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Official Opening Of Streetly Exchange

We were recently invited to photograph the opening of the “Streetly Exchange” The phone box was adopted by Shenstone Parish Council who also helped fund the renovations along with the local community who helped raise funds. The work was carried out by volunteers ( Anne-Marie, Will, Mary, Katie, Ramona and Phil).
Present for the ribbon cutting were Cllr David Salter also chair of Shenstone Parish Council, Cllr David Smith Staffordshire County Council and Stuart Jones from Shenstone Parish Council

Moor Hall Celebrates 60 Years

We are celebrating 60 years of family ownership! ✌️☮️🌼
Our team turned back time to 1961 to launch the celebrations of our family-owned hotel’s diamond anniversary celebrations.
In 1961, local entrepreneur Michael Webb bought Moor Hall when he and a friend thought that Sutton Coldfield could do with a venue for late night dancing and drinking. He came across Moor Hall which had been owned by the Streather family for more than 30 years. Although a 17-bedroom licensed hotel, it was more of a private hotel as the guests were either retired or widowers that stayed on a permanent basis.
Michael Webb opened Moor Hall in August 1961 as a private members’ club as this was the only way to serve drinks after hours. Different live bands played each night and Moor Hall quickly became known as the place to be.
In the 1970s meeting rooms and extra bedrooms were added and in the 1980s the family continued to invest with a £1m extension which incorporated a new banqueting suite and more bedrooms. The fitness centre was built in the 1990s which included an indoor swimming pool and in the 2000s the hotel was awarded 4 AA stars and became the first UK hotel to achieve Premier status in Best Western.
In later years the Webb family expanded their business with the purchase more properties which include The George Hotel in Lichfield, The Gables Hotel near Bristol, The Cathedral Hotel in Lichfield and The Red Lion in Newborough.
Then in 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic hit and for the first time since 1961 the hotel closed its doors and the family moved in during lockdown for maintenance and security. Moor Hall helped out the local community by opening a shop selling the basics during the first few weeks of lockdown when toilet rolls, flour and eggs were scarce. The hotel has now reopened again and the family is looking forward to celebrating the diamond anniversary.
Click here for more information
👗 Costumes provided by The Costume Department
📸 Photos by Nigel Gambles of What’s On In Sutton Coldfield
🌸 Van flower powered by Ikew design – James Wilson

SUTTON COLDFIELD TOWN HALL TO RECEIVE OVER £34,000 FROM SECOND ROUND OF THE GOVERNMENT’S CULTURE RECOVERY FUND 

PRESS RELEASE 2 April 2021

SUTTON COLDFIELD TOWN HALL TO RECEIVE OVER £34,000 FROM SECOND ROUND OF THE GOVERNMENT’S CULTURE RECOVERY FUND 

  • Royal Town’s Heritage Arts venue among more than 2,700 recipients to benefit from the latest round of awards from the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund 
  • This award will allow the December pantomime to progress and event sales to recommence.         

Sutton Coldfield Town Hall, an Edwardian arts venue in Birmingham, has received a grant of £34,400 from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help the organisation recover and reopen. More than £300 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including the charitable trust-run Town Hall in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.

The venue, which is currently being used as a vaccination centre for the NHS, will now be able to recommence planning of its 2021/22 shows and room hire. The staging of ‘Cinderella’ had been in jeopardy with not enough reserves to support the production of the show, which is key to the venue’s financial sustainability. As a result of the grant, the Trust can return more staff to work, enabling the venue to market its autumn programme, which starts in September with the sell-out Gary Powndland comedy show.

Over £800 million in grants and loans has already been awarded to support almost 3,800 cinemas, performance venues, museums, heritage sites and other cultural organisations dealing with the immediate challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

The second round of awards made today will help organisations to look ahead to the spring and summer and plan for reopening and recovery. After months of closures and cancellations to contain the virus and save lives, this funding will be a much-needed helping hand for organisations transitioning back to normal in the months ahead.

Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, said:

“Our record breaking Culture Recovery Fund has already helped thousands of culture and heritage organisations across the country survive the biggest crisis they’ve ever faced.

Now we’re staying by their side as they prepare to welcome the public back through their doors – helping our cultural gems plan for reopening and thrive in the better times ahead.”

The Town Hall’s Managing Director, Julie Rennison, said:

“This funding is crucial to our recovery, as it takes months behind the scenes to plan and market our programme – particularly the pantomime. With this support, and with confidence in a return to full houses once vaccinations are complete, we have a much better chance of a successful relaunch in the autumn and a welcome return of our traditional Christmas shows.” 

Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said:

“Investing in a thriving cultural sector at the heart of communities is a vital part of helping the whole country to recover from the pandemic. These grants will help to re-open theatres, concert halls, and museums and will give artists and companies the opportunity to begin making new work.  

 We are grateful to the Government for this support and for recognising the paramount importance of culture to our sense of belonging and identity as individuals and as a society.”

