The new telecoms equipment just yards down the road
Uncertainty still surrounds the new huge telephone mast site in Four Oaks, where a failure to remove the previous mast and its associated boxes and cabinets have left it looking like a bomb site according to residents.
The anger has been compounded with the appearance of new telecoms equipment just yards down the Walsall Road.
Despite an enforcement order for the removal of old boxes, nothing appears to have happened, despite work going on at the site in recent weeks.
Four Oaks ward councillor Maureen Cornish last month said: “The enforcement order for the removal of excess (previous old boxes) is active and managing agents have agreed to remove them. Covid restrictions create delay, we need to have patience with this frustrating situation”.
The towering EE mast near The Crown pub, has recently been completed after the firm’s successful appeal against an initial planning refusal, much to the annoyance of many neighbours, who are angry at the ‘mess’ left after the previous mast was not removed.
Councillor Cornish had previously described it as a ‘frustrating situation.’
The work was completed during October, and will provide the latest 5G communications across the area, with the 50ft.
Councillor Cornish
The new mast was initially refused planning permission by Birmingham City Council but an appeal was upheld by an inspector appointed by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Local resident Patrick James, from Four Oaks Common Road, described the scene as an unsightly mess.
He said: We all understand the need for better communication, but the area has been left in a right state, a bit of a bomb site really, not to mention the disruption while the work was carried out. And now we have new cabinets appear and no remedial work is taking place.”
Councillor Cornish, Shadow Cabinet Member for Education Skills and Culture at Birmingham City Council, had previously launched an enforcement complaint over the what has been left at the site.
She said at the time: “The Telecommunication installation at the Crown Pub has and still is a frustrating situation. Residents do not object to providing 5G but the number of boxes and the disgraceful appearance is unacceptable.”
Council leaders are calling on supermarkets and businesses in Sutton Coldfield that remain open during this national lockdown to step-up their Covid-19 safety measures to help combat the surge of infections
With cases continuing to rise across the region and the UK entering a new lockdown, people are now required to stay at home except for a handful of permitted reasons – one of which is to shop for basic necessities.
Supermarkets and some other retailers will remain open and council leaders believe the retailers have a major role to play in keeping people safe over the coming weeks and months.
They who wrote to Business Secretary Alok Sharma MP in November expressing concerns at the easing of safety measures in supermarkets, have now called for urgent action to protect staff and shoppers.
They have called for:
The re-introduction of one-way systems to help maintain social distancing in all retail settings.
Improved enforcement of safety measures with Covid marshals on-site throughout opening hours.
Strong Infection Prevention and Control and messaging in-store to maintain the 2m distance between customers.
Strong action to combat spread amongst staff whist on site (both in public areas and in break areas) including encouraging staff to test regularly through the asymptomatic LFD community testing offer,
Mandatory measures to ensure that symptomatic staff stay at home (with adequate financial support), get tested, self-isolate AND that their close contacts also do this.
Clear staff training and tight compliance in store (mask wearing; reduce numbers in store, customer flow (one way aisles as much as possible), sanitising touch points and shared baskets and trolleys).
Birmingham City Council leader Cllr Ian Ward said: “Supermarkets and their staff worked extremely hard during the first lockdown to introduce measures that kept shoppers and workers safe. Now we need a return to the measures and the vigilance we saw last year and that means hand washing and sanitising, enforcement on the rules around face coverings and better social distancing, including the reintroduction on one-way systems.
“These are very worrying times and we all have a role to play to keep people safe. Although people must once again stay at home as much as possible, many of us will still be visiting supermarkets, so it’s essential that stores are as safe as possible.”
Gauntlet thrown down on St Giles wing-walking challenge
Sutton Coldfield daredevils with a head for heights can now take on the ultimate aerial challenge by wing walking on a plane in aid of St Giles Hospice when the lockdown is finally over.
St Giles is joining forces with events company Life Changing Challenges to offer thrill seekers a brand new fundraising experience they’ll never forget in the skies above Gloucestershire.
Everyone who takes part will enjoy a wing walk at a private airfield in Cirencester, with full training and a safety briefing, flying overalls provided and support from the hospice fundraising team.
