Full January 2016 Edition

January 2016 Issue 49
DELIVERED FREE MONTHLY TO ALL HOMES IN TYBURN

updated daily online at: tyburnmail.com
The architects who

cannot
spell
PAGE 3
Readers
comments
online and
facebook
Page 4
Vandals
at the allotments
Pictures
Page 20
JOBS
Page 21
New nursery
Page 2
Football
Association
1.5m
Kays cash boost

History
Page 10
Page 24
Music
with
Brookly:
Justin
Page 8
Our School:
We love it,
say pupils
The stars of television documentary Our
School say they are enjoying watching
the series, even though they look a lot
younger.
The pupils are now in Year 8 at Greenwood Academy; the filming was done
throughout their second term at the
school when they were in Year 7.
The 30-minute episodes are popular
events locally, and are broadcast weekly
on national television.
All my family watch it, says Archie.
Even my Nan, and she never watches
television normally.
This week, we were treated to Taylor
Jays (very) early morning meeting with
Principal Harry French. Next week (Tuesday, 5pm, CBBC) features pupils Izaak
and Misty.
The final two episodes in April will feature the Castle Vales Got Talent Show of
2015.
Pictured in front of the Our School wall
at Greenwood Academy: Archie Duffill,
Libby Short, Dominique Jeffs, Spencer
Dabbs, Lucy Harman, Courtney Anderson
How much longer?

After 20 months, patience is wearing thin with the Chester Road
and Junction 5 delays, noise and disruption... and missed deadlines
News of even more delays to the Spitfire Island

roadworks brought an
angry reaction from local
residents and motorists.
They are fed up with noise, traffic

congestion and repeated failures by
constructors to keep to their deadlines. (see Readers Comments
Page 4)
The work on the actual island will not
be finished until February; much of
the other work will be completed this

month.
The original deadline of summer
2015 seemed hopelessly optimistic.
The next deadline of Christmas 2015
suffered a similar fate.
Before the work started, in 2013, the
governments Department of Transport had promised to provide a maximum of 8.328 million towards the
full scheme cost of 11.703 million.
That total figure will have risen considerably because of the delays.
But despite requests from Tyburn
Mail, the Council has not yet been

able to provide a final figure for the
total cost.
More importantly, they have not yet
said who will pay the extra bill.
Dawnus, the construction company
behind the project, has blamed inclement weather and problems with
utility companies for failing to keep to
its deadlines.
The bad weather excuse is proving
hard to swallow for many observers. Snow, ice and frost were absent
throughout the final months of 2015.
The utility companies include gas,

water and electricity providers, and
a variety of internet and broadband
providers who need to divert underground cables, and whose schedules
have proved difficult to co-ordinate.
A spokesperson for the City Council
said today: The works have slipped
slightly and are now due for completion this month, with some resurfacing and traffic signalling due for completion in February.
the new drainage, and completion of

the new crossing.
Sainsburys Junction completion
of the junction and crossing points,
commissioning of the new traffic signals.
Spitfire Island completion of the
new drainage, kerbs, and ducting, final surfacing around the new island,
finishing off in the central island.
M6 Junction 5 Commissioning of
traffic signals.
Works that will be carried out in

January are:
Works that will be carried out in

February are:
Spitfire Island final surfacing of
footways and commissioning of the
new traffic signals and toucan crossings.
Landscaping works will take place
during the winter months throughout
the scheme which is in accordance
with the planting season.
Bagot Island works completion

of all works including new pedestrian
guardrails, footway surfacing, relocating the bus stop on Eachelhurst
Road, and improvements to ensure
the bus gate operates correctly including monitoring of its use.
Kingsbury Road completion of
Page 1 Tyburn Mail January 2016
Fashion store
for early spring
Priming
Primark
Primark is set to open its new

store at The Fort Retail Park in
March 2016.
Its been a long and slow process.
The giant retailers had submitted
their plans for the new store over 18
months ago to the city council.
The store will be next to WH Smith
and will span the site of three former
shops and will have a bigger floorspace than any other store at the
LETTER
from Terry Sexton, 696 bus driver
Thank you all for the wonderful presents and cards.
I will miss you all.

I was asked to do The Valley in
May 2003 and was told at the
time that if the passengers did
not like you, they would let you
know. As I was still there 12
years later then I guess I was ok.
If you see a lonely old man sitting on the bench at Sainsburys,
then dont pass him by as it may
be me.
I made a lot of friends over the
years but unfortunately lost a

few as well. I had some great
times and good laughs and I will
miss you all.
You will always be in my mind
and my heart with lots of wonderful memories to see me through
my retirement.
If you look after the next driver
even half as well as you looked
after me, they will be very happy.
Love you all
Terry
shopping centre.
It will occupy the area left vacant by
Game, HMV and Home Sense. The
Game store has been vacant for almost three years, HMV has been
closed for two years, and the Home
Sense store closed in April 2014.
Plenty of shoppers have been patiently awaiting the opening.
Since Tyburn Mail first reported plans
for the new store, it has been one of
the most visited news items on the
newspapers website.
Primark are a British-owned low-end
fashion store, founded in Ireland, currently with 169 stores in the UK.
All night
burgers
McDonalds on Chester
Road will be allowed to
open throughout the day
and night.
West Midlands Police had originally

raised objections to the plans because
of potential noise and disturbance to
local residents.
Jail after
Thinking
Skills failed
Magistrates have jailed a

persistent shoplifter who
stole over 700 of perfume from Boots two days
after Christmas.
The fragrance thief nicked the goods

while she was already serving a suspended sentence for thieving.
Nicola Louise Curley, aged 37, of
Quorn Grove in Tyburn had previously
stolen goods worth 155 from Asda in
Minworth last January.
She had also snatched electrical items
worth 270 and a DVD player worth
100 in two separate visits to Sainsburys in Castle Vale last April.
Magistrates had previously ordered
her to attend a thinking skills course
to try to put a stop to her shoplifting.
They also gave her a suspended prison sentence as a further deterrent following her next thieving spree.
But magistrates finally lost patience
after they heard that she had stolen
perfume worth 160 from Boots in
Erdington less than two weeks into
the New Year.
Curley has now been given a 16 week
prison sentence.
The decision comes as a blow to local residents , and also to campaigners who feel that there are too many
fast food restaurants in the area. Despite the efforts of schools to provide
healthy diet options for children, the
roads home are punctuated with fast
food outlets.
Castle Vale has this year seen the
opening of Chicks in Farnborough
Road and Dixy Chicken on the High
Street.
Further along the road from McDonalds, in Pype Hayes there is a row
of ten retail outlets opposite the
park. Five of the outlets are fast food
chains.
The Councils planning committee have done a U-Turn on their

previous decision to deny the giant fast-food chain 24/7 opening
on the Pype Hayes site.
The restaurant will no longer

have to close between 11pm
and 6am.
Erdington councillor Gareth Moore

(Conservative) spoke against the
plans.
He said that 24/7 opening would
have a substantial impact on the local
residents. Councillor Martin Straker
Welds (Labour, Moseley and Kings
Heath) and Councillor Mohammed
Azim (Labour, Sparkbrook) said that
they would be in favour of allowing
the 24/7 opening, for a trial period of
one year.
Plenty of choice: Council says yes to 24/7 opening at McDonalds near

Tyburn Island (above). Further up the road, five out of ten of the shops are
fast-food outlets (below)
Should old buildings

make
way
for
new?
Ancient Erdington shops saved by planners
Modern design has charisma of a matchbox
A row of five Victorian shops
and homes in Erdington High
Street may have been saved
from demolition.
The City Councils planning
committee refused to support a bid to knock down
the buildings and replace
them with a modern building which has the charisma
of a matchbox according to
Councillor Peter Osborne.
The five shops, with gabled

roofing, were originally built
between 1889-91. The oldest surviving business is the
Mermaid Fish Bar.
MADE architects, based in
Solihull, had put in plans to
replace the buildings with a
three-storey building of three
shops and twenty-six apartments.
But the plans met with hos-
tile criticism from committee

members.
Councillor Gareth Moore described the new plans as outrageous. The existing building is a key historical asset
whereas the planned building is a hideous contemporary block, he said.
The committee heard that
102 residents had signed
a petition in favour of sav-
ing the old buildings from

demolition even though
they are not listed under
protected buildings.
The committee did not
completely reject the proposals.
They advised the architects to reconsider and
amend their plans.
New nursery
site for Castle
Vale toddlers
Its a problem faced by planning committees across the

nation.
Should they preserve the countrys

heritage and history, and protect
old buildings from demolition?
Even though the buildings are worn
out, under-used and will cost thousands to repair ?
Should they replace them with
modern, water-tight, energy-efficient, functional and state-of-theart buildings that look clean, make
better use of space, and will serve
the local community.
These Erdington shops have
served, in their time, as a draper,
an ironmonger, a confectioner, a
printer, a tobacconist, a hardware
dealer, a toyshop and a tripe deal-
er. The names themselves remind

us of bygone times, when small
neighbourhood businesses thrived
and before huge commercial chain
stores took over our high streets
and out-of-town shopping centres.
The heritage study of the buildings
describes them as a visble reminder of a crucial period in the history
of Erdington and the development
of greater Birmingham.
But they are not listed buildings.
Councils have to decide which of
our ancient and ageing buildings
should be preserved to remind us
of our past. And which should be
knocked down to make way for the
new. Historic England, a government department, registers important buildings on its list, and labels
them as Grade I (exceptional interest), and Grade II (special interest).
The row of shops on Erdington
High Street is not on this list.
Architects in need
of spelling lessons
We all make spelling mistakes but you might expect
an official report from an
architect company to spell
the word premises correctly.
Choice: Victorian shops or modern purpose built matchbox design
Tripe dealer
and toymaker
The document presented by the architects responsible for Erdingtons

new High Street building has spelt it
as: permisses.
That is just one of several glaring errors that suggests minimal attention
to detail.
The 20-page document has an average of only 50 words per page, plenty
of white space and large diagrams.
But the document is littered with
spelling mistakes, gobbledygook and
plain bad grammar.
Founded by Naveed Ahmed, the

