Tyburn Mail Complete March 2015

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GALAXY CARSGALAXY CARS0121 350 1000

Mini buses up to 16 seats available

FRee teXt ALeRtS

LocaLjoBsPage 8

500 racerson AsdaCar Park

Hundreds of car cruisersare gathering in variouslocations to race along FortParkway, and near BassettsPole. Sometimes, up to 200 cars aremeeting in one venue. Sergeant Tony Eustace, of WestMidlands Police, said that over 500cars gathered recently on the carpark of the Asda Superstore inMinworth, ready for a racing ses-sion.The problem of car cruising isincreasing in Birmingham, he told ameeting of Castle vale’sNeighbourhood Partnership Boardthis week.Birmingham residents are sufferingbecause the racers have beenmoved away from other regions byeffective council action.Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwelland Walsall Councils have teamedtogether to secure an injunctionthat has cut down the problem inthose areas. But the court order has shifted theproblem to the Birmingham area.One Castle vale resident said carcruisers used to gather on Sundayevenings, but more recently, theracing can be heard on severalevenings of the week.Police say that racers are usingsocial media to communicate witheach other to avoid police patrols. One report suggests that racershave a specific phone ‘app’ to helpthem communicate with each otherand set up ad-hoc meeting venues.Tackling car cruisers is a priority forpolice in this area, SergeantEustace assured the meeting.

FIRST TIMEEvERy TIMEKingsbury’s new boss insists on top discipline

Pupils are working with theirclass teacher. The headteacherwalks into the room. Everypupil stands up silently.He greets them, shares a brief con-versation with them, and asksthem to sit and continue with theirwork. It happens in every classroom atKingsbury. When the head or deputywalks in, the pupils stand up, as a markof respect.The atmosphere around the school ispositive, well ordered, friendly andcalm. The pupils speak highly of their school.They like the recent changes. Theyappreciate the discipline, and goodlearning atmosphere that has been cre-ated this term. Teachers, too, are posi-tive about the new régime.“We needed it,” confided one teacher.This is a school that has been languish-ing in special measures for over a year.It has had some shattering Ofstedreports, and has seen a 13% dip in itsexam results in the past two years.Now the tide has turned. Not beforetime, a new headteacher has beenbrought in, as the school moves into apartnership with Fairfax Academy Trust. Mark Rhatigan is a strong leader with a

good track record. He turned TheColeshill School around, and brought itout of special measures. He led ArthurTerry’s Sixth Form to excellence. Now he’s got the job of turningKingsbury School around, and withinthe first few weeks, he seems to be wellon the way to success.There’s more to do, he admits. But thefocus on discipline seems to be takingeffect. When the pupils first arrive in the class-room, they must enter in silence. Theteacher will greet them at the door.Pupils put their equipment and planneron the desk. They do the first task insilence.This routine is followed by every class.It’s a habit inducing system that pavesthe way for good learning. It will also please parents, all of whomwant to know that their child is learningin a well-managed environment.Ofsted had slammed the school inreports for failing to deal with pupil dis-ruption.That problem has been tackled. Mark Rhatigan’s “First Time, EveryTime” mantra is followed by all teach-ers, and all pupils. It’s a healthy and positive way of pro-moting a good atmosphere that doesn’trely on shouting or punishment. It relies on establishing good habits. And it’s working at Kingsbury. Kingsbury’s new headteacher

Mark Rhatigan with Year 9 pupils

comment

Looking goodin a tee shirtFashion expertTaylor SheldonPage 6

View from the classroomPegasus PrincipalCatherine Lavelle6

Who do youthink you are?NEC showticketsPage 20 Letters

Page4

Back toschool...91 yearslaterPage 2

tyburn Mail page 2

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Alma Jones paid a visit toher old school, ErdingtonHall, last week, 91 yearsafter she first startedthere.Alma, now aged 96, first walkedthrough the doors of the school build-ing in 1924. In those days, it was called RylandRoad Elementary School, and childrenstayed there until they were 14 yearsold.

There have been plenty of changes inthose nine decades, but the old partsof the building are much the same.And the school has kept the log booksand enrolment registers since it firstopened in 1918. Alma, whose maidenname was Hewlett, has her nameneatly handwritten in the entry for19th November 1924.Alma now lives in Poole, in Dorset,

and travelled up to Erdington HallPrimary School with her son to visit theplace where she grew up, and receivedher education. Talented and bright young girls likeAlma did not have the same opportu-nities that they have today. Womenwere not even allowed to vote at elec-tions until 1928. It was an unequal world. But Almamade the most of her talents, andtrained at a business college in thecentre of Birmingham. Her Dad had topay for that part of her education.Alma learned shorthand, typing and

book-keeping, and moved down toLondon where she became a stenogra-pher. That’s a skill that requires superfastshorthand and typing skills. In thedays before digital recording equip-ment, courts of law used to have ste-nographers to write down and recordevery word that was said.Alma went higher than that. Sheworked in the civil service and record-ed some of the items in Hansard, theofficial record of words spoken in theHouses of Parliament. Some achieve-ment.And after all these years, she stillremembers her early school days. MrChatterley was the headtecher, sherecalls, with a smile.

She has fond memories of playing golfat Pype Hayes Golf Club. She and hergolf team won a trophy and had theirphotograph published in theBirmingham Gazette (now called theBirmingham Mail).On her return visit last week, Almaspent time talking to some of theschool’s pupils. They must have beenimpressed by her charm, her intellect,and her achievements. Alma uses a wheelchair after a caraccident a few years ago left her withtwo broken legs and two broken arms.She smiles as she tells the story. Infact, she smiled all through her visit.Her cheerful and kindly charactercharmed us all last Friday.

Above: 96 year-old Alma Jones (nee Hewlett), back at Erdington Hall, withZaka Hussain and Lily-Mai McLaughlin, both aged 10.Below: the register that records Alma’s enrolment to the school in 1924

Back to school91 years later

Alma’s happy return to ‘Ryland Road Elementary School’

Alma, from a school photographat Erdington Hall. It used to beRyland Road Elementary School.

The director of a tattoo shop inCastle Vale has been jailed fora total of 12 weeks for a seriesof offences. Stephen Sebastian Delaney, aged 22, ofFarnborough Road, is also set to appearat Birmingham Crown Court next monthwhere he will be sentenced for a furthercrime of cannabis production.The court heard that he had produced alarge quantity of cannabis, more thanfor personal use, and that there wasevidence of drug dealing.Delaney is listed as a director of theNeedle2Skin tattoo parlour in

Farnborough Road, Castle vale.He was jailed last Friday after he failedto keep to conditions of court orders forprevious offences, and failed to surren-der to custody in breach of bail condi-tions.Birmingham magistrates heard that hehas a flagrant disregard for courtorders.

Delaney had previously been given a 12week suspended prison sentence byLeeds magistrates in September 2014for driving a silver Nissan Qashqai vehi-cle in Middleton, Leeds, while he wasdisqualified from holding a licence.In September 2013 he was given acommunity order by RedditchMagistrates for driving a vauxhall Corsaon the M42 while he was disqualified,and having taken the vehicle withoutconsent.In August 2012, Delaney, then aged 19,was prosecuted for driving in Erdingtonwithout a licence and without insur-ance. He was on that occasion given sixpenalty points for the driving offence,and was electronically tagged for a six-week curfew for possession ofcannabis.A spokesperson for Needle2Skin saidthat the tattoo shop will continue tooperate with its consortium of artistsand will not be affected by the absenceof one of its directors.

Jail for directorof tattoo parlour

tyburn Mail page 3ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Promoted and Produced by Andrew Garcarz: 1136 Tyburn Road, Birmingham B24 0TB. Printed by Trinity Mirror Printing Ltd, Erdington

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letters and emails to Tyburn MailWrIte to: [email protected] or by post to: the editor, tyburn

mail, Lower Ground Floor, topcliffe house, B35 6Bt

tyburn mail does not publish anonymous letters, but wewill withold your name and address if you request it.

KaY’s hIstorYa 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.

opinions expressed on the letterspages are published in the inter-ests of free speech. they do notnecessarily reflect the views oftyburn Mail.

Write by email to:Write by email to:tyburnmailtyburnmail

@[email protected]

The River Thames, London’s flow-ing artery, was not always asnow. But in 1684, it was frozensolid.

in England 1684 was particular-ly harsh, with ice between 11inches (28 cm) and 18 inches (43cm) thick on its frozen surface.

However, this gave a welcomeand unexpected boost to the localeconomy.

market stalls, food sellers,

booths, puppet shows, of variouskinds were hastily constructed,giving local tradesmen the addi-tional opportunity to sell theirwares.Pamphlets were printed and sold

as souvenirs of the occasion.The last recorded frost fair on

the Thames was in 1814-15.

FRoZEntHAMES

Closed Frankie andBenny’s restaurantsite to be demol-ished to makeroom for more carparking space forJaguar workers:

John milesIt will be sad to see thisrestaurant go, but weare surrounded by manyother reasonably pricedplacesto eat. I think jobs andthe expansion of Jaguarhas to take priority.