The funding awarded today is from a £400 million pot which was held back last year to ensure the Culture Recovery Fund could continue to help organisations in need as the public health picture changed. The funding has been awarded by Arts Council England, as well as Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute.

 

TOWN UNITES TO LAUNCH CENTRAL SUTTON VACCINATION SITE

PRESS RELEASE 1 February 2021

A new site for Sutton Coldfield’s Covid-19 Vaccination Programme has been launched today, Monday 1st February.

The significant development in the roll-out of vaccines at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall has been the result of collaboration between Sutton Coldfield Group Practice, University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) Trust, Summerhill Services Ltd, Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group (BSOL CCG), Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council, Sutton Coldfield Town Hall and the Rt Hon. Andrew Mitchell MP.

Sutton Coldfield Group Practice has been granted permission by NHS England to change their designated Covid vaccination site from the Falcon Lodge Medical Centre to the Edwardian venue in King Edwards Square. This will allow the Falcon Lodge site to return to surgery use, with its final vaccinations taking place on Sunday 31st January. This move will enable the team to deliver more vaccines per week.

 

Dr Jean-Claude Desveaux of SCGP said “Both vaccines -Pfizer and Astra Zeneca ‘Oxford’- are very effective and which one given on any day depends on the deliveries we receive.

 

“We have a wide pool of vaccinators including retired doctors and nurses, paramedics, nurses seconded from different organisations, physios, podiatrists etc to enable us to continue to deliver medical services from our individual sites. The site will be active for 9 hours per day 7 days a week vaccine supply permitting.”

 

Vaccinations are allocated according to NHS and Government guidelines and visitors will be contacted by telephone for their appointment. Those without an appointment will not be admitted.

 

Those attending for vaccination do not need to purchase a ticket in the Birmingham City Council pay and display car park which is opposite the Town Hall on Anchorage Road. Adjacent to the BCC car park, The Townhouse has also granted free parking for people attending for vaccination.

 

Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council is co-ordinating the volunteer steward roles to support the vaccination programme, details of which can be found at Sutton Coldfield Together.

Councillor Simon Ward, Leader of Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council said,

“Thanks to a monumental effort by the SCGP team, many thousands of vaccinations have already been given at the Falcon Lodge Medical Centre. Adding our iconic Sutton Coldfield Town Hall on board as the central vaccination centre for our royal town will increase both the number of jabs delivered to the residents and the speed at which they can be administered. Crucially, it will make residents across our community safer more quickly. Throughout the pandemic the Town Council has stood ready to provide whatever support and assistance residents need and is delighted to again offer this practical support to our local NHS, GPs and residents in this next stage in the fight against coronavirus.”

 

Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP said “ As the National vaccination campaign gathers pace it has always been clear that our Town Hall is the right and best location for our Royal Town . I am proud that working closely with Dr Rahul Daub our lead GP, the Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council, and the NHS locally and nationally we are now able to surge ahead delivering this life saving service for my constituents in our great Town Hall”.

 

Birmingham Community Healthcare Trust (BCHC) staff have also begun doing home visits to vaccinate our housebound patients who are not able to travel to any vaccination centres.

 

Sutton Coldfield Town Hall is an independent, charity-run venue. The Theatre has been closed to the public since March 2020, however it has operated as a Blood Donor Centre, Dance School and Food Bank Donation Centre during the pandemic. Food Bank donations continue at the far side of the building on Mondays and Fridays, 10am – 2pm.

Sutton Coldfield coronavirus cases mapped – latest updates on infection rates

With a new national lockdown in place, how is Sutton Coldfield faring in the battle against Covid-19? Here’s the latest list of infection rates for this part of Birmingham

Families in Birmingham and the Black Country are among those hit by the new nationwide lockdown imposed by Boris Johnson on January 4, 2021.

The announcement followed a rapid rise in infections, hospital admissions and case rates across the country.

This big jump in cases has been caused by the new variant of Covid-19, which scientists have confirmed is between 50 and 70 per cent more transmissible – meaning it’s easier to catch and therefore spreads far more quickly.

The dramatic change has meant an equally shocking new look to the official maps of coronavirus cases.

For the first time, we have seen a dark purple colour code appearing on the key for the map, showing where cases are now over 800 per 100,000.

It’s a very visible way of seeing the effect of an invisible threat that may sometimes seem almost impossible to comprehend.

Above you can see how Birmingham and the Black Country look as of January 5. It’s a grim mass of purple with only a bit of blue peeking through.

So how are areas such as Sutton Coldfield faring in the battle against coronavirus?

What the latest map of Sutton Coldfield below shows is that there are large swathes of purple (an infection rate of 400 to 799 cases per 100,000), a few worrying zones of the new shade of dark purple (800 or more cases per 100,000) and some areas of dark blue (200 to 399 cases per 100,000). Cases are rising everywhere in Sutton Coldfield except Walmley.

The map, updated on January 10, shows the infection rates as they were on January 5.

Back In October, Sutton Coldfield mostly had an infection rate of between 100-200 cases per 100,000 (which is a light blue) though some parts were lower with 50-100 cases per 100,000 (shown in green).