MADE architects brag that their team
is young and creative.
The document that was put before
the Birmingham Council Planning
Committee was embarrassingly
shabby.
Spelling errors in the document include:
asumes,
simplyfied, concists,
completly, puctuated, caracter,
eisting, negleted, controling, alluminium (twice) enhace, pallet (for
palette), compliment (for complement)
Even in passages where the spelling
is accurate, the words often mean
very little. Take this gem of a sentence for example:
The design approach has not been

to work from the outside in, or similarly from the inside out but to take a
considered approach to the internal
spaces and the external aesthetics
as a whole.
They say their plan aims to create
a pleasant environment that reflects
the use, history and aesthetics of the
building context.
Headteacher Sally Leese (right)

with teacher Rachel Uredi
(seated) and teaching assistant
Lisa Spilsbury
Castle Vales new nursery site

opened its doors to toddlers and
parents this week.
Its a satellite centre of the Nursery in

Yatesbury Drive, labelled as outstanding by
Ofsted in all of their last three inspections.
The new building is based on the Greenwood
Academy site, in the Astral building.
Sally Leese, the headteacher of Castle Vale Nursery and Childrens Centre, will be in charge of
both sites. She says she is delighted with the new
rooms at the Astral.
We needed them, said Sally, because our
Yatesbury Avenue site is full to the brim. This new
site will mean that other youngsters in Castle Vale
will be able to join us.
The new centre has room for 20 youngsters in
the morning, and 20 in the afternoon sessions.
Its been refurbished with funds from Greenwood
Academy. Their principal Harry French would like
the new nursery site to be available for young
children of his staff, too.
It will cater for youngsters aged 2-5 years. Parents who are interested can contact Sally and her
team at their main site in Yatesbury Avenue.
The new nursery site is looking

to recruit an apprentice:
Turn to page 21 for details
LETTERS
n
comments
Top marks
for Chivenor
Dear Readers,
As Chair of Governors it
was fantastic to see the
schools recently reported
performance scores show
how the hard work of the
entire school staff group
led by Darren Mann is
starting to produce results.
Using a Values Education approach
to learning the school is committed
to nourishing and nurturing all its
children, while ensuring they take on

board a view of education which sees
it as a pleasure not a chore.
While there is still much more to be
done, I am amazed at the progress
Chivenor has made over the last two
years, and look forward to continuing
to watch the whole school community
go from strength to strength.
Mick Brown
Chair of Governors at Chivenor School
and Labour Councillor for Tyburn Ward
Coventry Cathedral
celebrations for 75
years of air cadets
Dear Readers
The ATC is 75 this year.
On 7th February 2016, the Warwickshire

and Birmingham Wing will kick off its
75th celebrations with a Church parade
at Coventry Cathedral.
The event is open to all ex cadets and
staff of 165 Sqn, so if you would like
to attend, please email me at oc.165@
aircadets.org.
The event starts at 16:00 on 7th February and it would be great to see as many people as possible.
Kind Regards,
Flt Lt Simon Jennings
OC 165 (Castle Bromwich) Sqn.
oc.165@aircadets.org
Find us on Facebook 165 (Castle Bromwich) Sqn News
Poem for
2016
Forget the things that
Through the year
Contrived to make you sad
Remember only happy days
On which your heart was
glad
Fresh courage take
Cast out your fear
And bravely meet
Another year
Tom Walker
80 years for me 45 of them on the Vale
May your God go with you
Tyburn Mail
online
SELL YOUR
HOUSE
Financial difficulty?
Facing repossession?
No equity?
CALL JENNY TODAY
ON 0121 285 3108
Have your say

in the readers
comments section
tyburnmail.com
READERS RESPONSES
Pick of the month from Tyburn
Mails online and facebook pages
Spitfire Island roadworks

missing yet more deadlines has got people hot
under the collar.
Here are
some of the
printable comments:
Paul: Ive worked on Spitfire Island
as a ground worker and theres not
a lot a can really say good about it
apart from some of the lads were
good grafters and it was a very slow
process. Waiting too long for permits
and wrong layouts having to be done
more than three times . Its all down
to management and engineering.
4.30 a.m.!! Just get it finished.

Martin Jones One of the worst new
road layouts ever ....whats with the
chicane coming from the spitfire upto
the tyburn......and has been said before ....rarely see anyone working
anyway
Simon Walker Absolute joke they need
to be hit with a big penalty they seem
to do work on roads wot we thought
theyd finished months ago
marks: Im sure someone was on

drugs doing them.
Shelly Norman Ebanks Why does it 4
fluffin men to hold a shovel? All they
seem to do is walk the same stretch of
pavement .
Craig Rooney Even when complete its
going to be like its always been; the
island is a joke
Sandra Jevons Well when the work is
being done by the invisible men what
do we expect. Cant see them finishing
before May. So frustrating.
Kat Jones Thats still a mess; its been
months since I saw it all torn up
Dean Ronayne Absolute pxxx take

man, whos paying for my new clutch
and the fuel that Im burning sitting in
pathetic traffic whilst the lazy company workers sit on their fat axxxs eating
KFC or McDonalds all day every day!
David OToole Absolutely took the hit
and miss from day 1
Sean Flynn one guy works and 11
guys look on .
Teresa Breen How can they blame bad
weather they are never around long
enough; only close roads and annoy
residents
Lisa Barrett A joke really is and dangerous round that island came across
yesterday one pulled out In front of
me and to brake hard had my daughter in car never even acknowledged
what he had done. Lazy xxxx at Sainsburys cafe shoving their faces all day
long but we have to suffer in the crap
traffic and ppl using estate as cut
through queuing outside my house
most mornings a pxxx take
Lin Shaw This is a joke, I use the
Chester Road everyday at different
times, the only time when there is no
travel hold ups is when I go down at
more
comments
McDonalds on Chester
Road is being allowed to
open 24/7
NIMBY: I am glad its been allowed

to open 24 hours.As I dont live on
its doorstep I wont get any more litter outside my home and I can now
have a coffee before 6 in the morning.
Happy days.
Anonymous: A council with no back
bone yet again well the extra services
to clean up the extra mess please
dont come to us with high council tax
bills as we get sod all for what we pay
anyway.
The Reds: Trust the Council!
Liz Cotterill So are they paying a fine

for not completing on time. May be
they will get done before Feb or the
summer the way they are going
Gary Kilday The road markings are a
joke does anybody check the highway
work I havent seen anybody who
grafts the time it has taken I could
have relayed the M6 north to south
twice over BCC / Amey you are a joke .
Wayne Smith this is a joke Ive driven
past in heavy traffic then I see a group
of workers doin xxxx all
Emma Louise Jevons This is getting
ridiculous! And I hate coming round
that island at the moment. Also, road
Not only noise and disturbance to local residents but also litter. People buy
the food and drinks and then proceed
to drive to a quiet road or grove and
eat and drink and then throw the rubbish out of the car onto the road. This
happens where I live.
Perhaps the Council will send out extra road cleaners and litter pickers
around the local area. Oh, silly me,
no they wont as they will claim no
funds to do so. Amazing how funds
are found when it suits them.
Vandals have caused extensive damage to the allotments in Castle Vale.