LeanneWhats the point thejaguar workers don’teven park in the carparking space they parkon residental propertiesinstead. Absolute dis-grace

AnonymousI think it’s about time weas residents are issuedwith parking permits asmyself im sick of beingblocked in and I don’tthink they would appre-ciate a knock on theirdoors at 5 am

mandy kelleherWe have the same prob-lem on Kingsbury Rdwith lorries and carsblocking our drives bythe public who want tovisit the shops or thecafe near to tyburnisland

mad manI see them parking atthe junction of Cobham

close and yatesburyAvenue every morning atleast 3 cars park everyday and take up resi-dents parking spaces.We don’t need parkingpermits,we need theemployer of these peo-ple to warn them againabout not parking on ourestate and if they contin-ue,then sack them……..I say “the employer ofthese people” becausethey could be agencyworker or employees ofJLR…which everway,they all are wearingJLR high vis jackets…

AnonThe drivers causingthese problems areworkers on the Jaguarsite regardless of whothey are actuallyemployed by. Jaguarneeds to take action tostop their employeesand contractors fromcausing this nuisance.Parking restrictions arenot the solution as thiswill just push the prob-lem elsewhere. yes,Jaguar have createdjobs, but they still needto show more considera-tion to nearby residentsand businesses.

NemesisI was under the impres-sion that the only “pub-lic” roads on the vale arethe main ones likeTangmere Drive andFarnborough Road. Allthe rest are part of theestate, therefore resi-dents have priority for

parking. paying road taxdoesn’t give the right tocause nuisance andinconvenience. I agreewith Leanne. Sheer self-ishness.

A shoplifter hasbeen put on a cur-few and told toattend a thinkingskills and angerm a n a g e m e n tcourse

The EqualiserA curfew, ‘thinking skills’,anger management?…….what does thisskiprat have to do, to getlocked up ? We shouldn’tbe wasting valuableresources and time onhuman detritus likethis……throw the keyaway.

Castle Pool opening hoursAdamAs a user of the pool anda person whose childrenwork with the pool usergroup, I would like toTHANK the pool usergroup for your tirelesseffort and hard work inkeeping the pool open,without the group it was“likely” the pool wasgoing to be closed dueto council funding cutbacks.Support, don’t criticise;let’s all make this worktogether for the sake ofthe Castle vale residentsand their children!

the apriltyburn mail

will be published on

Wednesday 29thapril

Comments fromTyburn Mail’s online news site

Dear Readers,Having had a 20 mile speed limit intro-duced on the estate for road safetyreasons which I can understand, then

schools should start teaching childrenhow to use the road and zebra cross-ings.Also CvCHA should send someonearound the estate to stop people park-ing on corners.On a few occasions I have almost runpeople over just because I could notsee them when turning the corner.Concerned driver.(details supplied)

Dear Editor

Firstly, thank you forbringing the publicconsultation to myattention. Withoutyour article on page 15of the February editionof the Tyburn Mail Iwould not have knownthis "public consulta-tion" was taking place. I received my copy ofthe Tyburn Mail onSaturday 21 Februaryand the "public consul-tation" was taking placeon Monday 23 Februarybetween 3:00pm and6:30 pm.I do not believe that

Greenwood Academy orCvCHA can call this a"public consultation"when they have onlyadvised parents andcarers of pupils whoattend GreenwoodAcademy. Castle valehas been through manychanges over the yearsthat I have lived here;27 years so far, and hasalways consulted theestate as a whole. Thebuilding of a new schoolimpacts on every mem-ber of the Castle valecommunity and this

consultation is notengaging with thewhole community. Itherefore believe this isnot a meaningful publicconsultation as it is notengaging with thewhole community.This is not just a simpleplanning application;this is another bigchange to the estate.Not only will we lose our

last bit of remainingpublic open space butwe will most likely gainmore housing on theexisting site. Do thecommunity want this?They should be giventhe opportunity to havetheir say. I urge GreenwoodAcademy, the CvCHAand anyone elseinvolved in this to fullyengage the local com-munity.Regards

Nichola ShandleyBrabazon Grove

Kay is now running a monthly local history groupat castle Vale Library in spitfire house.the group meets each month, starting on 24thmarch from 2-4pm.entry is free. all welcome.

Dear All, We have heard a lot lately aboutSpitfire island with all the road worksetc. and I was reminded about the realSpitfires that used to fly from the air-field that was here on the vale andhow they helped to defeat the enemy

in World War 2. Many years back Jesus was crucifiedand lifted up on a Cross and defeatedthe powers of darkness (includingdeath) by being our sin bearer. He rose from the grave and ascendedto heaven and lives (one day He'scoming back)! All who follow Him believe he will takeus to be where He is when we depart. Hallelujah for Easter! Happy Easter everybody.David TownsendCastle vale

Dear ReadersI would like to thank colleagues, cus-

tomers & all those who collected instore for the Royal British LegionPoppy Appeal in raising £9871.06.

Special thanks to Gerry and Ann fororganising the event again this year.Kind regards

Sheila HylandSainsburys, Castle vale

Dear Editor/Readers,

l want to express my sincereacknowledgement at the ultimatelevel to Greenwood Academy forcoming out on top, the highest inthe GCSE results for the year 2014among the secondary schoolsserving the Tyburn Ward area.As we are all aware of the negative andinferior press this school had not longago, l would say a few years back andit would be definitely and absolutelylogical for parents and guardians toponder if its the best and wisest idea tosend their children there to pursue theirsecondary education, rightly so.Now there are remarkable improve-ments in the GCSE results and goodstatus recognition for the Office ofStandard in Education (OFSTED) andfrom my observation and knowledgegetting a good status praise from OFST-ED the entire school has to be workingwell in all or as many areas as possibleso l want to commend Mr Harry French,Principal and all the members of staffunder his command at all level in theCastle vale institution for working verydiligent, shrewd and clever to yieldthese results of satisfaction. l strongly believe in academic improve-ment at all ages for individuals, espe-cially for the children, as it is definitelya way of making our city of Birminghambetter as well as the United Kingdomand the world at large.l am looking forward to even furtherenhancement for the year 2015 forGreenwood Academy in education and lam confident that Mr Harry French andhis staff will continue to deliver andraise the status bar for Castle vale com-munity, for the parents and children tobe confident, also to increase atten-dance from within Castle vale and thewider Tyburn area.

Sincerely yours,R O muschetteCastle vale

Greenwoodsuccess isgood newsfor all of us

Public should beproperly informed

Eastermessage

£10k of poppies

20mph andstill not safe

Tyburn Mail page 5

Tyburn Mail page 6

THE DROME CAFE AND FISH BARTHE DROME CAFE AND FISH BAR1230 Kingsbury Road, B35 6AE 0121 351 2543

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YYoouu ccaann eeaatt iinn,, ttaakkee aawwaayy ,, oorruussee oouurr HHoommee DDeelliivveerryy SSeerrvviicceeTTaallkk ttoo oouurr ffrriieennddllyy ssttaaffff oonn00112211 335511 22554433WWee aarree ooppeenn 77 ddaayyss aa wweeeekkffrroomm 66aamm ttiillll 1100ppmm

THE DROME CAFE. SERVING THE AREA SINCE 1932 AND NOW UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

When you’re gettingready for a night outeveryone thinks that youneed to go out and buy abrand new outfit, with ablinding amount ofsparkles and the biggestprice tag. However, what would you say if

I said you could dress up some-thing as simple as an oversizedwhite tee?

That I have no idea what I'm talkingabout, probably.But just the other day I watched theRed Nose Day advert on YouTube, fea-turing Lily Allen who's dancing around,modelling their new t shirts they areselling to raise money. I loved the way they had styled thetops and it gave me inspiration intohow easy it is to dress up somethingas basic as a t shirt.Texture, texture, texture! A blackleather skater skirt or shorts, waxskinny jeans or disco pants would beperfect to pair with an oversized whitetee, that's slightly tucked in at thefront. Then, accessorise with a glitzy clutchbag, your favourite pair of dangly ear-rings, loosely curled hair and someheels (go for black to follow the coolmonochrome theme or a brighter pairfor a pop of colour).Or, follow in the fashion footsteps ofLucy Watson as she recently strutted ahigh street slogan tee (buy fromMango for £34.99). The black, sheer material decoratedin bold, glittery writing looked great ontop of a black bralette. Then, paired with some leathershorts, a fitted blazer and black heels

for the pulled together, party look. A great way to make a tee go from

casual to dressy in just a few easysteps!

by TaylorSheldon

Tyburn Mail’s fashionreporter

TYBURN MAIL’STYBURN MAIL’SAWARD WINNINGAWARD WINNINGREPORTERREPORTER

Tee Party‘Made in Chelsea’ look is

classy, dressy and doesn’tcost a Chelsea fortune

Made in Chelsea’s Lucy Watson, looking a million dolars... in a black tee shirt

photo: Instagram: @imlucy-watson / @tiffanyc_watson

The free school for 90 exclud-ed teenagers planned forEachelhurst Road in PypeHayes will not be built in timeto open in September 2105.The pupils and staff will use a differ-ent site until the new school building isready in 2017.A letter from Lord Nash from theGovernment’s Education Departmentindicates that the school owners, EBN(East Birmingham Network), will use asite in Stockland Green until theEachelhurst Road site is completed.The Stockland Green site is listed withthe postcode B23 ONY. That is the site of The Bridge SpecialSchool, which also has a site in SuttonColdfield that can accommodate all ofits 80 pupils.The Bridge School abandoned theStockland Green site in 2014 andmoved all of its pupils, staff andresources to its Sutton Coldfield site.The building in Reservoir Road is cur-rently vacant.Residents of Pype Hayes who areobjecting to the EBN plans forEachelhurst Road on the basis that itpresents road safety issues, are angrythat Lord Nash’s letter seems to assumethat planning permission will be grant-ed, though the letter is worded careful-ly and does not explicitly state this.Some are questioning why the schoolshould open in one readily availablesite, and then transfer to another, asyet unbuilt site.