Elinor Eustace, Income Generation Director at St Giles Hospice said: “Our fundraisers have told us that they love these adrenaline-fuelled experiences and we’re absolutely thrilled to be able to offer people the chance to enjoy one of these amazing flights.
“We’re looking for over-18s who want to test their nerve by trying a different kind of charity challenge – taking their bravery to new heights as they raise the funds we need to support patients living with a terminal illness and their families.”
One St Giles supporter who would love to do a wing-walking flight is 58-year-old Peter Norman who jumped out of a plane for the hospice in 2018, raising more than £500 through his fundraising parachute jump.
HGV driver Peter, who lives in Rugeley, enjoyed the experience so much he did another skydive in 2019 and was due to jump again last year until his flight was cancelled during the COVID-19 lockdown.
He said: “I really enjoyed skydiving for St Giles – it was a big adrenaline rush, far better than any rollercoaster ride you can go on and the views are simply phenomenal. It’s just a massive buzz.
“I wouldn’t hesitate to go wing walking – I’d do it tomorrow. Maybe I’m nuts but I think it would be a great experience! It’s so satisfying to challenge yourself with such a unique event – especially when you’re doing it in aid of a great cause. That’s the icing on the cake, because you know that you’re pushing yourself and helping so many people at the same time.”
Peter signed up for his first jump in memory of his dad Watty (corr) Norman, who died at home with lung cancer in 2003 supported by St Giles Hospice at Home nurses.
Peter Norman during his first tandem parachute jump and wing-walkers enjoy the challenge
He added: “St Giles staff were amazing – the nurses came and stayed with us at the house and it allowed Dad to be at home with his family right to the end, which made such a difference to him and we’re all really grateful that he got that opportunity.
“I visit the hospice each year on the anniversary of Dad’s death to read his name in the memorial book. I always leave a donation and we play the hospice lottery throughout the year. My nephew’s wife Jemma Norman passed away at St Giles in 2017 and they looked after her so well – and you hear lots of stories like that in the area.
“So many people have friends or family who have been supported by St Giles, so it’s really important that we support them in return.”
Anyone interested in taking part in a wing-walking challenge can sign up for a flight on weekdays between March and October and selected Saturdays between April and September. The event is fully COVID-secure.
There is a registration fee of £50 and fundraisers must pledge to raise a minimum sponsorship of £800. All St Giles wing walkers will get a fundraising pack, an orange hospice T-shirt and full support from a dedicated member of the St Giles fundraising team.
THE return of the iconic MG in the last few years has not been plain sailing, but despite this, the brand has made steady sales progress, with MG becoming the UK’s fastest growing car brand.
Originally launched three years ago, the MG ZS has become MG Motors biggest selling car to date, tapping into the ever popular and growing SUV/crossover market and packed with standard equipment that adds eye-watering extra cost to some competitors. Now, the refreshed model aims to build on that success, while the brand has now embraced the growing electric market with the MG5 EV and hybrid technology.
I said a couple of years ago there are three good reasons why the original model was a potential winner: Quality, price and warranty.
Price, well it speaks for itself and starts at £15,495, with the comprehensively-equipped range topper coming in at £17,795. Quality? This is the best of the new MGs yet with top notch styling and improved interior comfort. Warranty? It’s seven years and 80,000 miles, how’s that for peace of mind.
There is no doubt it is a fine looking car, attracting some curious gazes from passers-by and would not look out of place adorned with one of its prestige competitor’s badges
The latest version, launched this year, is now a real upgrade in quality and while there is no major overhaul, cosmetic changes are significant with the slimmed down two version option available.
There is no doubt it is a fine looking car, attracting some curious gazes from passers-by and would not look out of place adorned with one of its prestige competitors badges.
While looking like the SUV/crossover that it is, it has some neat new design touches and the large and still famous MG badge adorning the large grille.
Revisions include a new hexagonal grille, with newly-shaped full LED headlamps which sweep back towards the wings and it features aluminium-effect lower grille and fog-lights on this range-topping Exclusive.
Striking 17-inch five-spoke alloy wheels, new design tail lights and silver roof bars add to a muscular road presence.
There are two models, Excite and Exclusive. The entry level, if you can describe such a well-equipped model in such a way, is generously equipped, with alloys, air con, cruise control, USB connectivity with Bluetooth, electric windows and door mirrors, LED daytime running lights and a host of other goodies.