Veg grower: People pay to work these
plots. And work hard to grow a few
veg for mindless so called bored teenagers to repeatedly damage the site.
About time something was done to
make the allotments secure.
Frustrated Brummie: What an absolute joke Fine them on a daily basis, they will soon get things moving!!
They might of finished by now if there
was ever more than two people working rather than wandering round in Hi
Viz jackets! I hope that Dawnus never
get another contract like this, they are
a bunch of clowns who are taking the
proverbial out of us all
Mr P: Rain, presumably. We may not
have had massive floods, but we
havent escaped scot-free and the
ground has been quite wet and boggy
in places. And that can be far worse
for road and other building works than
snow and ice, as infamously seen with
the construction of the M62
AK: Why are Castle Vale people paying for CCTV around Castle Vale and
things like this still going on ?????
On plans to demolish five

Victorian shops in Erdington High Street, to be replaced by a new building
MC Hammer: What a great idea.
Leave up 5 (yes five !) ramshackle old
dwellings that will require hundreds
of thousands of pounds to upgrade or
upkeep, rather than provide 26 new
dwellings in an area where housing is
at a premium..lets face it, they aint
exactly Downton Abbey are they ?
Wayne: You can not knock them
down! Bxxxxy ridiculous to knock
buildings that old down. All people
think about is money and not architecture nowadays.
Council ready to Want to copy Vale?

hand stables over Youll need more
to community trust money, Mr Cameron
Prime Minister David Cameron has suggested demolishing 100 slum housing estates and rebuilding
them.
Castle Vale stables are

set to be taken over by a
local organisation.
The Community Environment Trust, based at
Whittle Croft in Castle
Vale, is going to sign up
to a five-year lease, at the
City Councils request.
The legal details of the plans have

not yet been finalised, and the fiveyear lease may be extended, but a
spokesperson for the CET has confirmed that the deal will go ahead.
It is another stage in the Councils
desire to shrink, and to get rid of
some of its responsibilities by offloading them into the hands of local
communities. The CET are the councils preferred choice because they
are a properly constituted organisation with a good track record.
The stables have room for 15 horses. The council will continue to receive rent from the horse owners via
the CET.
A CET spokesperson said that they
are keen for the deal to go ahead
so that they can protect the use of
the land and its adjoining paddocks
for horses. CET members felt under
some pressure to sign up to the deal
because they were worried that, if the
stables and its land were put out to
tender by the Council, another organi-
But he will need to put a lot more

money on the table if he is serious
about the plan.
Mr Cameron has suggested that 140
million is available to renew the 100
worst housing estates in Britain.
That compares badly with the 200
sation might have other ideas for the

land use.
The CET spokesperson said that the
idea had been under consideration
for some time, but that the pressure
to seal the deal has intensified in recent months because of the councils
budget problems.
million set aside to regenerate one

single housing estate - Castle Vale 20 years ago.
How long before a television news
crew visits Castle Vale to give an example of a beacon of regeneration
excellence?
The 12-year Castle Vale project of the
90s and 2000s was also the brainchild of a Conservative leader. Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister at the
time of the initial plans. Her government listed just six areas across the
country to be torn down and re-built,

perhaps to try and show a caring socialist side to the Iron Ladys character.
One of the keys to the Castle Vale
success was the establishment of a
mini council a housing action trust
(HAT) that planned and managed the
project. For just over a decade, Castle
Vale broke free from the chains of Birmingham City Council.
After the project was finished, Chief
Executive Angus Kennedy said that he
and his team were helped by having
plenty of money (almost 200 million) and plenty of time. He is now
Dr Angus Kennedy OBE, and has since
worked as a professor at University
of Central England, and as the boss of
a Peterborough housing regeneration
project.
If Prime Minister Camerons plans get
any further, Dr Kennedy may well be
called upon for his advice.
View of Castle Vale, from the top of one

of its two remaining high-rise flats
Sixth Form Week
Monday 25th January - Friday 29th January 2016
Book your
appointment
today!
See our fantastic Sixth Form Centre, meet subject teachers and interview for a place
Come and see why Greenwood Academy Sixth Form is right for YOU!
Email us at lcole@greenwoodacademy.org or call us on 0121 464 6101 to book your appointment
Love yourself
Brookly
Taylor
Tyburn Mails
music journalist
2016 has just hit us, and all

artists have been fighting
for No.1 in the Charts for
Christmas and for 2016.
fans, our favourite grimestar STORMZY

wouldve been so much closer to the
top of the Christmas charts with his
singleSHUT UP! Reaching no.8.
Are you happy with our number one?
I am content, but I do love a bit of
Stormzy.
Even at Christmas! Although Justin Bie-
ber came a long way from baby and

his cheesy pop songs to less cheesy
pop songs and more dance tracks. If
you wish to share your opinion on the
Christmas No.1 single then find me on
my blog at www.blogspot.co.uk/wanderingwriterr
For further information call:

0121 296 6483 or 07584 904131
Or email: info@icareservices.org .uk
Tyburn Mail ONLINE

Have your say in the readers comments section
tyburnmail.com
How much for being

caught with cannabis?
The paltry sum may have raised eyebrows - are
magistrates going soft on drug users. Compare
this with the fate of several train travellers in the
same week.
Several of them clocked up fines of 220 each
Our friendly, qualified staff provide:

24 hour personal care, including:
Social care, sitting service,

laundry services, cooking,
housework and much more.
Our Christmas No.1 and our 2016 no.1

is LOVE YOURSELF JUSTIN BIEBER. The song has such a beautiful
title, and message itself.
The video to the song itself speaks
on a different level, and the actors in
the video show such powerful form of
emotions that portray effectively the
message Justin Bieber was trying to
get an emotional message across to
his audience.
This is Justins 4th week in the charts,
and is the only 1 of his three brilliant
number ones out of sorry and what
do you mean? still in the top 5 charts.
Although Adele is still going strong
in the top 5 in the charts, so nice try
biebsBUT Adele isnt going ANYWHERE!
But, if it wasnt for all of the Bieber
A 42 year-old Tyburn man was

fined just 20 for being caught
in possession of cannabis last
month.
Do you need
extra care
at home?
for travelling without a valid ticket.

The fines system operated by magistrates court
is regularly updated and based on a complex set
of procedures. The fine will depend on several
factors, including the offenders income.
The court has to decide the offenders culpability - i.e. what role they played in the drug crime.
Then they have to work out the potential harm
the offence may have caused. Producing the
drug is more serious than possession. Intending
to supply the drug to others is also more serious.

Possessing cannabis can lead to a maximum
two-year prison sentence. But magistrates are
ordered to reduce the sentence if any of the following apply:
No previous convictions or no relevant or recent convictions
Remorse
Good character and/or exemplary conduct
Offender is using cannabis to help with a diagnosed medical condition
Determination and/or demonstration of steps
having been taken to address addiction or offending behaviour
Serious medical conditions requiring urgent,
intensive or long-term treatment
Isolated incident
Age and/or lack of maturity where it affects the

responsibility of the offender
Mental disorder or learning disability
Sole or primary carer for dependent relatives
Magistrates are also ordered to consider whether
the defendant pleaded guilty, thereby accepting
responsibility for the crime and avoiding wasting
the courts time and money.
If the defendant was helpful to the prosecution
magistrates are also likely to look on the case
more leniently.
And they are urged to consider the totality principle - If sentencing an offender for more than
one offence, or where the offender is already
serving a sentence, consider whether the total
sentence is just and proportionate to the offending behaviour.
Air Rescue team

wants your story
Midlands Air Ambulance Charity is celebrating 25

years of its life-saving service in 2016 and would
like to hear from former volunteers, fundraisers,
employees and anyone who has been airlifted by
the charity since 1991.
On the 21st May 1991, a handful of people formally launched a new

air ambulance service called Air 5 at Hagley Hall in Worcestershire. In
October of the same year, Air 5 moved its airbase to RAF Cosford in
Shropshire, where the charitys air operations hub still remains today.
In 2009 the organisation changed its name to Midlands Air Ambulance
Charity aiming to increase the affiliation between the service and the
communities it serves.
Midlands Air Ambulance Charity has responded to over 43,000 missions since 1991 and now operates from three airbases strategically
located across the Midlands.
Jason Levy, fundraising and marketing director for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, says: In our 25th anniversary year, we want to acknowledge the people who have supported the charity over the years. With
no Government or National Lottery funding, our lifesaving service has
only remained operational thanks to the hard work and generosity of
everyone involved.
If you are a former volunteer, fundraiser or employee of Midlands
Air Ambulance Charity or if you have been airlifted by the charity and
would like to share your story, please call 0800 840 2040 or email
press@midlandsairambulance.com
For more information on how you can help to fund a Midlands Air Ambulance mission please visit www.midlandsairambulance.com
BLAME
GAME
Labours John Clancy (above), Birminghams new Council Leader, has been fronting a series
of public meetings to explain forthcoming budget cuts. He plans to increase council tax
and make thousands redundant. But its the governments fault, he says.
Here is Tyburn Mails short version of the arguments, in the blue corner, and the red corner.
Government says:
some buildings and land, and

charge for some services.
We all have to spend within our
means.
Birmingham has provided poor
services and has spent beyond
its means.
Its record in recent years is very
poor.
John Clancy and his

Birmingham Labour team
say:
Services are needed.