EachelhurstRoad schoolsite will not beready till 2017

Tyburn Mail page 7ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Tyburn Mail page 8

Targeted Support Group Worker(Part Time) 3 Years fixed term (subjectto funding) 12 hours per weekNJC Scale 14 – 17 Salary £16,230 per annum pro rata

Home-Start Castle Vale & Pype Hayes are seeking to recruit anenthusiastic and flexible, part-time Targeted Support Group Workerfor 12 hours per week. This is an exciting new position funded aspart of a project grant from BBC Children in NeedYou will be required to work alongside children, young people andfamilies in a group setting.A relevant NVQ Level 3 or equivalent qualification plus parentingexperience is required.Closing Date: Tuesday 7th April 2015 (12 noon)Interviews: Monday 20th April 2015Home-Start is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerableadults. An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (formal-ly CRB) will be required for this post.To request an application pack please telephone0121 7474631or e-mail [email protected]’s are not acceptedThe Sanctuary,Tangmere Drive, Castle Vale, Birmingham B35 7PXTel: 0121 7474631 [email protected]

Assistant TargetedSupport Group Worker(Part Time) 3 Years fixed term(subject to funding)8 hours per week£7.65 per hourHome-Start is a voluntary organisationcommitted to promoting the welfare offamilies with at least one child under 5 years of age.We are seeking to recruit an enthusiastic and flexible, part-timeAssistant Targeted Support Group Worker for 8 hours per week.This is an exciting new position funded as part of a project grantfrom BBC Children in NeedYou will be required to work alongside children, young people andfamilies, proving activities and support in a group setting.A relevant NVQ Level 2 or equivalent qualification plus parentingexperience is required.

Closing Date: Tuesday 7th April 2015 (12 noon)Interviews: Tuesday 21st April 2015Home-Start is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerableadults. An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (formal-ly CRB) will be required for this post.

To request an application pack please telephone0121 7474631or e-mail [email protected]

CV’s are not acceptedThe Sanctuary, Tangmere Drive, Castle Vale, Birmingham,B35 7PXTel: 0121 [email protected]

Home-Start CastleVale & Pype Hayes Home-Start Castle

Vale & Pype Hayes

Help at Home Service Casual Vacanciesfor Handypersons£7.00 per hour

The Disability Resource Centre(DRC) is one of the leading disabili-ty organisations operating inBirmingham, Solihull and the widerWest Midlands.

A full driving licence with the abil-ity to be mobile is essential togeth-er with a willingness to supply anduse your own tools.

For further details, together withan application pack, please contactHasun Tayyub at the DisabilityResource Centre’s Head Office byemail at [email protected] orby telephone on 0121 248 4520.

Closing Date for applications:Tuesday 31st March 2015, 12noon

Interviews will be held on:Wednesday 8th April 2015

Deliverydriverwanted for The Drome Cafe& Fish BarMust have a cleandriving licence andyour own transport.

Please telephone079606 19800

Security DogHandlerswanted You must have SIAlicence, your NASDUor BIPDT certificationand your own dogvehicle and dog. Full and part time handlersrequired.Self employedwith weekly pay.

Telephone 0121 661 4801

Castle Vale Community Regeneration Services (CVCRS) is a well establishedcharitable social enterprise with a primary focus on Castle Vale. CVCRS is asubsidiary of Castle Vale Community Housing Association (CVCHA) and allapplications will be processed via CVCHA.

Vale Stadium Club StewardSalary:£19,309 - £21,309 12 Months fixed term contractWe are looking for a talented, enthusiastic and experienced Club Steward torun the bar and function room of the Vale Stadium in Castle Vale.

In this role you will:· Be responsible for the day to day management of the bar, catering facilityand it’s staff.· Develop activities to maximise income generation and customer footfall.· Be responsible for the financial management of the facility.· Adhere to company policies and procedures and licensing lawsThe successful candidates will;

· Have previous management experience· Have excellent customer service skills· Have experience of financial budgeting and procedures· Demonstrate the ability to build and maintain positive relationships with bothcustomers and other members of the team

Due to the nature of this role applicants will be expected to work unsocialhours. This will include evenings and weekend working, therefore a flexibleapproach to working hours is essential.

Closing Date for receipt of applications is Friday 27th March 2015 at12.00noon and interviews will be held on Thursday 9th April 2015.

Further information and application packs are availableto download from our website at www.cvcha.org.uk or bycalling the HR Team on 0121 748 8154.

JOBS-JOBS-JOBS-JOBS-JOBS-JOBS-JOBS-JOBS-JOBS-JOBS

Castle Vale Community Regeneration Services (CVCRS) is a well established charita-ble social enterprise with a primary focus on Castle Vale. CVCRS is a subsidiary ofCastle Vale Community Housing Association (CVCHA) and all applications will beprocessed via CVCHA.

Casual Caretaker, Castle ValeRate of Pay £9.04 per hourWe are looking to recruit a Caretaker on a casual basis to be responsible for the week-end opening, closing and cleaning of the Sanctuary building, to carry out minor repairswhen necessary and ensure security and safety of the building. Flexibility to coverother facilities and weekdays when holiday cover is required.

Due to the nature of this role applicants will be expected to work unsocial hours reflect-ing upon the needs of the business. This will include Friday evening and weekendworking, cover for holidays in other locations, so a flexible approach to working hoursis absolutely essential.

Closing Date for receipt of applications is Monday 30th March 2015 at12.00noon and interviews will be held on Friday 10th April 2015.Further information and application packs are available to download from our websiteat www.cvcha.org.uk or by calling the HR Team on 0121 748 8154

The successful candidates will;· Have experience within a caretaking or similar role· Have a customer focussed approach; be courteous, friendly andapproachable· Have the ability to communicate with service users· Basic DIY to a good standard· Have the ability to lift and carry reasonable weight and move furnitureand equipment· Have basic knowledge of IT, e.g. inputting and retrieving information· Have knowledge of and understanding of Health and Safety require-ments; e.g. manual handling, use of chemical (COSHH); fire safety andevacuation procedures.

In this role you will:· Be responsible for the weekend opening and closing of the premises· Ensure the security and safety of the premises and its occupants· Deal with enquiries coming into the office during out of hours; takingmessages and passing to the relevant services· Carry out minor repairs· Maintain the plant room, ensure the heating/lighting system is opera-tional and any faults reported to the building administrator· Work in accordance with the Health and Safety rules including report-ing and recording any incidents or accidents

CLC Group Ltd is an estab-lished property and assetmaintenance company withbranches nationwide. The following vacancy hasarisen at our Walsall Office:

Apprentice Painter -This will be a paid four-yearapprenticeship with qualifica-tions being obtained fromCollege as part of the process.E-mailed applications onlyplease to:[email protected]

We are currently working oncontracts in the Castle Valearea.

Tyburn Mail page 10

Mac and GurdeepSingh the owners ofCastle Vale News inInnsworth Drive haveheld a Valentines raf-fle and helped toraise money forCVTRA’s foodbank. A hamper worth £100 was

made up and tickets sold. Gurdeep said: “We have just

added a new section to theshop for Birthday cards,Mother’s Day and other specialoccasions including balloonsand banners and other acces-sories to make that special dayeven better! We have alsostarted to make up gift sets forspecial occasions such asMother’s Day, Easter etc. “So to kick off Valentine’s Day

we thought it would be a greatidea to help the local commu-nity with the raffle and raisefunds for the food bank.”Over £150 was raised and

the lucky winner was Mr JohnGoodman (pictured) being pre-sented with his prize by RajSingh.Mac and Gurdeep would like

to thank all their customerswho took part in the raffle and

helped to raise the funds! CVTRA’s Operational

Manager Jane Roche said “Wewould like to say a very bigthank you to Gurdeep and Macfor their donation; it will bene-fit people in the local commu-nity as the food bank hasbecome an invaluable servicefor the residents of CastleVale.”

by Sam LoweEmployment and CrisisFund Officer CVTRA

Valentine hamperhelp for the hungry

John Goodman (pictured) being presented with his prize byRaj Singh from Castle Vale News in Innsworth Drive.