This Exclusive model adds a couple of grand to the price and more bells and whistles with updated 10.1 inch floating colour touchscreen featuring navigation, DAB radio, Bluetooth telephone and music streaming through six-way speaker system, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, plus digital information display and 360 degree reversing camera.
The interior is much more upmarket, with this model offering heated, leather-style powered front seat and mutli-adjustable front passenger seat, new piano key buttons arranged beneath the floating colour touchscreen, and better quality trim, fixtures and fittings.
Seats are supportive and there is excellent head and legroom for a car of its dimensions. The vehicle provides around 55mm additional rear shoulder room and 80mm rear headroom than the segment average.
All round vision is also good, while stowage space is cavernous with a deep split-level boot offering 448 litres of capacity and when seats are folded, provides plenty of room for prams, luggage, outdoor leisure equipment or the weekly shop. Other oddment holders and cup holders add extra practicality.
Engine choice should not be a problem with a single 1.5 litre VTI-Tech petrol engine mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, with an auto box option available.
With 106PS available, it does not sound like the most powerful, but is a refined unit and has enough grunt to hit 60mph in just over 10 seconds, has a claimed real world economy of 41.4mpg, pretty impressive for a car of this size. However, CO2 emissions of 155g/km are on the high-ish side.
It is a pleasant car to drive, a smooth and comfortable ride, with passengers well insulated from road, engine and wind noise. The car belies it high-off-the-ground profile with decent handling, dismissing all but the most potholed of roads and the suspension works well on corners where it feel stable and well planted.
For a more individual drive, both models come with three power assisted steering modes – Urban, Normal and Dynamic – which are designed to give the driver complete control over their ride.
There’s no doubt that MG’s growing success will continue with an ever improving range and more models coming on stream. Add to that a hugely attractive price tag and that seven-year warranty.
Factfile
MG ZS 1.5 Exclusive
Price: £17,795
Mechanical: 109bhp, 1498cc, four cylidner petrol engine driving front wheels via 5-speed manual gearbox
Sitting virtually in the heart of landlocked Birmingham, Sutton people are privileged to have one of the finest beauty spots in the country. Sutton Park is one of the largest urban parks in Europe, at 2,200 acres, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and has been a National Nature Reserve since 1997.
Bracebridge Pool is a particularly picturesque spot and an oasis for many during troubled lockdown times. But these pictures show how mindless cretins who gather in large groups treat it, scattering beer bottles, coffee cups and other human detritus across the frozen pool. Why? There are bins nearby. Answer: They don’t give a toss. Good to see the pub has taken action though, with a few random notices, which even now are out of date as we go back into lockdown. The pub provides a welcome takeaway service, but it could do more to discourage the shocking behaviour and has finally removed seating near the takeaway.
It’s not just the mindless drunken yobs though. Throughout the rest of the park there is a certain breed of dog owner. I am ambivalent about dogs, neither loving nor hating them.
They have their place in people’s families, but those people also have a responsibility for the behaviour of their pets, which are, after all, dumb animals. The pets I mean. Then there are the mountain bikers, racing past without warning and putting life and limb at risk with their reckless riding, not to mention spraying walkers with mud. You know, the latex-clad supercilious Tour de France wannabes who think it’s all about them and if you complain, or berate them in any way, use their helmet camera videos to threaten you with the police.
But there is that air of exceptionalism with certain dog owners. They let their animals do pretty much as they please, including harassing the Exmoor ponies roaming in the park. Just last week I saw dogs worrying these creatures on three occasions in the space of 10 minutes.
Then there was the oaf who had his dogs swimming in Little Bracebridge, coming out and shaking themselves dry all people sitting at nearby benches. When one complained he was told to fuck off. Nice, and a great advert for dog owners.
On another occasion I saw a huge Great Dane bound out of the bushes to knock a child over. The owner’s reaction. Indifference, but gurning with: “he’s really lively today.” They might as well be on the Planet Tharg. They give responsible dog owners a bad name.
Get them on a lead, the dogs that is. The park is special, the wildlife is special and while dogs are special to families, they should not be allowed to roam free in the park. It should’t be necessary with extendable leads.
We are lucky to have Sutton Park. Shame the morons want to spoil it for everyone.