We will raise council tax and sell
off some land and assets, but
that will not make much difference to our budget.
You threaten to take us over if
we do not improve.
But your cuts have caused our
failures.
We cannot afford to give you as

much money as we used to.
You must cut your spending.
Most private industries have had
to cut back since the recession.
Public services must do the same.
Councils can budget better and
raise some of their own money.
They can increase council tax, sell
End of road
for Drome
As modern fast food restaurants

open
across
Tyburn, one traditional
transport cafe has closed
its doors after over 80
years of service.
The Drome caf and fish bar on

Kingsbury Road has closed down. The
owners said that they were finding it
difficult to get the business to make
ends meet. It served its last meal on
Christmas Eve.
Part of the site will shortly become a
carwash. The caf site may be used
as a food outlet in the future, say the
tenants, but the familiar yellow and
red menu signs have now all been removed from the building.
Budget cuts have hit Birmingham

harder than every other council in
the country. We have more vulnerable people than most other cities.
Unemployment here is higher than
every other city, including London.
Poverty is high.
Mike, Lynda & Mick
Wish you a Happy, Healthy & Safe 2016
More than ever, areas like Tyburn need Labour Councillors to stand up for them against a Tory Government that is
penalising hard working families with their unfair cuts. Since they got into Government in 2010 they have taken 366
million off Birmingham, and the reality here in Tyburn is that we now have 151 less per household for the service you
have told us you need.
Your Labour councillors will stand up against the Tory Westminster Government, but with more cuts being forced upon
Birmingham City Council vital local services are being threatened and could make local people suffer. The next few years
wont be easy and tough decisions will have to be made, but we will work hard to protect services where we can.
Mick Brown said: Along with your Member of Parliament, Jack Dromey, we will be there
when you need us to fight your corner against this unfair and unjust Tory Government.
Mike, Lynda and I will do our best to stand up for the vulnerable, for local jobs, safer
communities and for young people. We know Tyburn deserves better!
Tyburns Labour Action Team

Straight Talking, Honest Politics
KAYS HISTORY
A monthly series of ancient facts by local

history enthusiast Kay Hunter who lectures on
his subject in Birmingham and West Bromwich.
Kay also broadcasts on 107.5 Switch Radio
Burial site for

a dead tramp:
how a New
Oscott pub
got its name
D&D female DECORATORS
Call Marina on
07880 616472
A vagrant was found dead

beneath a ragged hawthorn bush, which was an
ancient boundary mark.
Commonly standing upon the border

line between the Parishes of Sutton
and Perry.
The point was raised as to which Parish should bury him.
Neither was willing to undertake the
responsibility, and after considerable
delay and arbitration, it was decided
that each Parish should bear half the
cost.
It is commonly assumed that the location of the vagrants burial was within
the vicinity, of the Beggars Bush public house New Oscott Sutton Coldfield.
However, this could be open to conjecture.

A century of Birmingham life
1741- 1841.
Kay will be giving a history lecture for the Two Towers Brewery
in the Gunmakers Arms, Bath Street, at 7 00 pm on the 26th
January. Entrance is free and is open to the public.
NEWS
and views from
ADVERTISEMENT
Castle Vale Community Housing: 11 High Street, Castle Vale, B35 7PR 0121 748 8100 repairs 0121 748 8101 (24 hrs) contactus@cvch.org.uk
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS FROM CASTLE VALE COMMUNITY HOUSING
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS FROM CASTLE VALE COMMUNITY HOUSING
@ The Sanctuary 0121 748 8111
ESA Get MATRIX

Healthy,
Get Working
We are now part of the

Birmingham Business Charter
for Social Responsibility
Great news!
An innovative new partnership will give residents

more opportunities to access work.
The Get Healthy Get Working
project has been designed by
a partnership of Castle Vale
Neighbourhood
Partnership
Board, Compass Support and
the TRA.
The programme will support
people who are out of work
for health related reasons
providing a personalised
coaching programme with
added support to improve
health, provide practical support, and ultimately, to job opportunities.
The partnership working between Compass and TRA is

key to the delivery of the project and its future development we want to help people to identify and overcome
barriers enabling them to be
work ready says Compass
Support Employment Adviser
Rob Harris.
This exciting programme that
offers a range of support including a One Pot cooking
programme where each week,
participants learn how to prepare a nutritious, low cost
meal.
We now have the Matrix Standard accreditation across the whole of Compass Support.
The award means that the quality of
information and guidance we give to
our customers meets with the standards set by this nationally recognised
body.
The assessment included compiling
detailed information on the types of
services we offer, and meeting with
customers and our working partners
about their experience and views on
the services we provide.
A special thanks to customers and
partners for all their support to enable us to achieve this.
Striving to gain this accreditation for
our business is one of the many ways
that we ensure we are giving the best
quality service that we can to our customers.
Good Tidings We Bring

Compass Support and Greenwood Academy young people
spread Christmas cheer to older members of the community
A group of kind hearted local
young people made and delivered
over 20 Christmas hampers, even
holding a short carol concert
at Phoenix Court. Five young
people wanted to wish a Merry
Christmas to the wider Castle
Vale community by providing the
thoughtful gifts to local residents.
The plan started back in the summer months with a young leaders
project a programme designed
to train the next generation of
volunteers and empower young
people to play a positive role in
their communities. As a follow
up to the training course the
young people were encouraged
to think of an idea to help their

community and so a plan was
hatched. It was put into action
during the youth zone drop in at
Greenwood Academy supported
by Compass Support.
Young people were able to get the
support of students and parents
at the academy and even staff at
Jaguar Land Rover, who generously added to the significant collection of goods.
The whole project was designed
to showcase the positive role
young people play in communities which is often hidden be-
hind negative stereotypes, the

young people felt they were able
to meaningfully contribute and
personally benefit from the sense
of satisfaction and achievement.
This has been amazing; its felt
so good to know we are helping
others said one young person, It
gives you a warm feeling when
you see how much its appreciated commented added another.
Plans are already in place to
continue delivering inter-generational work around the estate
with the group already planning
a games afternoon at a local hospice following an invite from the
residents.
New shape for Birmingham:

Have your say on the ward
boundaries for councillors
The independent Local

Government
Boundary
Commission for England is
currently consulting local
people on its draft proposals for new ward boundaries across Birmingham.
The consultation closes on
8th February 2016.
The Commissions draft recommendations propose that Birmingham City
Council should have 101 city councillors in the future: nineteen fewer than
the current arrangement. The proposals mean those councillors would represent 53 single-member wards and
24 two-member wards across the city.
The recommendations propose
changes to ward boundaries across
Birmingham.
Professor Colin Mellors, Chair of the
Commission, said: We are asking local people to log on to our website to
have a look at our proposals for new
boundaries across Birmingham. We
are keen to hear what local people
think of the recommendations and
to tell us if they agree with the proposals. If you dont agree with the
boundaries we have drawn, we would
like to hear your alternatives.
Our review aims to deliver electoral
equality for voters in elections to Birmingham City Council. This means
that each councillor represents a

similar number of electors so that
everyones vote in council elections is
worth roughly the same regardless of
where you live. We also aim to ensure that the councils wards reflect,
as far as possible, the interests and
identities of local communities across
Birmingham.
We will consider all the submissions
we receive whoever they are from
and whether your evidence applies
to the whole of Birmingham or just a
part of the city.
Local people can visit the Commissions interactive consultation portal
at www.consultation.lgbce.org.uk to
look at detailed maps of the Commissions proposals and get all the advice
they need to make a submission during the consultation.

The full recommendations and detailed maps are also available on the
Commissions main website at www.
lgbce.org.uk/current-reviews/westmidlands/west-midlands/birmingham.
Hard copies of the Commissions report and maps have also been made
available to view at council buildings.
Write to:
The Review Officer (Birmingham)
LGBCE
14th floor, Millbank Tower
London
SW1P 4QP
Or email: reviews@lgbce.org.uk
Shxx Alley
Apples, conkers and blossom are some of the delightful products of nature
that hang from our trees.
And dog poo.
In plastic bags.
The latest addition to our branches

comes courtesy of dog walkers who
are tidy enough to scoop uo their pets
excrement, but loopy enough to hurl
it into the trees where it stays through
wind and rain for all to see.
One local resident was so infuriated
when he watched a dog walker hurl
his doggy back tree-wards that he
phoned the local police to complain.
They told him to contact the council.
The council told me that they cant
do them for dog-fouling because the
owners have picked up the mess,
said Mr Brown.
From now on its a litter problem.
Mr Browns stories of irresponsible
dog owners are extensive.
He says that local dog walkers near
the childrens play area in Farnborough Road regularly throw their filled
dog bags into the bushes. He cleared
up 21 dog bags on one occasion from
the hedgerows.
The problem is that there are no dogbins for the bags, he said.
The dog owners think they have done
their bit by cleaning up the mess, but
then they just throw the bag away.
Some of the dog walkers are using
nappy sacks and plastic bags that are
non-biodegradable; so they would
stay stuck in the trees for years if no
one moved them.
The worst offenders are the owners
Dog excrement hanging in a bag

from a tree near Castle Vales
Conservation Area
who do nothing about their dogs
mess.
Its amazing how many dog walkers
get called on their mobile phones just
as their dog relieves himself, he says.
One of the pathways near the site is
used so often as a dogs toilet that its
now known by the locals as Shxx Alley.
2015 was a great year..

