmove asked 35,000 people across Britain how they feel about where they live and analysed the results.
Rightmove said its study indicates that, overall, residents in Scotland, Wales and the South West are most happy with where they live, while those in the East and West Midlands are the least happy.
The only place in the West Midlands to make the top 20 this year was Stratford, which ranked number 13, with Sutton rated a still creditable 36th on the Rightmove list.
Rightmove looked at topics such as how proud residents feel about where they live, their sense of belonging to an area, community spirit, whether they can be themselves, whether they can earn enough to live comfortably in their area, public transport, sports and recreation, green spaces and artistic and cultural activities when curating their ranking.
Four Oaks resident Marion James said it was a great area to live.
She added: “We have live here for quite a few years now and the place has much to offer with good housing, schools, decent restaurants and having the beauty of Sutton Park on the doorstep.
“The Christmas market has also livened up the town centre.”
The study also found that Gen-Z generation (18 to 24-year-olds) were the most likely to say that they thought they would be happier living in a different area, while those aged 55-plus were the least likely.
Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s property expert, said: “It’s the younger generation who are most likely to say they would be happier living somewhere else, many of whom have to travel to cities for education or to find their first jobs.”
West Midlands mayor unveils public transport boost
Free weekday evening travel is being offered across the West Midlands, on all bus services, in the run up to Christmas this year, in a unique move never seen before on this scale in the UK.
Between Monday, December 9 and Friday, December 13, all of the region’s buses will be free to use from 7pm onwards, with passengers able to simply hop onboard and travel anywhere across the West Midlands bus network.
The offer, from West Midlands mayor Richard Parker, delivered in partnership with all bus operators across the region, has been designed to encourage people to leave the car at home and avoid the stress and expense of driving and parking during the busy holiday period.
Residents and visitors heading out for some late-night Christmas shopping, a pantomime or to a festive party will not need a ticket or pass during the free travel period, making it even easier and cheaper to enjoy an evening out.
The free bus travel offer highlights the importance of bus services, while supporting the region’s shops, restaurants, pubs, theatres and concert venues.
It is part of a wider programme to attract first time and long absent users on to the bus network to help tackle congestion on the region’s roads, while supporting the bus industry’s recovery from a fall in passenger numbers and increased fuel and running costs post-pandemic.
Mr Parker said: “From day one, I said that making the bus network better for the people of the West Midlands was one of my top priorities and this offer shows we, in partnership with our bus operators, are taking this challenge seriously by being the only region in the country taking these exciting steps to make a difference.
“So many of us will be heading out for parties, meals, stage shows and late-night shopping trips this Christmas.
“But it can be an expensive time of year, and I hope this free travel offer can help people save a few pounds, make their money go further and see the benefit of travelling by bus while visiting their local high streets and enjoying what our region has to offer this festive season.”
Staff from TfWM and National Express West Midlands will be on hand at key city centre locations to help customers and make sure the scheme runs smoothly during the week.
The free weekday bus travel scheme is expected to drive a 30 per cent increase in bus passenger journeys. The success of the scheme will be monitored to explore the potential for similar initiatives in the future.
The initiative is part of the £20 million Passenger Incentive Programme which is funded from the West Midlands Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). It aims to encourage people to try bus travel for the first time or return after a period of absence, to support a passenger-led recovery of the local bus network.
The Passenger Incentive Programme has already distributed over 200,000 weeks of travel credit, generating nearly 2 million bus journeys.
Budget airline easyJet has announced it will add two additional aircraft to its Birmingham base from next summer, providing greater connectivity for customers in the Midlands and supporting around 800 jobs.
The airline says the two extra Airbus A320 aircraft will support 800 direct and indirect jobs from next summer, as well as providing greater connectivity for customers in the Midlands
easyJet operated its largest ever flying programme at Birmingham Airport in its 2024 financial year and flew over 1.6 million customers to and from Birmingham, up 53 per cent compared to last year.
Its more than doubled the number of destinations on its network since opening a base at the airport in March 2024.
The 23 new routes include services to Marrakech, Reykjavik, Hurghada, Prague, Krakow, Rovaniemi and Innsbruck, which took off for the first time this winter.
Now, the arrival of two additional Airbus A320 aircraft will enable the airline to offer customers more choice for flights and holidays across Europe, such as new routes to popular holiday island destinations like Gran Canaria and Malta, which are now on sale.
The new twice-weekly routes will take off from 2 May 2025 to Gran Canaria and from 3 June 2025 to Malta.
Ali Gayward, easyJet UK country manager, said: “Our continued success in Birmingham is a clear testament to the continued popularity of our flights and holidays, with customers choosing us for our trusted brand, unrivalled network and great value fares.