Drivers facing severe financial consequences with stiff fines and ban from roads
Drivers in Sutton Coldfield, who may have taken a chance with having an extra one for the road over the festive season, have been warned of the severe financial consequences of a drink-drive conviction.
The UK’s largest independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, has calculated that the personal financial cost of drink driving could be as high as £70,000 or more when taking into account fines, legal fees, higher car insurance premiums, alternative transport costs and potential loss of earnings following conviction.
IAM RoadSmart’s research team found that costs following a drink drive conviction now include: fines of £5,000, although since these are now unlimited this could be much more; legal fees of £11,000 which is the average following conviction after a not-guilty plea; increased insurance premiums of £13,500 over five years after a driving disqualification; £2,000 for taxi and public transport costs for alternative transport during a ban; and £38,500 loss of earnings for 15 months following a conviction, based on an average UK salary.
Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy & Research, said: “In the run up to Christmas this year, many people’s drinking habits will have changed as a result of the coronavirus. So, whether you’re raising a glass for the festive season at home or, where you’re able, in a restaurant or pub, it’s important to remember that an extra drink comes with a huge hidden cost if it pushes you over the limit.”
Roads Minister, Baroness Vere, said: “Drink driving kills, so during the festive season don’t be tempted to have a drink before getting behind the wheel – it’s irresponsible and incredibly dangerous. We are working tirelessly, through schemes like our award winning THINK! campaign, to tackle attitudes and behaviours that could lead to people drink driving, and we continue to invest in policing and enforcement on our roads.”
Neil continued: “Drink driving wrecks lives and is totally unacceptable in any circumstance. However, some people still think they are safe to drive when they’ve had just a couple of drinks or are using home measures, which can quickly push them over the limit.
“The £70,000 impact of being convicted of drink driving is very sobering. This should be more than enough, let alone the thought of causing any other suffering for yourself, your family or the other people you put at risk on the road, to stop those drivers who are tempted to have an extra drink and get behind the wheel.
“Our advice is therefore quite simply to always stick with ‘None for the Road'”.
Evie Deeley raised more than £1,200 with her Miles 4 St Giles effort in the first lockdown.
Give it up – or bring it on – to support St Giles
Sutton Coldfield resident are being urged to wave goodbye to bad habits and feel fitter for 2021 by giving it up – or bringing it on – to support St Giles Hospice in the New Year. The charity has launched two fundraising challenges to inspire anyone who wants an added incentive to stick to their New Year’s resolutions in the months ahead. People can Give it up for St Giles – sacrificing something they want to shake off with the added incentive of sponsorship – or they can test themselves with a new exercise challenge by joining Miles 4 St Giles to kick-start their healthier lifestyle. Youngster Evie Deeley, aged nine, from Armitage, led the way in the first lockdown when her activities raised more than £1,200 for the hospice. Chloe Herbert, Head of Fundraising at St Giles Hospice, said: “Everyone thinks about changing their lives for the better as New Year comes along, and our two challenges could be just the incentive you need to make a vow and stick to it! Whether you wave goodbye to gaming, or cut out your coffee and cake, you can give it up for St Giles in 2021 and help to raise much-needed funds for local people living with a terminal illness. “Or if you want to take up a new exercise challenge you can give yourself a great target to aim for with Miles 4 St Giles by pledging to run, walk or cycle 30, 60, 90 or 120 miles or your own set distance over 30 days.”