...this year will be the BEST EVER
Make 2016
YOUR YEAR
2015 Winners
Last year Ste McVey and his 9 year old daughter Skye
took the prize. Ste had previously made the final 4 times
and is a great demonstration of how hard work and
perseverance pays off!
Could this be your first step to something big?
2014
Open to individuals and groups from Castle Vale and surrounding areas - all ages and any talent!
Auditions
Saturday 12th March 2016 - 10:30am - 12:30pm

Greenwood Academy, Farnborough Road
All acts must register their entry by NOON on Friday 11th March
email talent@greenwoodacademy.org
or call 0121 464 6101
Path to success
by Nick Cheese
Greenwood Academy
The run up to Christmas
was a very busy time
with no rest for the Futures team at Greenwood
Academy.
Compass Supports careers
expert Dood has now finished
interviewing Year 11 students
and is working with year 12 and
13 before giving more support
to those who have not decided
upon their pathway after their
GCSE exams.
A number of students have started to apply to stay in the Greenwood Sixth Form and we expect
to have a strong cohort for 2016.
Students have been on several
trips. Year 9 and Year 11 recently visited Worcester and Bristol
Universities.
Both were very different trips,
with students finding the Bristol
visit quite challenging.
Both events have made it clear

that University pathways are
without doubt a very viable option for our students.
However, they were left in no
doubt about the importance of
high level GCSE passes, outstanding Personal Statements
and effective research to find the
right option for both course and
location.
The Academy also ran a trip to
the Skills Show, the largest careers fair in the UK.
This gave students the chance
to find out information about
a huge variety of career paths
available to them and the chance
to gain hands on experience.
The start of 2016 has also
been very busy with more trips
planned and a mock interview
day for Year 11 on the horizon.
We look forward to working with
Compass to give our students
many more opportunities.
Award for Muslim

terrorism expert
Hands-on experience at the Skills Show
A Birmingham City University criminologist is celebrating after being nominated

in the 2016 British Muslim
Awards.
Dr Imran Awan, Deputy Director of the
Social Snappers:
new camera group
for Castle Vale
Universitys Centre for Applied Criminology, is nominated in the category of Services to Education, which recognises the
achievements of people who dedicate
their lives to children and young people,
showcasing valuable work and innovation
in UK classrooms.
In recent months, Awans research into
anti-Muslim hate crime hit the national
news, revealing shocking racist attacks
and incidents where the public refused
to help, including a woman having alco-
hol poured over her whilst travelling on

a train.
My research on Islamophobia aims to
raise awareness of the issue and also
to give a voice to victims of anti-Muslim
hate crime., said Awan.
The fourth annual British Muslim Awards
ceremony is on 28th January in Birmingham.
Other award categories include Charity
of the Year, Muslim Woman of the Year
and Best at Sport.
The Social Snappers is a group

of photography enthusiasts in
Castle Vale.
Organiser Rebecca Bembridge says: The

group are a mixture of residents from across
the estate with mixed abilities in photography.
Some are just learning and have joined from
a recent digital arts project that was supported
by the Butterfly Effect. Some have been attending sessions for a few years now and have expertise in different areas.
The group are very diverse and welcome new
members to join them at their social gatherings

and encourage people to check them out on
facebook by searching Social Snappers, where
they share their work and organise photo
walks.
The group will be meeting at The Digital Hub
fortnightly, starting on Monday 25th January
10.30-11.30 anyone is welcome to join.
For more information people can contact Rebecca Bembridge on 0121 748 8134 or 07956
007 696.
Whats new in 2016?

Do you run a group or activity
that could make use of our facilities?
Call us on 0121 464 6101
***BY POPULAR DEMAND***
Extra Circuit Sessions Added for 2016
We are home to all

sorts of activities from
Football to Fitness,
Dance to Drama,
Gymnastics to
Martial Arts.
Join In!
Since 2015
Greenwood Community Hub

has supported more than 10
individuals or organisations to
start new groups on
Castle Vale.
If youd like to talk to us about
your idea becoming the next
BIG thing - GET IN TOUCH!
Mondays 6:30pm - 7:30pm*

Tuesdays 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Wednesdays 6:30pm - 7:30pm*
Thursdays 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Fridays 6:30pm - 7:30pm*
Saturdays 9:00am - 10:00am
5 Per session
(deals available
for block bookings)
*New sessions
starting from February 1st
www.greenwoodacademy.org
email community@greenwoodacademy.org
Telephone 0121 464 6101
Cash boost for

green volunteers
from Wetlands
Flowers for
all occasions
FREE local delivery service
Call 0121 747 3365

07745 706914
403 Tangmere Drive
Castle Vale B35 7PR
Grants of up to 2,000
are available for projects
that involve volunteers
helping to improve the
local environment.
The next rounds of applications are now open for Tame
Valley Wetlands community
grants programme.
Its a partnership scheme
supported by the Heritage
Lottery Fund which is being
administered by the Heart of
England Community Foundation, and is offering grants
to community projects that
involve volunteers and aims
to improve the Tame Val-
ley Wetlands area covering

parts of Birmingham, North
Warwickshire and south-east
Staffordshire- both for people
and wildlife.
Rita Gries, Tame Valley Wetland community and events
officer said: In the last
round of applications we
were thrilled to award over
7,000 to five great projects
from organised litter picks
and information boards to
environmental arts and crafts
sessions.
All the projects funded will
make a real difference to
their local environment and
City has two gun crime

arrests every three days
In the last three
months of 2015 over
60 people were arrested for firearms
related offences in
Birmingham.
At least 23 weapons were
seized from the hands of offenders who, police say, are
not afraid to use them.
Police are still claiming that
gun crime in the city is not
as bad as it used to be.
Whilst this spike is a real

concern its important it is
seen in the context of dramatically falling levels of gun
crime across the city over
the last decade, says Assistant Chief Constable Carl
Foulkes.
It is a fact that the number
of firearms related incidents
last year is less than half the
number it was during the
same period 10 years ago.
Grants of up to
2,000 are
available
For more
information
please go to
www.heartofenglandcf.co.uk
or call
024 768 83262
we look forward to seeing what range of projects
we get in this round of
applications.The programme
is open for applications from
January 12th until 20th June
2016 and it is a requirement
for those applying to provide
match funding.
New police boss

set for big speech
West Midlands Police have a

new chief constable as of 9th
January.
Dave Thompson, formerly of
the Greater Manchester police
team, has said that he will modernise the force.
He says that he plans to arm officers ....... with smart phones
linked to police systems that will
allow them to access information while en route to emergencies or at crime scenes.
He will outline his plans for the
West Midlands Police Force in a
speech on 28th January.
COME GATHER
ROUND PEOPLE
Farewell message from departing neighbourhood manager

After 20 years working in Castle Vale, including the last six as Neighbourhood Manager, Ruth Miller will be leaving the estate at
the end of this month. Here, Ruth says her
farewell, and makes the case for an elected
Community Council for Castle Vales future
The times they are a-changin

in Castle Vale.
Bob Dylan wrote that song in
1964, as a deliberate attempt to
create grass roots change. And
2016 IS a time of change for
Castle Vale.
The cuts faced by all public and
voluntary sector services (not least
the Police, the Council, Castle Vale
Housing) are being felt by us all and
weigh most heavily on the shoulders
of the most disadvantaged and poorest in our society.
In spite of this austerity, though,
there is evidence of successful community and citizens actions all over
Birmingham and in Castle Vale in
particular. Residents here have cam-
paigned over many years to improve

local facilities for local people and
I am proud and privileged to have
worked with these great people to
support that grassroots change.
It is 12 years since the Castle Vale
Neighbourhood Partnership Board
(NPB) was set up with funds from
the Regeneration Programme which
transformed Castle Vale from an estate where no one wanted to live to
a neighbourhood which is now desirable, clean, safe, generally well
looked after and where people care
for one another.
Those funds have now run out and
can no longer fund the position of
the NPBs Neighbourhood Manager,
so although, sadly, I will be moving
on, the Neighbourhood Partnership
Board will continue, with support
from the Pioneer Group. Lord Rooker
has agreed to stay on as chair and

my colleague and local resident Carla
Belle will provide administrative support.
But I truly believe that there is a
better way forward to protect that
fragile social fabric from the effect of
the economic cuts and build on the
achievements of the last 12 years.
A new Community Council could secure a more sustainable future for
the neighbourhood it is basically
a layer of local government closest
to the people it serves. It is like the
Neighbourhood Partnership Board
but even more democratic, and is legally able to raise resources itself. It
can charge a precept (an additional
element to the council tax) controlled by local people and spent on
what local people want- to replace
services like community wardens, for
instance, or community grants, as
the Endowment Trust Fund resources also disappear. How much would
it cost? Not much more than a loaf of
bread and much less than a packet
of fags a week per household
So Come gather round people,
wherever you roam.you better
start swimmin or youll sink like
a stone, for the times they are a
changin
Keep hedgehogs
safe this winter
by Bridget Harper
Snuffles Hedgehog Rescue
Hedgehogs are endangered in the