“The growth of our fleet with two additional aircraft will not only support around 800 jobs but is enabling us to further unlock the opportunity of the continuing demand that we see for both leisure and business travel in the Midlands.
“We’re already capturing this opportunity with the launch of new routes next summer, which will provide more customers with greater choice and connectivity, and we look forward to welcoming them on board.”
easyJet estimates the expansion will be worth £27 million in gross value added to the region’s economy.
The airline opened its Birmingham hub in March 2024, with the expansion taking the total number of aircraft based in the city to five Airbus A320.
Tom Screen, aviation director of Birmingham Airport said: “easyJet started its base from Birmingham Airport in March this year and since then its expansion of routes has been phenomenal.
“Offering city breaks, domestic short hops, sunshine holidays and even flights to see Santa in Lapland the airline caters for our customer’s holiday and business travel needs.
“The announcement of these two additional aircraft from Summer 2025 ensures that even more routes and frequencies will be added direct from Birmingham Airport offering customers convenient and competitive flights and holidays.”
It’s less than two weeks until pantomime Robin Hood rides to Sutton Coldfield Town Hall . . .oh yes it is! There’s still time to get tickets for the merriest pantomime in the land!
This Christmas, from December 7 to 31, get ready to embark on a thrilling adventure to Sherwood Forest, where our hero Robin Hood robs from the rich and gives to the poor.
Prepare to sing along, laugh out out loud and witness the most dangerous archery competition you ever did see in this family friendly pantomime!
This year’s pantomime stars 90’s Pop sensation Lolly aka Anna Kumble in the villainous shoes of the Sheriff of Nottingham, while James Bartlett, known for his roles in Hollyoaks and The Dumping Ground, will play loveable comic Will Scarlett.
Joining them will be the return of beloved Panto Dame Danny Mills as Nurse Little Joan. Full of songs slapstick and silliness, Robin Hood promises to be a truly memorable experience for the whole family.
Will Robin Hood rescue Maid Marion from the clutches of the money grabbing Sheriff of Nottingham? Join us this Christmas to find out!
Dates: Saturday 7th – Tuesday 31st December Ticket Prices: £19 (under 16’s) / £26 Adult (16+) / Family Ticket £79 (2 adults 2 children or 1 adult 3 children) House & Lounge Bar Opens: One hour before show starts. Show Starts: There are various show times, please see dates/times below. Interval: 20 minutes Show length: 2 hours approx.
FREE Parking available in specific car parks across Royal Sutton Coldfield for the festive season subsidised by Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council.
A resident at a care home in Sutton Coldfield celebrated her 101st birthday and revealed the secret to a long life.
Birthday celebrations were in full swing at Care UK’s Mercia Grange, on Lichfield Road, when resident Joy McCliskie celebrated her 101st birthday.
Reflecting on her long life, Joy said that “trying McDonald’s for the first time at the age of 100” was a highlight. Joy added: “I never feel too old to learn new things”.
She also revealed that the secret to a long life is having a “good set of genes and to keep active”.
On the big day, the home team organised a party surrounded by her friends and family at Mercia Grange. In true celebratory fashion, the team decorated the home’s lounge with balloons, banners and surprised Joy with a special birthday cake, baked by the one of team at the home, for everyone to enjoy.
Commenting on the day, Joy said: “My favourite part of the day was see my whole family – there were over 20 people at my party! I really enjoyed the cake and being surrounded by family and friends.”
When asked how Joy feels to be 101, she smiled and said: “I feel the same”.
Joy was born in Oldbury on 5th November 1923, before moving to Sutton Coldfield after marrying her husband, Douglas, in 1948. She worked as an SEN orthopaedic nurse at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital for her entire career.
A keen knitter, Joy has two daughters, Alison and Kate, and four grandchildren.
Michael McNelis, Home Manager at Mercia Grange, said: “Joy is a beloved resident at Mercia Grange, and it was a pleasure to help her celebrate this tremendous milestone.
“Everything we do centres around helping residents to live fulfilling lives, which is why we are always eager to mark special occasions and Joy’s 101st birthday was no exception.
“It was a delight to hear her sound advice to living a long life which we can all learn from. Let’s all raise a glass in her honour – happy birthday, Joy!”
Mercia Grange is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, nursing, dementia, and short-term respite care. The three-storey care home, which features 67 ensuite bedrooms, has been designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hair salon and café.