Jaguar Land Rover plansto demolish Frankie andBenny’s restaurant onKingsbury Road. The giant car-manufacturing

company has submitted anapplication to BirminghamCouncil’s Planning Committee.

JLR hope to have the buildingdemolished by the end of April,to provide more car parkingspace for their employees.Frankie and Benny’s closed in

September 2013, following adrop-off in custom after theShowcase cinema was closeddown for demolition in January2013.In October 2013, JLR said

that they had no plans todemolish the restaurant,buthoped to use the building as agym or training centre foremployees.The success of JLR’s Castle

Bromwich site in the past twoyears has resulted in expan-sion and an increase in thenumber of employees needingcar parking space locally.

Demolition


Castle Vale Community Housing AssociationGeneral Enquiries: 0121 748 8100Repairs: 748 8101 (24 hours)email: [email protected]: www.cvcha.org.ukOpening hours: Mon-Wed 9-5pm; Thurs 9-7pm; Fri 9-4pm.

CASTLE VALE COMMUNITY HOUSING ASSOCIATION, 11 HIGH STREET, CASTLE VALE, BIRMINGHAM B35 7PR

Farnborough Fields Consultation EventTuesday 24th March 2015, 3.30pm to 6.30pm at The Sanctuary, Tangmere Drive

Drop in to see the plans for the new school and ideas for the future development of the stadium , pitches and paddocks

Staff from CVCHA , CVCRSand the CommunityEnvironmental Trust attendeda consultation event atGreenwood Academy on 23rdFebruary to share ideas andhear residents views on thefuture of Farnborough Fields.

As Greenwood Academy are proposing tobuild a new school on part of the currentpaddocks site on Farnborough Road,CVCHA have been looking at the wider siteand ensuring that public access and use ofthe Fields is retained.CVCHA has engaged consultants KKP

who have expertise in the area of Sportand Leisure Facilities.

KKP will produce a Master Plan and assistthe current discussions with BirminghamCity Council and the Football Association,with a view to bidding for grants to helpimprove Sport facilities, including the pro-vision of one or more new artificial sportspitches.The map above shows the locations of

the proposed new school site, options forrelocating the paddocks areas, and poten-tial development for Vale Stadium andpitches.

Farnborough Fields The next consultation event willbe held on Tuesday 24th March(details below), and furtherevents will be held over the nextfew months.

If you are not able to attend onthe 24th, but would like to bekept informed of future events,please contact CVCHA on 0121748 8100.


NEWS FROM CASTLE VALE COMMUNITY HOUSING ASSOCIATION


NEWS FROM CASTLE VALE COMMUNITY HOUSING ASSOCIATION

We are pleased toannounce the returnof the ever popularG a r d e n i n gCompetition! The competition is opento all residents on theestate; however this yearwe have decided to openit community wide,therefore includingschools, businesses andcommunity organisa-tions....we have alreadyreceived some entriesfrom residents & busi-nesses so the gardeningbug is spreading!We have added a fewnew categories to getyour creativity flowing

such as best working orvegetable garden, mostcreative garden andthere will be a specialaward for the best schoolor local business. There will be awards andprizes for the winners &runners up in each cate-gory, so enter as manyas you like!If you have a small spacedon’t worry – there is anew trend sweeping thegardening nation....guer-rilla gardening & verticalgardening, there is evena website with tips &ticks to help youhttp://www.guerrillagardening.org

GARDENINGCOMPETITIONLet theplantingbegin

So how do you get involved in this greatcommunity activity?? Just give Becki a call on 0121 748 8134or collect an entry form from CVCHAoffices, Phoenix Court Hub or TheSanctuary.


@ The Sanctuary 0121 748 8111

When someone toldme I would be joining aknitting group I gave alittle laugh. Why wouldI want to sit and knit? As the first evening

approached I turned up notknowing what to expect. There was no need to feel

uncomfortable going into anew group because eventhough I could not knit itdid not matter. There werea couple of ladies there

who could and guess what?they were really friendly. I didn’t pick it up straight

away but they didn’t mindas they were always thereshowing me new ways.Soon I felt I could masteranything but in truth I hadjust knitted my first squarewhich to my amazementone of the ladies turned itinto a Bunny. From that day onwards I

felt I had made some goodfriends. While we are at thegroup we don’t stop laugh-ing as there is always afunny story being told. Ithen started to think whatelse do I benefit from bybeing part of the Knits N

Pieces Group and realisedthat if I didn’t make theeffort to go I probablywould not have spoken toanyone that day. Some ofthe group say it helps tokeep their brain ticking,others say it helps withtheir joints, but I think it’sjust a friendly group to bepart of, where you canlearn new things. If you would like to come

and see for yourself wemeet at the Sanctuaryevery 2nd and 4th Mondayof each month from4.00pm. For more information con-

tact Tracey Barrington on0121 748 8112

With all the financial strains andcuts to services many day centresand leisure facilities are facing clo-sure, but our Health & Wellbeingteam are providing a free, friendlysocial group supporting peopleaged 18 years and above with lifelimiting conditions and disabilities. The group has been established for

many years, coming together on thefirst and third Tuesdays of every monthand take part in arts & crafts, work-shops, day trips, cinema afternoons,music sessions and games. Some of the2-4 All group are also participating inour new social prescription projects,which include singing, photography andwalking.From the 20th April, the group will

meet on the first and third Monday ofeach month at the Sanctuary from11.00am until 12.30pm (except for bankholidays when The Sanctuary is closed.) If you would like to join this friendly

group, or would like more informationplease contact Kirsty or Tracey on 0121748 0874/8111

Are you or somebody you knowaged 8-15? Are you looking for something new

and fun to do in the Easter Holidays? Ifso, get involved in our Growing Kitchen!

You will get outdoors, cultivate areasof land, and grow food to take home. Ifyou are interested in taking part, pleasecontact Kirsty Clarke at the Sanctuaryon 0121 748 0874/8111.

2-4 All GroupWe need YOU!New MembersWanted for 2015

Knits ‘n’pieces

BRAND NEW FOR 2015The Growing Kitchen

Tyburn Mail page 15

Tyburn Mail page 16

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We will design your adat your request

Exams are right aroundthe corner for all teenagersright now. Some peoplemay be thinking, rightaround the corner?! It’s only March. March will soon be over,

and it’ll be April then MAYbefore we know it. Thebeginning of the yearalways flies by so they’llbe here and gone beforeyou can even say theword.Being as they’re fast

approaching, and there’slots to remember; I fig-ured I would share someways you can study tosave hassle. 1.Motivate yourself! I

know you don’t want to doit, and you’d much rather

be doing other things BUTthis is important. Thesemarks are going to help yougo further in life whetheryou go into a career, or fur-ther education. People cantell you grades don’t mat-ter, but they do when itcomes to school, and sixthform/college. You needthose grades to get youfrom school or college, andthen more to get you touniversity if you choose. Even apprenticeships

want you to have goodgrades. THEY. ARE. IMPORTANT. 2. Post it notes. Cover

you wall or wardrobe doors

with post it notes. Make allthose important revisionnotes and plaster themaround your room, or evenaround the house. So youcan be brushing your teeth,and remember that lighttravels in straight lines.Remembering these smallthings by using post itnotes, will help you abunch, even if you have abad memory. Seeing thesame things over and overwill make your brain be like‘FINE!!! I’ll remember!’Limited revision may resultto you remembering some-thing’s but do you reallywant to risk that? Limitedrevision means that as soonas you get into that freez-ing cold exam hall, it’sgone!3. Colour code. Give

everything colours!Different subjects, differentcolour. The more colour you

use, the easier it will to beassociate it with the sub-ject. It is known thatadding that brightness toyour work makes it thatslightly more appealing toyour brain. So in that sci-ence exam you can think,PURPLE = BIOLOGY. And lastly 4. Revise with your

friends! Now this wasalways a tricky one for me.We would end up laughingabout a question, or some-thing ridiculous rather thanrevise but we got somedone. If you have friendsyou can joke with, andwork then go for it. Go tothe library, Starbucks orCosta Coffee. Places whereit is easy for you to relax,and revise together. I wouldsuggest not revising withfriends at home as you’reless likely to get thingsdone. Get out there, and

get working. These are tips I am

following for my A Levelrevision right now.Whether you’re doingGCSES, A Levels or aDegree I hope thishelps you slightly.Study, and don’t beafraid to ask for supportwith your work! You canpass, as long as you’retrying. Good Luck, and thank

you for reading!

by TyburnMail student journalist

Brookly Taylor

EXAMS

Each day I wonder what it islike to be a child- to be honestI have forgotten but each dayin my role I am lucky andthankful to have a welcomereminder! A reminder that dashes in and out of

my office and fills the rooms and corri-

dors of our school building with happyfaces, brave hearts, curious minds andinspiring individuals who all have theconfidence to flourish in a nurturing andaspirational learning environment.Some things that made you and me

happy as a child remain the same: theclass teacher sharing a story, playing inthe water or building the tallest towerout of lego. Being brave when taking that first

step into the swimming pool or makinga mistake in maths but being confidentto try again. Being curious when I noticed the

clouds moving across the sky for thefirst time, wanting to find out moreabout volcanoes and Egyptians.Feeling inspired by the children I

teach, the teachers I lead and the par-ents I am getting to know. So if we can all remember to get a lit-

tle bit of this each day then surely wecan all be free to flourish!