UK and their numbers are dwindling fast from over 36 million in
the 1950s to under one million
today.
Sadly people are the main threat to the hedgehogs survival and there are many things we can
do to keep these lovely creatures alive.
We can create wild areas of overgrowth with
shrubs and bushes in our garden for hedgehogs
to make a nest.
We can make a 5 square gap in fences or under
gravel boards so that hedgehogs can roam between gardens looking for food.
We can look out for hedgehogs when driving at
night as many are squashed by cars.
We can check for hedgehog nests before using gardening equipment as many are killed by
strimmers and we can put out food and water
for any passing hedgehog.
Claire Hunt, founder of Snuffles your local
hedgehog rescue says; In winter the hedgehogs natural food supply of beetles, caterpillars
and earthworms are going deeper underground
and arent readily accessible for the very hungry
hedgehog.
Hedgehogs are nocturnal and sleep during the
day and come out at night. They are wild creatures and should never be treated like domestic pets. It is really important not to disturb a
sleeping hedgehog but if you see one wandering
around during the day it needs emergency care
otherwise it could die. They eat meat based dog
or cat food in jelly not gravy or meat based cat
biscuits and dont forget a fresh bowl of water
every night. Please dont feed them bread or

milk as this will make them very ill. You could
also make or buy a hedgehog feeding station
to stop cats, dogs or foxes getting at the food.
Put the food in a quiet and secluded part of the
garden near gaps in fences or hedges and who
knows you may be lucky enough to see a hedgehog visitor.
For further information visit our website
www.snuffles-rescue.com
Fish, chips and

skittles evenings
St Marys Church in Pype Hayes are

providing a game of skittles and a fish
and chip supper.
The event takes place on Saturday
30th January at 7pm at a cost of 5
per person and 3 for the under 11s.
Contact Thelma Sharpe on 373 4370 to
buy a ticket or book a place.
TyburnMail
online at
tyburnmail.com
Drinks ban is big

boost for pupils
School tries to keep diets healthy as fast-food outlets flourish
Greenwood Academy boss

Harry French says that
banning high energy drinks
has had a good effect on
many pupils at the school.
A letter sent out in December advised parents that pupils would

no longer be allowed to consume
high energy drinks on the Greenwood premises.
The decision was in response to an increase in the number of students who
had been bringing in bottles of energy
drinks and bottles of fizzy pop, some
of which contain over 100 grams of
sugar.
NHS research tells us that the sugar in
these drinks is producing a short-term
energy boost and then very quickly
lowering mood, said a letter to parents.
The impact is an increase in lethargy
throughout the day and a reduction in

concentration and productivity as well
as causing a risk of long-term damage
to health.
This action is being taken alongside
a widening of our healthy eating
curriculum to help support students
understanding of the consequences
of a poor diet and encourage better
dietary habits.
Mr French says that the school has

also seen the benefit of encouraging children to eat a proper meal at
lunchtime. Greenwood has introduced
a split lunchtime, so that year groups
carry on lessons while others have
their lunch break, and vice versa. It
allows the school to provide a longer
lunch break for each year group so
that they can sit down to a proper
meal each day.
A large number of schools across the
country have taken similar action over
the past 12 months.
The schools efforts to promote
healthy eating seem to be in conflict
with the policy of the Citys planning
committee, which has allowed two
more fast food outlets to open within
walking distance of the school during
the past six months, and this month
has allowed 24-hour opening to the
local McDonalds fast-food restaurant.
Advice from
the NHS
birthweight and stillbirths in

pregnant women
neurological and cardiovascular system effects in
children and adolescents
sensation-seeking behaviour
use and dependence on
other harmful substances
poor dental health
somewhat ironically, given
their association with sportiness, obesity
Energy drinks also contain
a variety of other ingredients,
such as guarana, and the effect of long-term regular consumption of the combination
of the substances in energy
drinks is unknown.
Potential risks associated with energy drink

consumption include:
caffeine overdose (which
can lead to a number of
symptoms, including palpitations, high blood pressure,
nausea and vomiting, convulsions and, in some cases,
even death)
type 2 diabetes as high
consumption of caffeine reduces insulin sensitivity
late miscarriages, low
Junk food tv ads

target children
Junk food ads are banned by Ofcom

during childrens viewing hours, but
are allowed later in the evening when
children are still watching.
Peak viewing for children is now between 7 -8pm, say researchers.
Children are being encouraged to eat junk food by television ads, according to the
British Heart Foundation.
Around 36% of Year Six children in

the West Midlands are obese or overweight, the BHF claimed last week.
Thats a total of 23,500 obese children aged 10/11 in the region.
Up to 1.2 million children aged 4-15

watch X Factor. There were 13 junk
food ads in one episode.
In otter news....
Christian Spiritualist Church of Aquarius

C.S.C.A.
Bats, otters, sand martins

and snipe could soon be
the new midfielders on
former football pitches at
Kingsbury Water Park.
A New Church, for a New Day
Services for January - March 2016

With Enlightenment Through
Free
Clairvoyance
Refreshments
With Guest Medium
The waterlogged sports fields at the

country park are to be made into a
community wetland for wildlife.

The project will see the creation of
reedbed, ponds and a sand martin
bank, as well as the restoration of
rare floodplain meadow that could
house some of the countrys priority
conservation species.
A new raised viewing platform with
outdoor seating area will also be con-
@ The Sanctuary
Tangmere Drive B35 7PX
Monday 25th January Time: 1.30 - 3pm

Sunday 7th February Time: 6 - 7.30pm
Monday 29th February Time 1.30 - 3pm
Sunday 6th March Time: 6 - 7.30pm
Enquires on: 0121-747-1194
Ex Brum boss quits

days after award
A former boss of
Birmingham City
Council has resigned just days
after being made
a Dame in the
New Years Honours list, despite
a succession of
high profile failures.
Lin
Homer,
tagged
Dame Disaster by the
Daily Mail, was Chief executive of Birmingham
City Council between

2002-2005.
She was criticised for
her performance as
returning officer in a
2004 election involving Labour candidates.
Hundreds of votes had
been miscounted the
Electoral Commissioner
said that the episode
would shame a banana
republic.
She then went on to
higher things, and took
charge of immigration
at The Home Office. Her
Snipe up here
Fee: 3.00
department was criticised for catastrophic

leadership failure by
a House of Commons
Select Committee.
She was then given a
top job at the tax office Her Majestys
Revenue and Customs. Her department
was criticised for poor
customer service by
the UK Audit Office,
and was labelled woefully inadequate by a
Select Committee.
structed, providing a vantage point

for visitors to watch wildlife and acting as an outdoor classroom for local
schools, says Tracey Doherty from
Tame Valley Wetlands.
Warwickshire Wildlife Trust has been
given a cash boost of 50k from Biffa
Awards to fund the project, as part
of the Tame Valley Wetlands Landscape Partnership Scheme.
Football field could become

Otter man empire
Who will be
the chosen
councillor?
Castle Vale will have

its own councillor after
2018.
The Birmingham boundaries are
being adjusted so that the number
of councillors across the city can be
cut. Tyburn will be split into three
areas: Castle Vale will be one, Pype
Hayes another, and the combined
area of Birches Green and Erdington Hall will be another.
Tyburn will continue to have three
councillors, but each one will be
allocated to - and voted in by the
residents of - that particular area.
There is a council election this
May (2016) at which Labours Mick

Brown is up for re-election. It will
only be for a two year term, because the big re-organisation for all
councillors across Birmingham will
take place in 2018.
There will be plenty of in-fighting
across the city between rival councillors. Hodge Hill is already seeing
a battle to oust its long-standing
councillor Anita Ward.
More battles will be waged in the
coming months. Tyburn looks like
one of the areas least affected
by the changes. But which of the
three councillors will go for Castle
Vale and which for Pype Hayes....
that has yet to be decided. And will
Erdington Hall residents ask for a
councillor who reflects the ethnic
diversity of that area?
And will the other political parties
feel that they can target one of the
three smaller areas and break the
Labour stronghold in Tyburn?
Fury as vandals
wreak havoc on
local gardeners
Vandals have struck at Castle Vale allotments
twice in one week.
The callous wreckers broke through the fences of the Farnborough
Road site and worked their way round the perimeter of the allotments,
destroying at random. They smashed greenhouse windows, battered
down shed doors, daubed graffiti and damaged tools, furniture and facilities at the site. Heartbroken allotment owners have reacted angrily
at this latest attack.
We had four years without any problems, said one of the gardeners. He is well
into his seventies, and wanted his name kept secret because he was afraid that
his shed might be targeted in the future.
In the last 12 months, we have had around five or six of these attacks, he
said.
Police have been called on each occasion, but have had no success in tracking
down the culprits.
One of the sites hit this time was the shed set up by the Community Environment Trust for working with local children. Castle Vale Allotments has 42 of its
50 sites occupied. But organisers fear that the spate of vandalism, along with
rising rent costs might cause some people to pack up their remaining tools and
leave. Rents for a council allotment patch at the site are around 90 per year,
and set to rise.
We lost six gardeners last year, said one of the local gardeners.
Many of us are pensioners, but there are some younger ones, too, said one
of the allotment holders.