To find out more about Mercia Grange, please call Customer Relations Manager, Rachel Mackay, on 0121 314 3196, or email rachel.mackay@careuk.com
A famous landmark restaurant in the heart of Sutton Park is reopening later this month after a £1.5m revamp, creating 50 jobs. Browns Brasserie & Bar Sutton Park will officially open its doors on Thursday, November 21. Previously the Sutton Park Toby Carvery restaurant, the 18th-century millhouse will be respectfully renovated to pay homage to the Grade II listed building’s history, while introducing Browns Brasserie’s relaxed and elegant interiors. General Manager Danny Folcarelli commented, “The building has been totally transformed, bringing back to life all of the original features through a careful and well-planned restoration process to create a beautiful new venue.” Original features will stay in place, such as the 17th-century 12-panel studded front door that was brought from Worcester Cathedral, and the old mill’s leat still runs through the cellar to this day. From the standalone cocktail bar to the expansive, light-filled dining areas, the restaurant is the ideal setting for a drink, pre- or post-dinner relaxing, as well as all-day dining. The restaurant opens in time for the Browns festive menu launch with indulgent dishes designed especially for the holiday season. Weekends are not to be missed eitherwith the Browns Bottomless Champagne Brunch, available Friday to Sunday until 2pm, where guests can choose from a selection of delicious brunch dishes accompanied by bottomless prosecco, Bloody Marys, Aperol Spritz or Bellinis for £36 per person or unlimited Möet & Chandon Impérial Champagne or Chandon Garden Spritz for just £56 per person.
Round off the weekend with a traditional Sunday roast, freshly carved and served with all the trimmings. Enjoy alongside live piano every Sunday between 1pm-4pm.
Open all day from breakfast through to dinner, Browns serve classic British comfort dishes and fresh seasonal creations,.
It would seem slightly odd taking your brand in what appears to be a downmarket direction, in an upmarket kind of area. However, downmarket might be a harsh way to describe the change at a popular high street restaurant brand in Sutton Coldfield; innovative might be better. Pierre’s, formerly Bistrot Pierre, has relaunched as Pierre’s after a complete refurbishment to create a more casual bar-cafe to appeal to a wider range of customers. The restaurant group, which has 18 eateries across the UK, says it has identified a gap in the market for more informal dining which is accessible to a wider customer base. Having tried it as Bistrot Pierre, it would have been rude not to try the new version, and we set out for a family gathering at the revamped venue. First impressions are important, as obviously is the food, but the first thing that struck me was the cleanliness. A visit to the washrooms proved a surprise. Absolutely spotless and thoughtfully laid out, offering free sanitary products in a discreet basket by the washbasin. Otherwise pristine. So a great start. Then there was the waiting staff. Patient and friendly, as they should be, but that is not always the case. I’ve come across a few Basil Fawlty-esque characters over the years. Then there’s the ambience. After the facelift, the venue offers a more spacious dining area with a more keenly priced, family-friendly menu and surprisingly, the children’s menu. It offered three courses, plus a mocktail for just £8.95. More of that later. There were five of us, so the main menu took a little while to peruse. Again, it offered a great value set menu, together with a wide range of meat, fish, or veggie/vegan dishes to suit most tastes on the extensive à la carte menu.
My son, having just returned from France on holiday, was still keen on all things gallic and went for the fixed price three course at £22.95, consisting of calamari, steak frites, and creme brulee, while the other three of us chose from the main menu. In a determined effort to have a go at the company’s sharing dishes, we ordered sides of broccoli, truffle fries, guacamole, olives, houmous, onion rings and the most tender and juicy mini chorizo, tossed in honey. By some distance, the best I have tasted. An excellent and indulgent set of dishes to pick at during the meal. The starters included king prawns in lemon, garlic and chilli butter, served with toasted rustic sourdough, a slightly left field dish of a pea, mint and broad bean falafel, with an aromatic accompaniment of coriander yoghurt, cucumber, couscous and crispy chickpeas. Delicious. No problem polishing that lot off. Meanwhile, our nine-year-old grandson started on the humus started before tackling a large, adult-sized burger and fries and finished of with a profiterole filled with ice cream. Great value. While he ploughed his own little dining furrow, the four continued with mains of the aforementioned steak frites, a seemingly humble offering, but proving to a winner with a perfectly cooked bavette steak, which proved rich in flavor with a tender texture, with crispy fries. Another main dish was melt-in-the-mouth half chicken with fries spiced with garlic butter, harissa and sriracha sauces. A hefty offering with the doggy bag coming into play at the end.