Whatever you say farewell to after Christmas is over, be sure to get support from your friends, family or colleagues – your sacrifice deserves sponsoring
Miles 4 St Giles was first launched last summer to encourage people to keep fit safely during the Coronavirus lockdown while raising money to help fund vital care services at St Giles in a year when the hospice’s shops were forced to close and fundraising events had to be cancelled. The new Give it up for St Giles campaign offers another opportunity for people to help St Giles while taking steps to strengthen their physical and mental health at a time of year when many can struggle to motivate themselves. “Whatever you say farewell to after Christma, be sure to get support from your friends, family or colleagues – your sacrifice deserves sponsoring,” Chloe added. “And every penny and pound you raise, will make a huge difference to St Giles Hospice and the services we provide to local people and their families when we need it most. “So if you’re already thinking: ‘New Year, new me’ then why not join #TeamStGiles for the commitment and motivation to achieve your goal this January.” Just £28 could pay for an hour of one-to-one nursing care for a patient at St Giles, and £40 could fund one hour of running the hospice’s Advice and Referrals line where dedicated clinical staff are at the end of the phone to help patients and their families 24 hours a day. A donation of £202 could pay for home visits to a patient by St Giles community nurses and £676 could pay for 24 hours of hospice care for a patient at the end of their life. For further information about Give It Up for St Giles visit http://www.justgiving.com/campaign/Giveitup4StGiles and to join Miles4StGiles, visit http://www.stgileshospice.com/how-you-can-help-us/fundraise-with-us/miles-4-st-giles/
Buddy Bag founder wins recognition for helping child victims of domestic abuse
A Sutton Coldfield woman who founded a Midland charity that helps children fleeing domestic violence at home has been awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours list. Karen Williams, CEO of the Buddy Bag Foundation, was recognised by the Queen for her services to victims of domestic abuse. The foundation provides buddy bags – back packs filled with home comforts and essential items – to children living in emergency accommodation. That can be refuges, hotels or B&Bs. Since its launch in 2015, the foundation’s volunteers have packaged and delivered over 30,000 bags to children after raising more than £750,000. Karen, 59, who lives in Sutton Coldfield with partner Sean, said: “I am both honoured and humbled to have received an OBE in the New Year’s Honours list.
My dream five years ago was to set up a charity that could and would make a real and meaningful different to children in emergency care. “With the assistance and support of all our volunteers we have realised this dream. “We have packed over 30,000 Buddy Bags, far exceeding our initial target and look to the future with optimism at the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
“Thank you to all our volunteers and supporters – together we have achieved and are continuing to achieve something truly special.” The idea for the foundation came about in 2014 when Karen, a mother of three and grandmother of four, was in Australia visiting her son.
“The bags go to children who have to flee the family home because of violent situations and often arrive at centres in the middle of the night with nothing.
She read about an Australian charity that helps children who have encountered violence and abuse. “Reading the piece stirred a deep emotional reaction within me and as a mother I just had to do something for children in emergency care back home in the UK,” said Karen. “So I set up the Buddy Bag Foundation in 2015.
“The bags go to children who have to flee the family home because of violent situations and often arrive at centres in the middle of the night with nothing. “Bags cost £25 to fill and contain essential items such as toiletries, pyjamas and underwear and comforting items including books and teddy bears.” Earlier in December, the foundation celebrated its fifth anniversary. Karen added: “What an amazing journey we have found ourselves on.
“The plan to make a difference to children by supplying our bags has totally exceeded by wildest dreams. “With the support of our trustees, ambassadors and volunteers, we have raised over £750,000, with 100 per cent of all donations going towards supplying the buddy bags.
We have managed to pack over 30,000 buddy bags and engaged with over 400 volunteers. “Reading the thank you cards from the children and testimonials from the mums and refuge centres have touched the hearts of so many.” In 2017 Karen was given a Points of Light award by then prime minister Theresa May, and in 2018 she was a finalist in Lorraine Kelly’s Woman of the Year contest.OBE
Head teacher Rachel Davis has been awarded and MBE for services to education
School delight at MBE for Rachel
By Bill McCarthy
A Sutton Coldfield head teacher’s achievements has been recognised in the the Queen’s New Year Honours List. The honours recognise the incredible achievements and service of people across the whole of the UK.
Rachel Davis, headteacher at Little Sutton School and from Sutton Coldfield, was awarded an MBE for services to education.
Staff members at the school, rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted inspectors, praised Mrs Davis on their Twitter account saying: “Congratulations to our Headteacher Rachel Davis on being awarded an MBE in the New Years Honours. We are all so proud of her.”
Parents also praised Mrs Davis’ for her work. Clare Macphail, has three children who spent happy years at Little Sutton.
She said: “All three of my children enjoyed time at Little Sutton and that was down to the warm and friendly learning environment created by Mrs. Davis and her staff. Her MBE is well deserved.”
Mrs Davis has been head teacher at the Worcester Lane primary school since 2004 and is both a National Leader of Education (NLE) and an Ofsted inspector for the West Midlands.
National Leaders of Education provide focused support to under performing schools to enable rapid improvement.