VIEW FROM THE CLASSROOM

Motorists can now drive pastCentre Park on Tangmere Drivewithout feeling a sudden jolt.Their suspension, exhaust pipe

and passengers are no longershaken by something that wasironically labelled as a traffic‘calming’ device.

The Transcalm bump has had theopposite effect. Rather than calm peo-ple down, it kept residents awake andmade them angry. It damaged vehiclesand infuriated drivers. Transcalm, the makers of the neo-

prene speed bump should be called toaccount for promoting their product asa solution rather than as a problem.Castle Vale needs traffic calming

measures, especially to protect chil-dren and elderly people from speedingmotorists. But it doesn’t need obsta-cles planted in the middle of the roadthat cause expensive damage to vehi-cles no matter what speed they aredoing. It was installed in August 2013. Now

it’s gone. Good riddance to the neo-prene bump.

Good riddanceto thing thatgoes bump inthe night

COMMENT

Brave hearts,curious minds,happy faces

by Catherine LavellePrincipal, Pegasus School

Gone, but not forgotten,Castle Vale’s nightmareneoprene bump

Pegasus pupils withMiss Lavelle

A total of 46 Castle Vale resi-dents have been given jobs atJaguar Land Rover sinceJanuary 2014, following man-ual assessment and dexteritytests at Spitfire House.Manpower Services, who manage the

tests, say that 170 Castle Vale peoplehave been assessed in that period.Those who fail the tests are given thechance to go on a course to improvetheir skills.

JLR jobs forVale residents

Principal Harry French sayshe is hopeful that 150 primaryschool pupils will choseGreenwood Academy forSeptember. This time last year, 96 Year 6 pupils

had opted for Greenwood. Mr Frenchsays that 92% of Castle Vale parentsare now choosing to send their chidlrento Greenwood Academy.

ChoosingGreenwood

Tyburn Mail page 19

Castle Vale and Tyburn

Prompt service

Prompt service

guaranteed

guaranteed

A woman has been puton a curfew and told topay money back to shopsafter she admitted

shoplifting offences inCastle Vale and SuttonColdfield.Julie Vera Baldwin, aged 43,

of Erdington, pleaded guilty tostealing mens’ boots and sev-eral coathangers worth £61.97in total from TK Maxx on 24thFebruary.She also admitted stealing a

coat worth £78 from Next inSutton Coldfield on 28thNovember.Birmingham magistrates

ordered her to pay the moneyback to the shops, and placedher on an eight-week curfew.She was also ordered to pay£165 in costs.

Pay moneyback to shops,court tells thief

It was a nervous morningfor hopeful talent contest-ants last Saturday. Twojudges were making theirdecisions at the auditions forthe seventh annual CastleVale’s Got Talent contest, tobe held on 29th April atGreenwood Academy.First on the stage was 14 year-old

Laura,(above right) a GreenwoodAcademy pupil, who sang, with key-board accompaniment from her tal-ented Dad, Ilmars. They werewatched in the audience by MumLaila, who says that if they getthrough to the finals, she will jointhem on stage playing her violin.Second on the stage was Kaisey

Reilly (right). She sang beautifully. Ifall the contestants are as good as theopening two acts in the auditions, thejudges on final night are going to bein for a tough time. And the audiencewill be in for a treat.

Vale’s GotTalentauditions

Tyburn Mail page 20

COME AND JOIN USat The CrownThe Crown

(formerly: The Forget Me Not seniors) club Every Thursdaywe have Sequence, Ballroom, andLine Dancing, pus Raffles, Bingo ,and Cash Draws

from 12.30-3pmAdmission £1 members and £2 for visitors

Non members welcome last Thursday of the month.

Further enquiries call 0121 373 4108We are at 1069 Tyburn RoadB24 0TH

Ample parking or catch the 67 or 914 bus.

COME ALONG FOR A FRIENDLY, SOCIABLE ,AND HAPPY AFTERNOON.

Tyburn Mail has 3 pairs of tickets for Who Do You Think You Are? Livethe world’s largest family history show.

It’s on at the NEC from 16th-18th AprilIt will give you the opportunity to talk about your own family history witha wide range of genealogy experts. You’ve seen the TV show, now it’stime to experience it first-hand!.Call 0121 749 1343 or email: [email protected] be entered into the free draw for a pair of tickets

Hex, a rock/rap music bandmade up of students fromGreenwood Academy, havewon the Birmingham Battle ofthe Bands competition atSouth and City College.The band comprises six teenagers,

Daniel, Nathanial, Tyrone, Chris, Jamesand Dylan. They are managed byTrevor Evans.Hex have already played at Wembley

arena in a concert last year. They alsoplayed at the Castle Vale Live and Loudconcert in the summer.

Two years ago the LabourParty took over a well-run,three-star rated city fromthe Liberal Democrat part-nership administration.

Since then Labour’s costly incompe-tence has become obvious for all tosee. From wasting £8 million on a glori-

fied tram stop at Centenary Square, tocutting opening hours at the awardwinning Library of Birmingham, to thegarden tax which even their owncouncillors have called a disaster. Now the independent Kerslake

review of how Birmingham is run hasexposed the scale of Labour’s ineffi-ciency. No council departmentescaped criticism. Kerslake said that

Council plans were complex and con-fused, that Labour had no strategicplan for the future; they hadn’t evengot the basics right! Now an independ-ent panel of experts has had to beappointed to hold Labour’s hand toensure they avoid any more disasters. This is bad news for Labour but

worse for Birmingham. If things don’t improve we could find

these unelected experts more involvedin running the city. Not exactly democratic, is it? Birmingham residents should be the

ones to decide this – not the man inWhitehall. This is what Labour’s twoyear reign of incompetence hasbrought us to. The Liberal Democrats will:•Restore green waste collections

•Freeze your Council tax by takinggovernment money•Protect libraries and youth services•Restore 56 hours opening to the

Library of Birmingham•Restore household bulky collections

Yes, all this by managing councilfinances well and making use of con-tingency funds. Labour just blame government cuts

but their failures have been their ownand even in challenging times you canhave a well-run council. It’s time for Labour to go. Turn them out on May 7. Birmingham and Britain deserve so

much better.

by Ann HoltomParliamentaryspokespersonErdington LiberalDemocrats

I was a little taken abackto find half a page of theFebruary issue of TyburnMail devoted to an articlefrom a ConservativeCouncillor for leafyEdgbaston. However, it is less surprising when

you know that she is the MOTHER ofthe Conservative ParliamentaryCandidate for Erdington . It seems that he needs a bit of help

in his campaign and who can blamehim when he has already been beatenpreviously by Jack Dromey our currentLabour MP!I do not however believe in person-

alising important issues. This has never been my way of con-

ducting politics and never will be, solet me deal with the issues raised andignore her barbed comments.Members of all Parties on the

Planning Committee - including herown colleagues are well aware of thetensions that the growth in our popu-

lation is putting on Cities likeBirmingham. No one that I know of welcomes the

pressure on green space and theincrease in commuter traffic that weface.It is her Government however that

sets the framework within which theCity Planning Department that I chairoperates. The reality is that successiveConservative Governments havereduced the powers of local Councilsand loaded it in favour of large devel-opers and their shareholders. If webreak the rules we can be fined and orremoved from office.

They have rights of appeal that ordi-nary residents do not. They canemploy expensive hot-shot lawyerswho could cripple the City.Her Government has the power to

stop green field development, butchooses not to – why? Because it has woefully failed to

make developers build on brownfieldsites and failed to meet its housingtargets. That is why we now have a huge

national housing shortage. They now want an end to social

housing.Her Government promised to end

‘back garden’ development whenelected. They have not done so.Her Government has been the driv-

ing force behind HS2 which will takehuge swathes of countryside and put9,000 potential jobs at risk in EastBirmingham if Jack Dromey and otherLabour MP’s had not intervened.Her Government is allowing the sale

of national parks.It is only relatively recently that the

Conservatives lost control ofBirmingham City Council – yet, just asin Government, you would think thatLabour had been controlling the Cityfor years. It was under her Council that previ-

ous attempts were made to build onthe Nocks Brickworks site and it wasLabour activists who fought againstthis as it was deemed unsafe for hous-ing. For anyone who doesn’t know, that

site is in Erdington Ward – where allthe Councillors are Conservativesincluding her own son – perhaps sheshould ask them what they have beendoing recently?The Goosemoor Lane site (also in

Erdington Ward) was agreed when theCouncil was under ConservativeCouncil.Under Labour we are seeing the cre-

ation of a first new City Park.I am proud to say that the Planning

Committee does not operate alongParty lines. We all share a desire to allow local

residents a bigger say in what happensin this City. Sometimes this can be the judge-

ment of Solomon, but please don’t useus as the alibi for the conflicts betweennational and local priorities.

by Mike SharpeTyburn Councillor

(Labour)

...Members of all Parties onthe Planning Committee -including her own colleaguesare well aware of the ten-sions that the growth in ourpopulation is putting on citieslike Birmingham...