My daughter in law went for the fish, a juicy and tender fillet of salmon presented with toasted new potatoes, peas, French beans and a chive and white wine sauce. Meanwhile, fancying something a bit more exotic and on the vegan menu, I plumped for the Moroccan sweet potato and red pepper Tagine, a spicy, aromatic and imaginative alternative evoking memories of previous Middle East dining. We were mostly feeling stuffed, but there was one dessert as part of the fixed priced menu, the creme brulee and one other member of the party ready for pudding and chose the apple and rhubarb tart. That person, who shall remain nameless, polished off the one that was ordered and whatever was left of the rest. Overall and excellent dining experience and the change appears to have worked with the place pretty full on a Thursday evening. The bill came to just under £200. That included several alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and a 10 per cent service charge. So just the food would reduce the bill to £140 for five people. Pretty good value for money and all enjoyed in a venue with plenty of ambience. Not at all downmarket, just an imaginative and seemingly popular alternative.
Pierre’s is open at 9am each day, offering a wide variety of breakfast options which will be available until the later time of 3pm. The Kids Breakfast starts from £2.50. Highlights include a breakfast flatbread – sourdough topped with tomato, bacon, egg, sausage and mushrooms; avocado on toast with pomegranate seeds, feta cheese, harissa oil and sweet chilli jam; a buttermilk pancake stack with a topping of either mixed berries and crème fraiche, or bacon and maple syrup. The Start and Share section includes some vegetarian options such as bang bang cauliflower, pan fried halloumi and a pea, mint and broad bean falafel, which seemed to interesting to miss out on.
Company CEO Nick White said: “Sutton Coldfield is a fantastic community and launching Pierre’s represents a thrilling opportunity for us to provide a fantastic hospitality venue to suit all occasions. “The exciting relaunch has enabled us to offer something for everyone, a place where guests can sit and chat over a coffee, enjoy a cocktail or two, or indulge in a bigger meal with friends and family.” For information, please visit www.bistrotpierre.co.uk/pierres/
Another supermarket is about to open its doors in Mere Green. The new Aldi on Belwell Lane will open on October 31 and will offer even more choice to locals, but is not welcomed by everyone, who fear it will add to traffic chaos.
It joins fellow discount store Lidl, only recently opened, superstore Sainsbury’s, the M&S foodhall and the smaller food outlet in Poundland.
It is sited on the old Waitrose, the former Flints bar and neighbouring Atlas house, which were demolished to make way for the newcomer.
Work is still underway, but it has refreshed a part of Mere Green that had been derelict for years.
While many welcome the new store which will compete directly with Lidl, others are worried about the traffic implications.
Four Oaks resident Marion James said: “The traffic island at Mere Green has been bad enough since Lidl and the Mulberry Walk complex opened, but this new store, just above the island will cause more chaos.”
A care home in Sutton Coldfield has joined forces with local primary school children to celebrate Harvest Festival.
Residents at Care UK’s Mercia Grange, on Lichfield Road, were joined by Little Sutton Primary School children for an a-maize-ing afternoon as they celebrated the annual festival.
Everyone enjoyed an afternoon learning about the origins of the festival, what it means for today’s society, and why this long-standing tradition should not be forgotten. The youngsters and residents also spent time together reading Harvest Festival themed poetry.
As part of the celebrations, the home hosted a harvest themed craft fair for residents and the community. Local community members sold chicken eggs, cakes and candles.
Each year, Harvest Festival celebrates the time when crops have been gathered from fields and people can reflect and show gratitude for the food that they have.It dates back to when people relied on local crops for food and famers would give thanks for a good harvest.
Commenting on the afternoon’s celebrations, resident Sheila, 94, said: “I used to love the Harvest Festival at Sunday school – we used to go to church, and we would all bring some food in. It was a very good idea and it’s important to show our gratitude to farmers.”
Michael McNelis, Home Manager at Mercia Grange, said: “It was fantastic to welcome Little Sutton Primary School children to Mercia Grange to celebrate the annual Harvest Festival tradition and explore its importance today.
“Harvest Festival is a day in the calendar where we can reflect and show gratitude for the food that we have, while serving as an opportunity to connect with others, regardless of age or background.
“Everyone had an a-maize-ing day and we’re already looking forward to our next event with Little Sutton Primary School children as we race towards Christmas!”
Charlie Elliott, head of Royal Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield and Tamworth Chambers of Commerce has been shortlisted in the Birmingham Awards 2024.
Charlie (pictured) has been shortlisted in the Young Achiever of the Year category of the awards, which will take place on Saturday, 9 November at The Eastside Rooms.
Speaking on being shortlisted for the awards, Charlie said: “I’m honoured to be shortlisted for the Young Achiever of the Year Award. It’s a wonderful surprise that encourages me to reflect on my journey so far.
“This recognition highlights not just my efforts, but also the invaluable support I’ve received from colleagues, friends, and family along the way. I look forward to celebrating the achievements of all the nominees and the positive impact we can have in our community.”