According to her LinkedIn profile, in 2014 she supported a school in challenging circumstances to move from ‘Requires Improvement’ to ‘Good’ in 12 months.
The following year she then helped a school to move from Ofsted category of ‘Special Measures’ to ‘Good’ in 15 months and in 2015-2016 supported a school to move from ‘Requires Improvement’ to ‘Good’ .
Little Sutton Primary School has more than 400 pupils and is designated one of the government’s new English Hubs – one of just 34 schools nationwide recognised for their excellence in teaching and learning.
The hub aims to support schools to achieve excellence in early literacy teaching through an initial focus on developing early language and closing the word gap, developing early reading through systematic, synthetic phonics. It also promotes a love of reading.
Her work was acknowledged by a Tamworth school she supported, who congratulated her for her award on Twitter: “Congratulations from all at Coton Green Primary School… Your help from the English Hub has had an enormous impact.”
Professor Colin Diamond, CBE and Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Birmingham, added: “Warmest congratulations to headteacher Rachel Davis on being awarded an MBE in the New Years Honours. Always the head who goes that extra mile to help others in Birmingham. So well deserved.”
Funeral director Edward sends Vietnamese lorry death victims back to their homeland
By Bill McCarthy
‘The hardest part was seeing the 16 coffins lined up at the airport ready to be flown home.” Those are the words of Edward Cutler, a Sutton Coldfield funeral director who is well used to dealing with bereavement. He probably thought he had seen it all in his 14 years in the business. But he became a key part of a huge international story when 39 Vietnamese migrants died in Kent, after they were transported across the Channel sealed in an airtight container on the back of a lorry.
It happened on October 23 last year, as it was transported from Zeebrugge inBelgium to Purfleet in Essex. People smugglers subjected the 39 victims to unbearable temperatures for almost 12 hours after loading too many people into one container, starving them of oxygen and exposing them to deadly carbon dioxide fumes. Two men have since been convicted of manslaughter over the tragedy.
The container lorry where the victims died
The migrants, 10 of whom were teenagers, travelled in a refrigerated unit, but the refrigeration was not turned on. For Edward, known as Ed, a young man well used to death, after starting out in the funeral business at the age of 16 before building a successful business, those coffins lined up at Heathrow Airport before being flown back to Vietnam, had a profound effect. After the tragedy, he was contacted by the Vietnamese embassy which had heard of his firm’s expertise in repatriation and wanted the victims to be taken back to their homeland. It all started for Ed back in 2009 when he became possibly the country’s youngest funeral director, starting Cutler Funeral Service, aged 19, and going on to build a successful business that included sites across the Midlands and, most recently, London. Sitting in his newest business in Royal Town Funerals in Sutton Coldfield, the 30- year-old comes across as an assured and confident businessman and someone dedicated to his trade. He has an innovative view on the funeral business, with a brightly but tastefully decorated office a world away from some funeral parlours. He said: “My clients, despite being bereaved, appreciate a more airy, more modern and less gloomy place to arrange funeral for their loved ones.”
Top, Edward Cutler with colleague Alan Webb-Moore at Vinh International Airport, located in Vinh city of Nghệ An Province in northern Vietnam, above, in a group with Slater international colleague Matthew Stevens and their translators and chatting with Van Soderlund
After his first business was acquired by a large corporate firm, he went on to open offices in Cannock, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Kings Heath and Barton under Needwood. After a change in personal circumstances, Ed returned to having one local office situated in Pype Hayes. Ed explained after the initial family business was sold, he could no longer trade as Cutler, so he used his mother’s maiden name of Slater and expanded into the business of international repatriation, opening Slaters International Funeral Directors, in London, near Heathrow Airport.
Ed and his team meet with bereaved families, lay tributes and even hug grieving relatives
Ed explained: “I was at a crossroads,” he said. “Slaters started as a normal funeral home offering repatriation as an ancillary service, but I wanted to do more with repatriation, so we set up a new business called Slaters International, still based at Pype Hayes, but as recommendations escalated, we naturally evolved into a specialist in the field” “The majority of business repatriation clients were in London which drew us to seeking premises in the south. We started by working from another funeral director’s premises in Pinner which we outgrew within a matter of months, at which point we had no choice but to secure our very own premises in London”, he said.