TORY MISRULEHAS CREATEDBRUM’S MESSCouncillor Mike Sharpe responds to Cllr

Deirdre Alden’s article in (Feb)Tyburn Mail

Labour exposed

Hex aretop bandin Brum

article by Deirdre Alden inTyburn Mail, last month

Tyburn Mail page 21

Last month I wrote abouthow popular local campaignerClifton Welch and I had beencalling on the City Council andthe Highways Agency to takeaction to tackle the trafficchaos that has been buildingup on our local roads.

This month we are delighted toreport that the Highways Agencyhave replied to our request andagreed to delay the closure ofjunctions on the M6. The works on the M6 is combin-

ing with Council organised trafficworks to cause gridlock. The Highways Agency have said

in reply to our emails “The M6Junction 6 waterproofing schemeis made up of four phases. It hasbeen decided that closure of theM6 Junction 5 southbound on-slipwill now only take place once

phases 1 and 2 of the waterproof-ing scheme are complete. Depending on progress, this is

currently expected to be mid-Junethis year. There will be some traffic man-

agement on and around M6Junction 6 when phases 3 and 4are carried out, but the slip roadaccess to the M6 north and southfrom Salford Circus will be openedonce phases 1 and 2 are completeand this will ease traffic flow.”While it will not stop the current

problems this change should helpprevent the situation worsening,as would of happened if the phas-es 3 and 4 had started in March asoriginally planned.

We will continue the pressure onthe City Council to stop refusing tomake changes and to be flexiblelike the Highways Agency have bytrying to help local residents ontheir commute to work.If we can help you with any-

thing please contact myselfand local campaigner CliftonWelch by calling07505745808, emailing [email protected], or writingto 96 Orchard Road,Erdington, B24 9JD

by Robert Alden

Erdington Councillorand Parliamentary

Campaigner(Conservative)

HighwaysAgency’sU-turn overtraffic chaos As we approach what

could possibly be themost important generalelection since the turn ofthe century, it is worry-ing to see that voterturn-out has consistent-ly fallen from about 80%in 1951 to 64% in 2010;with the figure for thosevoting under the 24down to 44%.Some political commenta-

tors have said that apathy isa major cause of this lowfigure, and that we shouldconsider making votingcompulsory, while otherswould argue that compulso-ry voting is anti – democrat-

ic as it takes away free-dom of choice.

While apathy may beone reason for theincrease in the numbersnot voting, the recentintroduction of both postaland online voting hashelped not stemmed the

fall in voting, only made it

easier for those who do voteto vote. It is possible thatuncertainty or lack of knowl-edge about politics, or a lackof candidates representingthe views of major parts ofthe population could beequally valid reasons.Survey results show that ata national level many peoplehave little faith in elected

politicians; as a result per-haps one way forward wouldbe to make politics weremore relevant to their lives,more financially transparent(despite the changes intro-duced after the expensesscandal) and more opti-mistic as to the alternativevisions on offer of the coun-try’s future.Voting remains the key to

political participation in ourcountry and needs to be val-ued, because it allows us allto have a say in who gov-erns the country. Like me some of you may

have recently watched thefilm “Selma”, and as weremember the historic victo-ry 50 years ago this monthin the USA for the right tovote, it is a timely reminderof the lengths people will goto achieve a political goal ifthey believe in the visionthat their leaders present.

by MickBrown

TyburnCouncillor

Labour

voter turn-out hasconsistently fallenfrom about 80% in1951 to 64% in 2010

Thursday traditionneeds an upgrade

A 25 year old man, a28 year-old man, anda 29 year-old womanhave all admitted tostealing various hand-bags, worth £460,

from TK Maxx inCastle Vale Retail Park.Tiberiu Batranu,

Mihai Lungu, andAndra StefanaSandului, all ofChester Road, havebeen remanded onbail until later thismonth.

HandbagsnatchersA 60 year-old man

has been put on afour month curfewby Magistratesafter he admittedusing threatening orabusive words ordisorderly behaviour

that was religiouslyor racially aggravat-ed. Steven Albert

Lewis of TyburnSquare in PypeHayes is to be elec-tronically moni-tored, until 6th July2015.

Curfew order

A local pressure group, ‘SaveGood Hope Hospital’ claims con-troversial cuts are planned forSutton’s Hospital services thatcould place residents at risk.To investigate claims of the potential

downgrading of A&E and the removalof Midwifery and Paediatric services,your local UKIP team includingParliamentary Candidates AndrewGarcarz (Erdington) and Marcus JohnBrown, (Sutton Coldfield) met withProfessor Matthew Cooke and LauraGrinnel-More from Heart of EnglandFoundation Trust (HEFT). The following points were established

by Professor Cooke: As part of its long term commitment

to Good Hope Hospital, the Trust will:Retain A&E services at Good Hope

and expand them to include a largerMedical Assessment Unit due to openlater this yearIntroduce a GP- A&E service to

reduce waiting timesRetain and upgrade Paediatric and

Midwifery servicesReassure the public that, as part

of plans for the reconfiguration of sur-gical services, patients will be trans-ferred back to their local hospital for allfollow up appointments and onlyremain at one of the other two sites forshort-term hospital stays following sur-gery where a few days recovery in aspecialist unit may be necessary.There will be a 24 hour on-call

Consultant Surgeon at GHH and anemergency surgical assessment unit.Develop a patient transport service

from local hospitals for patients beingadmitted for an operation at a moredistant hospital should they require it, We are considering how we can

expand the availability of shuttle busesbetween the three Trust sites and weare working with transport partners tolook at introducing direct bus servicesbetween the hospitals

As part of the CommunityEnvironmental Trust’s ForestSchool project I have beenworking with my groups fromPegasus and St Gerard’s pri-mary schools to re-establishthe hedgerows in the CastleVale Conservation Area.

We have been planting hazel,hawthorn and dog rose trees, whichwere supplied by Danny Squire, HeadRanger of Birmingham ParksDepartment. Hedges play an important role in pro-

viding habitat and food for local andvisiting wildlife, such as birds, butter-flies, amphibians and small mammals. Hedgerows are used as corridors to

link small woodlands and green openspaces, in which the wildlife are ableto travel along safely. This activity encourages the partici-

pants to listen, follow instructions andwork as a team, develops conservationknowledge, demonstrates the safe useof tools, and inspires a shared sense ofachievement and ownership towardstheir local environment.

ForestSchoolsplantingnew treesand hedgesby Sarah Oulaghan Community Environment Trust

Good HopeServices:future plans

by Andrew GarcarzUKIP Parliamentary candidatefor Erdington

UKIP Parliamentary candidates AndrewGarcarz (Erdington) and Marcus John Brown,(Sutton Coldfield) with Professor MatthewCooke and Laura Grinnel-More from HEFT

A woman haspleaded guilty to fivecharges of fraudafter she returnedgoods to TK Maxx

stores and madefalse representationsto claim back moremoney than theirvalue.Felicity Jordan, aged

33, of Eagleworks Drivein Walsall, admitted try-ing to gain over £260 atvarious TK Maxx stores,

in Castle Vale RetailPark, in Birmingham’sBull Ring, in Tamworthand in Sutton Coldfield.Magistrates gave her a

conditional dischargefor 12 months, andordered her to pay£334.94 in compensa-tion and costs.

TK Maxxfraudster

Tyburn Mail page 22

1945 ‘50 ‘51 ‘55 ‘59 ‘64 ‘66 ‘70 74 Feb 74 Oct ‘79 ‘83 ‘ 87 ‘92 ‘ 97 2001 2005 2010

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More than half of people inthe West Midlands (52%) havebeen left red-faced in an awk-ward job interview.

Reasons including having coughingfits, feeling intimidated, and spillingdrinks over their interviewer, a newstudy by AAT (the Association ofAccounting Technicians) has revealed.

Saying something stupid, calling thecompany the wrong name, and rudeinterviewers are also apparently com-mon nightmare interview experiencesfor people in the region according toanswers given to the survey.

Greenwood Academy hasunveiled its plans for anew building on the pad-dock, just over the roadfrom its current site.

If it gets the go-ahead from theCity’s Planning Committee, buildingshould start in May 2016, and thebuilding will be ready for September2017.

It will be big enough for 1,100pupils, and will be three storeys high.That’s one storey lower than the cur-rent buidling.

Colin Way of Seymour HarrisArchitects in Birmingham is the manwho has designed GreenwoodAcademy’s new school.