We spend hours here. But incidents like this cost us a lot in repairs. I cant understand why they do it. They havent stolen anything. They just seem to enjoy
breaking things and spoiling peoples enjoyment.
Police say they have spoken to a teenager who was caught throwing stones at
the sheds in the afternoon following the criminal damage. He is not from the
Castle Vale area. Police have not yet linked him to any previous incidents.
Funeral for
Erdington
police officer
The funeral of PCSO Malcolm

Bull will take place at St. Peters and Pauls Church in Tyburn at 11.30 am on Tuesday
26th January 2016 and then
1pm at Sutton Crematorium.
Malcolm had been with the police
force for 18 years, and served in the
Birmingham north neighbourhood policing team in recent years. He lost his
battle with cancer earlier this month.
Squirrel
horror
The shattered remains of a

glass table from one of the
allotment sheds.
A local dog-walker watched

in horror as a fellow dogwalker allowed his pet terrier to slaughter a squirrel
in a local park.
The concrete support for this

gardeners water tap was
shattered by vandals at a
previous attack.
Smashed glass and shattered
windows at the childrens shed,
run by the Environment Trust
A padlocked door
hangs wrenched
off its hinges by
vandals
The vandals have left their

mark with graffiti signatures
on shed walls and glass
windows
Dog-lover Jeanette Kirby said that she

was disgusted by the dog-owners attitude to the cruel killing in Pype Hayes
Park.
The owner just watched as his border
terrier chased the squirrel round the
tree, caught it, picked it up in its mouth
and killed it, said Jeanette.
It was absolutely appalling. I felt so
sick.
The dog owner did nothing. He just
had a smirk on his face and said that
his dog does it all the time.
He then asked me What do you want
me to do about it?
Put the dog on a lead, I told him.
Jeanette says that she phoned the police to report the incident, but was told
that squirrels are regarded as vermin.
Jeanette herself owns six dogs and exercises them regularly in Pype Hayes
Park.
None of mine would behave in that
way, because I would not let them,
she said.
RSPCA officials have reassured Jeanette that they will be keeping an eye
on the park in the future.
The Animal Welfare Act of 2006 stipulates that it is an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any kept animal,
including a captured wild animal.
Proud of their work: vandals

leave a scruffy signature on the
greenhouse window
Grey squirrel: precious or pest ?
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LOCAL
DEMOCRACY
PAGE
Your councillors, campaigners and candidates
There aint no sin and there aint no virtue. Theres just stuff people do. Its all part of the same thing.
And some of the things folks do is nice, and some aint nice, but thats as far as any man got a right to say. John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath 1939
Project to
improve
our canals
Tory threat to family homes

5 years, after which they will face a
reassessment which could see them
forced to leave their home.
Like many councillors, I see this as an
attack not only on opportunities for
the next generation; but on the many
young Tyburn parents that I meet on
modest incomes, struggling to get decent accommodation for their children
and looking to plan for the familys future.
Councillor Mick Brown

Tyburn Ward Labour
Canal lock near Kingsbury Road,
opposite Cincinnati building
by Robert Alden
Conservative campaigner and

Erdington Councillor
Happy New Year!

Over the last two years local
campaigner Clifton Welch and
I have carried out a number
of clean ups on our local canals, following requests from
residents.
We have been pushing the Council to
maintain the paths around our canals

and keep the land clear of fly tipping.
However, we shouldnt just settle for
that.
The canals have the potential, to be a
real community asset.
That is why Clifton and I have
launched a campaign to not only ensure better maintenance of them but
also for funding to improve the look
of the local canals to offer residents
a real community asset turning our
London happy
to punish
Birmingham
Councillor Mike Sharpe
Tyburn Ward Labour
This Government has said

that areas like Birmingham must bear the full
force of cuts.
We are told that balancing
the books is the priority.
Yet what does the Government see
as their priority in Birmingham - not
the sick, the elderly the unemployed
the homeless, small businesses and
high streets... No, their priority is
to change all the Council electoral
boundaries in this City!
At present each ward (like Tyburn)
Council shames us
2016 is shaping up to be a
busy
political
year with Local
Council, Police &
Crime Commissioner and Sutton Town Council
elections on 5th
May and the EU
referendum likely to be in either
June or July.
Andrew Garcarz
UKIP Sutton Coldfield
& Erdington, Chair
We need your help

and support to elect
UKIP candidates to
fairly represent the
many thousands of
voters in Tyburn,
Erdington and Sutton
who chose UKIP in
last years elections.
Flip-flop,
left-right
politics have led to
the virtual bankruptcy of Birmingham
City Council.
Its appalling record
on child protection,
canals from relics of our industrial

past to a green and blue lung running
through the heart of our local community.
If we can help you with anything else
or you would like to join us on our
next clean up please contact myself
and local campaigner Clifton Welch
by calling 07505745808, emailing
CWELCH2@sky.com, or writing to 96
Orchard Road, Erdington, B24 9JD
has a team of 3 Councillors who work

together for the benefit of that area.
In the new proposals, the wards will
be split so that Castle Vale will only
have one Councillor, Pype Hayes one
and Birches Green/Erdington Hall also
one.
This may seem attractive as the current system can seem confusing.
However it will leave each Councillor
representing 7,000 8,000 people
It was heartening to see

Birminghams new Council
leader joining forces with
other councils across the
country to challenge Tory
plans to see council tenants lose the right to lifetime tenancies.
The Tory plan unveiled last month
could if it becomes law, impact on
many Tyburn families currently on the
councils housing waiting list; as it proposes that all new tenants be given
short term leases of between 2 and
cut backs which hit the weakest hardest - and we have some of the most
deprived people in the City.
This re-organisation will be hugely
expensive and the costs will go on for
years,
The service that we as Councillors can
provide will be undermined. I for one,
would be very sad to see the break up
of our team that has served Birches
Green, Castle Vale, Erdington Hall and
I for one, would be very sad to see the break

up of our team that has served Birches Green,
Castle Vale, Erdington Hall and Pype Hayes
during some very challenging years.
one of the largest electorates per
councillor in the country.
Overall, the number of Councillors will
be reduced.
This may be ok in leafy Sutton Coldfield, but in Tyburn we face a huge
task in just dealing with the effects of
elderly care, the radicalisation of
inner-city schools and cuts in public services are things we should be
ashamed of.
Its time for a change. A vote for your
local UKIP candidate in May is a vote
for change.
If you want to know the truth about
Britains membership of the EU ahead
of the once in a life-time chance to
decide the future of our country, we
are holding several referendum roadshows in the coming weeks.
1st February at 7:30 pm: Caroline Stephens, Leave.EUs Campaign Manager is speaking at the
Plough & Harrow, Slade Road, Sutton
Coldfield, B75 5PF
Pype Hayes during some very challenging years.

The re-organisation has been driven
from London for party political advantage, but it will not be London that
picks up the tab, it will be everyone in
this area and in this City.
11th February at 7:00 pm: West

Midlands UKIP MEP Bill Etheridge is
speaking at the Trinity Centre, Church
Hill, Mill Street, Sutton Coldfield. B72
1TF
21st March at 7:30 pm: West Midlands UKIP MEP Jill Seymour is speaking at the Trinity Centre, Church Hill,
Mill Street, Sutton Coldfield. B72 1TF
Admission to all these events is
free, but spaces are limited so
please email info@scukip.org or
phone 077755 18044 to reserve
your place
...it may punish

families who improve
their situation, but still
cant afford to buy...
One of the worst parts of the Tory
plan is that it may punish families who
improve their situation, but still cant
afford to buy, but still may have to uproot their children.
While people with existing lifetime tenancies will not be directly affected, this
Tory plan could see the removal of the
bedrock on which many Birmingham
people have built happy lives for their
families.
U-turn on
promise
Clifton Welch
Conservative campaigner
Happy New Year!
Readers will recall from previous editions of the Tyburn Mail that Cllr Robert Alden and I have been campaigning
against the proposed 24 hour use of
the MacDonalds on the Chester Road
for the last 8 months.
In December residents were given a
hope that the application would be
refused after the City Council Planning
Committee, chaired by Tyburn Labour
Councillor Mike Sharpe, deferred the
application for refusal.
Shockingly this month when the application was brought back, every Labour
Councillor, that had previously voted
with the Conservative and Lib Dem
Councillors on the Committee to reject
the application, changed their minds
and voted to approve the application.
This was despite the fact residents had
made it clear about the negative impact this would have on local residents
living around the site.
It is very disappointing that in this
instance the Council has refused the
pleas of residents and have instead approved something against the wishes
of local residents. Just as the Planning
Committee did back in December when
they approved building on the former
Cincinnati site despite residents objections.
Awards for
Chivenors
top pupils
Chivenor School rewarded its best

performing pupils of the term in a
school assembly, resplendent with
Christmas jumpers.
Teachers from each class selected the star pupils who had best lived up to the schools values
through the autumn term.
Pictured above are: Mea Bailey, Angel Delaney,
Khianna Edwards, Natalie Brave Gomes and Kiera Shough. Pictured right are: Eloise Henry with
Nanny Michelle Millar
Below left are: Leoni Williams with Mom Matrina
Knight; and below right are: Reo Smith, Andrea
Lunn (Nanny) and Callum Gillick
The back page