He selected a site at Isleworth, near Heathrow, a strategically placed site for flying the deceased from the UK to their homeland. But for him, a was a bit of a risk. He said: “It was quite a big risk as it was very expensive, five times more expensive than a comparable premises in the Midlands. But it went really well and was important to get our own name above the door on our own premises. The gamble paid off and his reputation grew, and having carried out a previous repatriation to Vietnam, he was contacted by the Vietnamese embassy to undertake the hugely complicated logistical operation of moving the container lorry victims back to their homeland. Ed said: “We got a call in October last year call from Vietnamese embassy who had heard good things and wanted to work with us to get their people home. “I was invited to embassy put a plan together, but as the case was being treated as a murder probe, the bodies were not released until the police and coroner had concluded their investigations. When the call came things moved rapidly. He was called on a Friday to initiate the first stage of the operation, transferring the first 23 victims from Essex, which began on the following Monday. He explained the timeline: “On the Monday we collected 24 of the deceased from Essex. We carried out cremations for seven and repatriated the remaining deceased persons on Tuesday. He added: “Two days later on the Thursday the final group were transferred to be repatriated on Friday together with seven sets of cremated remains. Altogether 32 coffins were returned together with seven sets of cremated remains.”
Praising his team, including Nikki Taylor, Matthew Stevens and Alan Webb-Moore for the operation, which ran like clockwork, he said: “With our experience, we turned it around, but the logistics and dealing with that volume in the space of one week was a big deal, whilst managing to repatriate an additional nine deceased that week around the globe from the UK. Each repatriation client was an individual with their own documentation, and which all have had to be dealt with separately.
Memorials and tributes and sharing meals with some of the 39 victims’ families in their home towns
“Was it harrowing, yes it was. The most difficult part was when we conveyed the first 16 victims to the airport and saw coffins. When you see 16 coffins lined up ready to be loaded onto the aircraft, you pause you realise the enormity of what you are actually doing.” Altogether 39 individual bundles of documents were prepared and sent along with the remains to Vietnam. “We were prepared to turn it round in less than seven days. We had a coffin supplier on hand, ready to provide 39 bespoke coffins, and four members of staff to deal with the whole process, as it was extremely important the procedure was kept under wraps.
“We were successful in keeping all of the arrangements private, limiting the press coverage to after the arrival of the initial 16 Coffins. “Me and my team flew out to Vietnam about this time last year to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. We criss-crossed the whole country with our translator Van Soderlund a Vietnamese woman who had her son repatriated by us a couple of years earlier, and her husband Thomas Soderlund, meeting all of the 39 families. It was a moving experience.” he said.
There they attended funerals, memorial services and socialised with families while at the same time taking in the breathtaking sights of Vietnam. Ed, who lives locally and grew up in the Sutton area, now runs his operation from his new business, Royal Town Funerals in Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, with the repatriation business growing year on year. “We still have our purpose built premises near Heathrow, but I work personally from here Four Oaks, with a team of operatives on the road taking care of the physical repatriation work. Here, I conduct all funerals myself.” Asked who are his main customers for repatriation. “Most often repatriations are to Nigeria,” he said.
Having a drink during their epic criss-crossing of Vietnam, taking in some of the sights and landmarks
“It is a big country with a population of nearly 200 million people, but second is the Philippines, Jamaica and Commonwealth for obvious reasons, but Africa is our busiest destination. He said people from Hong Kong, Eritrea, Greece, Italy, Romania, Iraq and Vietnam were among current clients. “We generally average around 26 clients for repatriation at any one point in time. This became important when the coronavirus pandemic struck. At the time of the first lockdown in March, we had 45 repatriation cases to deal with but no outgoing flights from the UK. Luckily at our funeral home in London , we had the mortuary space to cope.” Like most funeral directors, he has seen noticed an increase in funerals as a result of the the Covid 19 pandemic. But like many other businesses, margins have been hit by lockdown restrictions on funerals. “We have been affected he said. With numbers cut for attending funerals, people are opting for simpler, lower cost funerals,” he said.
A veteran in his industry at 30, it seems unlikely that a mere pandemic is likely to cause this businessman problems for too long as he plans for a bigger more successful future.
Sutton Coldfield Life 