Colin says they it will be environ-mentally friendly and is designed tobe energy efficient. Every classroomwill be on an outer facing wall tomake maximum use of natural light.

The rooms on the inner part of thebuilding will be large resources suchas the library and a performing artsfacility.

Colin says that Greenwood’s reputa-

tion for performing arts played a bigrole in the designs. So, too, did theprovision for youngsters with specialneeds. He is pleased that Greenwoodhas insisted that special needs careand an ASD unit is central to theschool, not tucked away in anobscure corner.

The exterior of the building will belight grey, and the design has madeuse of the mature landscape alreadyon site, to fit in with the nearby fieldsand conservation area.

The paddock is not part of greenbelt land, and therefore has fewerplanning restrictions. The Councilowns the paddock and the land onwhich the current site is built.

The response from residents at thefirst planning consultation meetingsuggested that the new site will haveplenty of supporters.

There is a second public consulta-tion meeting, scheduled for 3pm –6.30pm on Tuesday 24th March, atThe Sanctuary on Tangmere Drive.

There will be objections from peo-ple who are concerned about thereduction in green space.

The gradual and piecemeal deple-

tion of green space locally andnationally is giving cause for concern,but is rarely seen as a powerfulenough argument to overturn majorbuilding plans, especially of socialprojects such as new schools.

Objectors could argue that the newschool could be built on the presentsite. It is designed to fit that space.But Harry French is adamant that thetwo-year building programme willseriously disrupt pupils’ academicprogress.

There is little doubt that the schoolneeds a new building. The currentbuilding is outdated, shabby anddeteriorating.

It lacks the sturdy charm of an oldVictorian building, and lacks the pur-pose-built style and pizzaz of the dig-ital age. When it is bulldozed, few willmourn its absence.

The city council is desperate forspace on which to build new houses.They would not be given permissionto build houses on the paddock – butthey could get permission for aschool site, leaving the current sitefree for future housing development.

The council is unlikely to reveal thatit has housing plans for the currentsite, but that is a likely outcome forfuture years.

PASTURES NEWFOR GREENWOODAcademy unveils designs for purpose-built site

Greenwood’s new site: ready for September 2017, if all goes to plan. It is energy efficient, with all major classrooms onthe outside walls, to make use of natural light. Major features include a science garden, performing arts resources,andcentrally based facilities for youngsters with special needs.

Who willprovide themoney?The land is owned by BirminghamCouncil, who have leased it to AET(Academies Enterprise Trust) for125 years.The money for the new building iscoming from government in a com-plex arrangement via theEducation Funding Agency andAmber, an international financecompany that specialises in socialprojects.The building work will be done byCarillion, a Wolverhampton basedconstruction company who willhave responsibility for the site for25 years.Greenwood is one of eight school-sites across the Midlands thatCarillion are building. Plantsbrookin Sutton Coldfield is another. ARKin Birmingham is another. The contract for the eight schoolsis worth between £100m-£150m,aound £15 million of which will goto the Greenwood site.

Colin Way, the architect who hasdesigned Greenwood’s proposednew building (photo: Semour Harris)

The current school build-ing is outdated, shabbyand deteriorating.... Itlacks the sturdy charm ofan old Victorian building,and lacks the purpose-builtstyle and pizzaz of the dig-ital age.When it is bulldozed, few

will mourn its absence.

If you were afruit, whatwould you be,and why?Those job interviewquestions from hell

Top 11 worst interview momentsI had a coughing fit I spilt a drink over myself I spilt a drink over the interviewer I said something stupid I felt intimidated I referred to the company by thewrong name The interviewer seemed really rude The interviewer seemed bored I kept stuttering I had no knowledge of the job role I was late

Top 10 hardest interview questionsWhat are your weaknesses? Describe yourself in three words If you were a fruit or vegetable whatwould you be and why? What are your strengths If you were a flavor of ice creamwhat would you be? Describe a time when you havefailed Why did you apply for this job? What has been your greatestachievement? Why should we choose you for thisrole? What attracted you to this company?

Around two out of everythree people vote atGeneral Elections.

It varies over time, but between60-70% of the population will beturning up to polling stations on7th May, or making sure that theyhave voted by post before thatdate.

The biggest turn-out since thewar was in 1950, when over 80%of the electorate voted.

The lowest was in 2001 whenthe figure slipped below 60%.

Experts will be able to providereasons for the fluctuations. The1945 election, immediately afterWorld War II, saw a Labour gov-ernment elected. Troops hadreturned home demanding a bet-ter deal than they had been givenbefore they had gone off to servetheir country. They expected, anddemanded more than they had

previously been given. So aNational Health Service began.And free education for all became

a right.1950 was the first election after

these major constitutionalupheavals.

So why did voting hit an all-timelow in 2001?

That was the election after 1997when Tony Blair and New Labourhad stormed to a massive victoryto oust John Major’s flimsy reignfollowing the Thatcher years.

Perhaps voters in 2001 felt thattheir vote would not count formuch, given that Labour werebound to get re-elected.

Perhaps some had been turnedoff by the modern political trendsof spin and lying.

Since those times of massabstension and apathy, voting haspicked up. This election, with asharp prod from UKIP, may see ahigh turnout.

Howmanypeoplevote atGeneralElections?

Percentage of voters in General Election years from 1945 - 2010

COMMENT

COMMENT

Tyburn Mail page 23

by Clifton WelchConservative candidate forTyburn ward

Tyburn Maildaily newsonline at

tyburnmail.com

Last month popular local par-liamentary campaigner RobertAlden and I joined BirminghamTrees for Life, Deutsche Bankand children from GunterPrimary School to plant a 1000whips (small trees) and 8 larg-er trees in Sorrel Park. Robert and I were delighted to havebeen able to get stuck in and get ourhands dirty helping plant the treesacross the back section of the park. Hopefully this will form a wonderfulmixed woodland coppice in years tocome. It was great to see local school chil-dren being given the chance to planttrees locally which they will now get tosee grow as they do in the years tocome.

A special thank you to everyone atBirmingham Trees for Life for organis-ing the event, getting all the trees andequipment together. The work they do across the City isexcellent and we were delighted to sup-port them here in Tyburn Ward. If we can help you with anythingplease contact myself andParliamentary campaigner Robert Aldenby calling 07505745808, emailing [email protected], or writing to 96Orchard Road, Erdington, B24 9JD

Loyal British Gas Customer,92 year old Dorothy, expectedno more than her annual gascheck for which she has paid£30 per month for manyyears. She certainly got more than she bar-

gained for! First of all the pump to her boiler

wasn’t working and so on Thursday ofthat week, the engineer arrived with anew pump expecting to be there for acouple of hours. I would add thatDorothy has had her bedroom down-stairs for five years and sleeps belowthe offending radiator.By the evening, the upstairs radiator

had gone cold again and during thenight on Friday, the radiator leakedsoaking the whole of the upper floor.

At 6.45 am – Call to British Gas as anemergency – quoted 2 hours althoughDorothy is 92 years of age. At 7.30 Fire Brigade called because

Dorothy was immersed in three inchesof water where she had lain all night.The household electrics blew and shewas too scared to put her feet to thefloor. The water had cracked her artexceiling, travelling down her curtainsand into her bed.At 7.35 the Fire Brigade arrived and

found the upstairs radiator nut washand loose and they tightened it upand made Dorothy safe. She wassoaked through with ice cold water.At 9am another call to British Gas –

Engineer on his way – electricianbooked as emergency -had no homephone and no way of making a hotdrinkAt 9.30 engineer arrived and con-

firmed nut had been the cause butdenied any connection with the twohours worked on 36 hours earlier –Coincidence or poor workmanship?At 11am another call to British Gas to

check when their electrician would bearriving – on their way.

At 2pm another call to British Gas –Where is the electrician? Dorothy wasstill without electricity.At 3.30pm another call to British Gas

– Where is the electrician? – “We havecalled out a contract electrician”.At 4.30pm contract electrician

arrived. He put all lights on thenthrew the switch. All lights came onwithout a problem.At 4.35pm the electrician was fin-

ished and left with a signature earninghim £100 for a five minute call out tobe paid by British Gas.At 5pm British Gas manager called to

apologise for the service received butno mention of the poor workmanship.Five days later Dorothy received a

letter confirming her complaint but thisagain was only to do with the length oftime taken by engineers and saidnothing about the flood. In fact, theywere not aware of this problem.So I leave it to you to decide. Was it

in fact sheer coincidence that a radia-tor which had not leaked, developed aflaw following two hour’s work on it, ordid the engineer forget to tighten thenut. I know what Dorothy thinks.