FA cash for Vale
Stadium if Council
joins Parklife plan
Castle Vale stadium could
be in for a 1 million
cash boost if talks with the
Football Association and
City Council are successful.
Its a big if but Pioneer boss Pete

Richmond is confident that the deal
can go ahead.
The FA have agreed to put in 70% of
the money as part of the Parklife pro-
ject to help grassroots football at three

sites in Birmingham.
Now Birmingham organisations have
to find the other 30% for the sites.
One of them is Castle Vale Stadium.
Pioneer and other local organisations
are ready to provide money to back up
the FAs cash funds for this site, but the
City Council must now declare that it
is ready to fund the other two sites in
Birmingham that will form part of the
Parklife Hub.
Its a case of all for one and one for
all. If the other two sites do not get
the go-ahead, the FA will pull out of

the deal.
And if the deal does not go ahead, Pioneer may call time on its management
of the stadium and playing fields, and
end their 25 year-lease by handing responsibility for the site back to the city
council.
The FA Parklife deal will take the stadium off Pioneers hands.
The three stadia will be run by a Trust
appointed by the FA. Pioneer, as part
of their cash input, would expect a
place on the Trusts board, so that they
could assure pitch opportunities for local teams.
The FAs Parklife project has established similar facilities in two cities:
Sheffield and Liverpool.
Both of those city councils have seen
the deal as an opportunity to develop
their football pitches.
Pete Richmond says that he is hopeful
that Birmingham Council will see the
same way forward.
The talks between the FA, Pioneer and
the City Council have been taking place

for several months.
Pioneer (then CVCHA) took over the
running of the stadium and fields just
over two years ago, on a 25-year lease
with an opt-out clause after two years.
The Council have allowed an extension to the two-year break clause, on
the basis that talks with the FA for the
sites development are progressing.
But time is running out, and the Council has to make a decision soon.
Will it be able to find some money to
trigger the 70% of funds from the FA?
Or will the Council say: sorry, we have
had to make so many cuts in so many
services, we cannot afford to offer any
money for this project?
Peter Richmond feels that the Council
can be persuaded, not least because
they have been encouraged by the
government to consider working in
partnerships with other organisations
to provide services that they on their
own cannot afford.
Sutton legal team Benefits of golf

bowls into court club custom-fitting
Tony
Roche
Tyburn
Mails
golf writer
Club members Nick King and Joyce Terry with L2R Manjinder Talwar, Manjit
Talwar and Jas Dubb from Sutton & Co Solicitors
A local bowls club is hosting a

free legal drop-in service for
its members and the public.
Sutton & Co Solicitors have launched
the service at Erdington Court Bowls
Club.
This follows their decision to become
a sponsor of the Club for 2016.
The service deals with a range of legal
issues including wills, lasting powers
of attorney, probate, residential sales
and purchases, employment law, debt
recovery, landlord and tenant issues
and general litigation.
Manjit Talwar, Corporate Accountant
for Sutton & Co Solicitors said, We

are delighted to be sponsoring the
Club their indoor facilities are perfect.
Members and the public can drop in
for a free initial consultation to access
the range of legal services which we
provide.
We look forward to supporting and
working more closely with the Club in
2016.
The service will operate as follows:
from 9:45am to 12:15pm on Friday
22nd January 2016, Monday 25th
January 2016 and Friday 5th February 2016.
Paget postponements
Frozen pitches caused all
Midland League football
matches to be postponed
last weekend.
Paget Rangers were due to play at

Fairfield Villa in the second division.
It was Pagets third successive postponement; they last played a fixture
on 19th December.
90% of amateurs use

golf clubs that do not suit
their game-Nick Faldo
2003.
From beginners to pros, all
golfers will benefit from having their clubs custom fitted.
Lois Hopkins, a certified Callaway,
Ping, Mizuno and Titleist custom fitter, formerly of American Golf Sutton
Coldfield, and now assistant manager
at AG 3 Hammers Wolverhampton
says, We at AG provide a free custom fitting at all of our stores.
We follow a 7 step fitting process
which consists of,
1) Consultation
2) Static measurements
4) Irons/Driver recommendation
5) Shaft recommendation
6) Grips
7) Other game improvement products.
Pop in and see Lois at AG 3 Hammers, Wolverhampton or try your
nearest AG store, Europes number
one retailer.
Next Issue of Tyburn Mail:
Have Aston Villa got any

chance of staying up?
We will know better after the game at

the Hawthorns.
Two decent league performances at
home need to be followed up with a
win against the Baggies if Villa are to
stand a chance of Premier League survival.
Villa have found some form in the past
two league games, both at Villa Park.
In four days, they had taken four
points from two teams in the top half
of the table. One of them - Leicester were top of the table, and they looked
second best to Villa in the second half.
Can they keep it up, and snatch three
points from the Hawthorns cauldron?
Product Review
Stampyourballs.com
We all know marking your golf
ball is important.
Stampyourballs is an easy and
affective way to mark your
balls.
Currently stampyourballs has
over 200 designs to choose
from. They look great and add
that special touch to your ball.
My score /5
Product Review
Twisted Frog
From tees to ball markers,
hats and towels, pitch repairers Twisted Frog have designed and manufactured, a
new range of innovative golf
accessories to bring function
and enjoyment to any round.
Add a flash of colour and
quirkiness to your golf collection.
My score /5
Congratulations to Tracy Halloran of Castle Vale. Last months

competition winner. Tracy wins a dozen Titleist golf balls.
17th February 2016
Tyburn Mail is online and updated daily at: tyburnmail.com
West Brom
will decide
Villas fate
View from the Hawthorns press box
West Broms 3-0 defeat at Southampton last week was the fifth
time this season they have let in
three goals.
Four of those three-goal landslides
were in August and September.
It hasnt happened for almost four
months, so Pulis will have been very
disappointed with his teams efforts at
St Marys.
His disciplined team is slowly working
its way towards safety.
Johnny Evans and Gareth McCauley
are one of the best central defensive
partnerships in the league.
I was at the Stoke v Arsenal

game last Sunday.
Six years ago, the talented Aaron Ramsey almost had his career ended by a
bone-shattering tackle from Stokes giant centre back Ryan Shawcross.
How sickening it was to hear the Stoke
fans chant: Aaron Ramsey, he walks
with a limp.
Arsene Wenger suggested after
the game that those fans might be
ashamed of themselves later on. Lets
hope so. Perhaps the match sponsors
who voted Shawcross as man of the
match might reflect on their decision,
too. Goalkeeper Jack Butland was
clearly Stokes best player.
I hope that the match sponsors genuinely felt that Shawcross was Stokes
best player, and had not been influenced by a desire to appease the moronic chanters.

Full January 2016 Edition

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January 2016 Issue 49

DELIVERED FREE MONTHLY TO ALL HOMES IN TYBURN

The architects who

Kays cash boost

How much longer?

News of even more delays to the Spitfire Island

They are fed up with noise, traffic

the other work will be completed this

Mail, the Council has not yet been

The utility companies include gas,

the new drainage, and completion of

Works that will be carried out in

Works that will be carried out in

Bagot Island works completion

Page 1 Tyburn Mail January 2016

Primark is set to open its new

from Terry Sexton, 696 bus driver

Thank you all for the wonderful presents and cards.

I will miss you all.

years but unfortunately lost a

West Midlands Police had originally

Magistrates have jailed a

The fragrance thief nicked the goods

The Councils planning committee have done a U-Turn on their

The restaurant will no longer

Erdington councillor Gareth Moore

Plenty of choice: Council says yes to 24/7 opening at McDonalds near

Page 2 Tyburn Mail January 2016

Should old buildings

The five shops, with gabled

tile criticism from committee

ing the old buildings from

Its a problem faced by planning committees across the

Should they preserve the countrys

er. The names themselves remind

Choice: Victorian shops or modern purpose built matchbox design

The document presented by the architects responsible for Erdingtons

Founded by Naveed Ahmed, the

The design approach has not been

Headteacher Sally Leese (right)

Castle Vales new nursery site

Its a satellite centre of the Nursery in

The new nursery site is looking

children, while ensuring they take on

The ATC is 75 this year.

On 7th February 2016, the Warwickshire

Have your say

Spitfire Island roadworks

4.30 a.m.!! Just get it finished.

marks: Im sure someone was on

Dean Ronayne Absolute pxxx take

NIMBY: I am glad its been allowed

Liz Cotterill So are they paying a fine

Vandals have caused extensive damage to the allotments in Castle Vale.

On plans to demolish five

Page 5 Tyburn Mail January 2016

Council ready to Want to copy Vale?

Castle Vale stables are

The legal details of the plans have

But he will need to put a lot more

sation might have other ideas for the

million set aside to regenerate one

country to be torn down and re-built,

View of Castle Vale, from the top of one