COINCIDENCE ?OR JUST POORWORKMANSHIP?by LyndaClintonTyburn

Councillor(Labour)

My mother, Dorothy Brooks, aged 92

Five year-old MicahWhitehead is the brainsbehind Pegasus School’snew badge.The creative Year One youngster

came up with the idea of having abutterfly for the main part of thedesign. Then the school staff put their

heads together and came up withthe words that go around thebadge. Headteacher Catherine Lavelle says

that the words on the badge describethe attitudes that the teachers wouldlike the youngsters to have when theyleave Pegasus at the end of Year 6. From caterpillars to butterflies,

ready to…… ”be brave, be happy, becurious, be inspired, be free to flour-ish.”The new badge goes with the

school’s new uniform - a change frombright red to royal purple. A more sub-tle and sophisticated shade.It becomes the official Pegasus

colour in September, but most of thechildren are so keen on the colour thatthey are already wearing it. CatherineLavelle reckons that about 80% of theschool’s pupils have already made thechangeover.And in a month when a report by The

Children’s Society suggested that par-ents of primary school children acrossthe country are spending an averageof £251 for a pupil at a state primary(including shoes and equipment). Thecost of the new Pegasus uniform is

good news for parents. PegasusSchool have given one school sweaterfor free to each pupil. And if they want to buy another, they

cost about £5 each from Asda.

Micah thedesigner

SorrelPark treeplanting

East Birmingham has plentyof unemployment, and a lot ofpeople who don’t have manyskills or qualifications, accord-ing to official data. The area includes Erdington and

Tyburn, Castle Vale and PypeHayes.The City Council has unveiled a plan

to create more jobs in the area.The trouble is, there aren’t many

places where new factories or job sitescan be built. It’s a densely populatedarea.That’s why the Council is suggesting

that a recent decision by the superfastrail network HS2 is good news.HS2 were going to build a massive

goods and storage depot in EastBirmingham. But they’ve abandonedthe idea.Rather than see that as a kick in the

teeth for the local area, the Council issaying “Hooray, we can use the site forwarehouses or factories and createmore jobs that the HS2 site would havedone.”Sir Albert Bore and three local MPs, all

Labour, added status to the launch ofthe plans to regenerate EastBirmingham. The new deal includesplans for training, transport and jobs.The three MPs all gave their thumbs

up. Jack Dromey praised Jaguar.Liam Byrne spoke unconvincingly but

cheerfully about the benefits of HS2.The third MP to speak was Shabana

Mahmood. She spoke a lot of sense,and talked positively about the difficull-ties faced by many of her constituentsin her area of Ladywood. For someAsian women, getting work has been aproblem. Language and cultural barriers have

been hard to overcome. But she hasnoticed, and encouraged, a spirit ofenterprise amongst many of the localAsian women. And amongst many ofthe youngsters in schools, too, forwhom setting up their own business isa dream that can be realised.The problem facing East Birmingham

is more about space to create workthan about attitudes towards work.The new plans have identified some

areas of land that could be developedfor business purposes, but they are notabundant, and they are not large.Much space is going to be used for

new houses. Birmingham’s population will increase

by 150,000 by 2031. The Council estimates that 80,000

new homes will be needed.Last week, the Council published its

housing prospectus, which identified 40‘major’ brownfield sites for future housebuilding. The old Selly Park Hospital site will

provide room for 650 of those homes.But space for jobs is also important,

and scarce.A lack of land available for develop-

ment caused Jaguar Land Rover to lookbeyond the current Castle Bromwichsite when they had big plans for expan-sion. They looked further afield towards the

open spaces off the M54 betweenWolverhampton and Telford. That’s the 239 acre i54 site.As our population increases, green

spaces decrease. We need room not just for homes.But for factories and for jobs too.

FINDINGROOM FORNEW JOBS

COMMENT

Tyburn Mail is published by TopcliffeMedia Ltd. Address: Lower Ground Floor, TopcliffeHouse, B35 6BTTel: 0121 749 1343Managing Director and AdvertisingExecutive: Frank KennedyEditor: Clive Edwards

Admin: Mary EverillTyburn Mail is printed by Trinity MirrorPrinting Ltd Erdington

LOCAL FOOTBALL

Two young Castle Vale athletes wonmedals in the recent West MidlandsRegional Sporsthall finals.

Melissa Morris won gold in the U15GGirls shot and gold in the 8 lap paarlaufrelayTyrell Williamson-Greene won gold in the U15

Boys 4x2 lap relay and 3 silver medals in the 2lap race, shot, and triple jump.Team Birmingham achieved a clean sweep,

with all of the Birmingham teams, includingUnder 13 girls, U13 boys, U15 girls and U15boys winning all the age groups and all pro-gressing to the UK Finals in Manchester on25/26 April 2015.right: Castle Vale athletes Melissa Morrisand Tyrell Williamson Greene with theirmedals.below: The victorious Birmingham teamwhich consisted of athletes from BirchfieldHarriers, Tamworth AC, Halesowen AC,Solihull & Small Heath AC, Royal SuttonColdfield ACphotos courtesy of Sharon Morris, Atletics Coach

Gold medals foryoung athletesTIM’S STYLE

IS SO GOODFOR LOYAL GABBYEven the losers in a

Wembley FA Cup semi-finalget £450,000.

The winning club gets doublethat, and a chance to win an FACup title, and a further£1,800,000 for the club.

And a place in Europe.That could all be Aston Villa’s by the

end of May. Their season seems to beturning round.Decent players who had become

poor players under Paul Lambert arenow starting to find their form again.Gabby Agbonlahor, after Lambert’s

final game against Hull, was describedby the Daily Mirror as Villa’s worst play-er this season. Not any more, he’s not.Gabby destroyed West Brom twice,and then Sunderland.The old pace and power is back - and

he’s still only 28 years old. He has beenloyal to Villa through some hard times,and he deserves a lot of credit for hisrecent performances.The two games against Albion earlier

this month were crucial for Villa. Theyconvinced the team, and the fans, thatSherwood’s way would work. He prom-ised attacking football, and his teamdelivered.They outplayed Albion on both occa-

sions. And last weekend, they blitzedSunderland.This Saturday, Villa host Swansea.That will be a good one to win, espe-

cially with difficult games against ManUtd and Tottenham to follow.Swansea’s key striker Wilfred Bony

has gone to the big money at Man City,leaving the Welsh side bereft of anyclassy goalscorers.

I was at the Hawthorns last week-end, watching Albion beat Stoke.It was good to see the Baggies

bounce back from the Villa defeats.The win against Stoke edges them

much closer to safety. After the game,Tony Pulis spent the first few minutesof his press conference trying to con-vince journalists that Albion’s perform-

ances against Villa were not as bad aswe all thought.Nobody was convinced, but we all

realised at that moment just how muchthe two defeats in four days had hurtthe Baggies.Meanwhile, the FA are investigating

the trouble at the end of the cupmatch. The Villa fans were wrong to invade

the pitch, during and after the game.The referee was wrong to let the

game continue while there were somany fans standing alongside the pitchfor the final few minutes. The FA must take some share of the

blame for allowing the game to start at5.30pm - an absolutely stupid decisionmotivated by the television coveragetrying to split the two afternoongames.

But the biggest sin of all during thatwhole episode was the West Bromfans ripping up the seats and throwingthem as sharp and dangerous missilesinto the family enclosure below.Disgraceful.

Tim Sherwood after the Villav Albion game

Why did the ref allow the gameto continue with fans lined upon the edge of the pitch?

Baggies’ disgrace: brokenseats hurled at Villa fans

Concordewin leagueCastle Vale Concorde have wontheir league.A 2-0 victory against Pearson last week-end means that they cannot be caughtat the top of Amateur One of theFestival Sunday league.Great Barr Lions trail Concorde byseven points and have just two leaguegames remaining.Concorde still have four games to go,and have only lost one of their 15league games this season.Concorde Utd lost 3-2 at Vale Stadiumto Three Way Shipping in the same divi-sion last weekend.Castle Vale Townthrashed bottom of thetable Bearwood Athletic5-1 last weekend at ValeStadium in division twoof the Birmingham andDistrict Alliance.Paget Rangers lost 1-0 to Chelmsley

Town in division two ofthe Midland League atThe Pavilion. The defeatbrings an end to Paget’srun of three successiveleague wins.

Erdington and Saltley DistrictPrimary Schools football team aredesperate for a new sponsorbecause they need a new kit.The team has just won the

Birmingham District Trophy supplied byLiverpool and England star DanielSturridge. He used to be an Erdingtonschool player. Now the District Team

are looking for local sponsors. They need £700 to buy new kit.

Team manager Philip Hynansays:“We currently play in mismatch-ing shorts and socks! We travel thecounty playing the likes if Liverpool,Swindon, Leeds, Cardiff, Bath andPlymouth but look like we’ve come outof a jumble sale!”“Being picked for ones district is ahuge honour and comes with no

financial commitment, either to theplayers or the schools.“We have to rely on funds gained viafundraising to keep the team going.

This is proving easier said than done.”Local businesses who may be inter-

ested in sponsoring the DistrictFootball team can contact team man-

ager Philip Hynan by email: [email protected]

‘Jumble sale’team needskit sponsor

Tyburn Mail Complete March 2015

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Transcript of Tyburn Mail Complete March 2015