At that time, no part of Sutton Coldfield had an infection rate of more than 200-400 (dark blue) or 400-plus cases per 100,000 (shown in purple).

By mid-December, most of Sutton Coldfield had an infection rate of 100-199 cases per 100,000 and nowhere had the highest infection rate of 400-plus any more.

There was one part with just 10-49 cases as well as another notable area (Minworth) shown starkly in white where the virus was described as ‘suppressed’ – meaning fewer than three cases.

But everything changed with the emergence of the fast-spreading new variant.

Here are the latest infection rates per 100,000 for the various parts of Sutton Coldfield in the latest data from January 10, which goes up to January 5. We’ve also included the total number of cases in each area and shown the percentage rise or fall in cases.

Chester Road (includes Boldmere) – 918.8, 90 cases, up 164.7%

Streetly North – 845.5, 52 cases, up 100%

New Oscott – 802.6, 76 cases, up 65.2%

Streetly South – 774.1, 51 cases, up 70%

Minworth – 669, 36 cases, up 33.3%

Reddicap Heath – 629.5, 64 cases, up 109.9%

Wylde Green – 590.7, 33 cases, up 175%

Little Sutton & Roughley – 588.8, 62 cases, up 67.7%

Four Oaks – 528.1, 37 cases, up 68.2%

Hill Hook – 494.3, 31 cases, up 47.6%

Sutton Coldfield South & Central – 490.3, 40 cases, up 25%

Rectory Park & New Hall Valley – 441.8, 25 cases, up 25%

Sutton Coldfield North & Park – 394.5, 16 cases, up 76.2%

Walmley – 382.7, 28 cases, down 26.3%

 

Recycling your Christmas tree can be hassle-free!

Local charity John Taylor Hospice is offering to collect and recycle real Christmas trees in the New Year in return for a donation to support its vital work in the community.

In exchange for a suggested donation of £10, hospice volunteers will collect and recycle your tree from your home or business on Friday 8 or Saturday 9 January. This year’s scheme covers 15 postcode areas which are: B23, B24, B26, B33, B34, B35, B36, B42, B43, B44, B46, B72, B73, B76 and WS5.

Funds raised from the Christmas tree recycling scheme will help John Taylor Hospice provide specialist end of life care for people in Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield.

Hospice Community and Events Fundraising Charlie Pette said: “Our recycling scheme makes disposing of your real tree very simple – just book your collection on our website, pop a tag on your tree and leave it outside before Friday 8 January. Our fantastic teams of volunteers will pick it up and recycle it for you, saving you time and hassle.

“This environmentally-friendly scheme will see hundreds of trees recycled and their chippings used at local schools and in gardens. Some will also be used for mulch and biomass fuel. Every tree we recycle and every donation we receive will help us provide much-needed care for local people and their families so we are very grateful to everyone who gets behind our campaign.”

To book your collection visit http://www.johntaylorhospice.org.uk/tree or contact the John Taylor Hospice Fundraising Team at [email protected]

Youth theatre pitches in to help food bank project

28 July 2020

Sutton Coldfield Musical Youth Theatre (SCMYT) has launched an appeal to help Sutton Coldfield Town Hall’s food bank donation point which has been running at the venue since the start of lockdown. The town hall in King Edward’s Square switched from hosting entertainment to helping those who have been struggling to put food on the table once shows were closed in March.

The entrance hall of the heritage building is being used to collect donations from locals on a Monday and Friday. New features of the project include free coffee or tea for donors, a ‘support local businesses’ idea and charity stalls on a Friday.

While unable to rehearse, SCMYT decided to help the town hall in its efforts with a campaign to raise as much money as possible for the food bank. Food bank leaders have indicated that local centres could be under more pressure in the coming weeks and months, as more families are hit by the economic impact of the virus. The town hall has been a major support to the award-winning youth theatre since it started almost two years ago, and it is the venue for both SCMYT’s performances and rehearsals. Now SCMYT wants to do something to support those that support it. They have launched a JustGiving page to raise money for food and toiletries for local foodbanks.

Sarah Clarke, SCMYT chairman, said:

“What the town hall has done to help people in Sutton Coldfield through the current pandemic is fantastic and demonstrates how much it truly cares about the local community. The town hall and its patrons have always been so supportive of our youth theatre and we cannot thank them all enough. Knowing what the town hall was doing during lockdown, and following a suggestion from one of our youth theatre parents, we decided to launch a fundraising campaign to give something back to the community by giving the food banks a boost.”

The youth theatre appeal has already raised over £100 and the group thanks people for their generosity so far. It plans to shop for the food banks once it has raised £300 and hopes that the money will enable them to buy essentials for Sutton families who really need assistance.

Sarah added “We know that the last few months have been very hard for so many people and some will struggle for months to come, but we hope that by raising as much money as possible for the food banks , the town hall will be able to buy more supplies and help even more people.”

Town Hall Managing Director Julie Rennison added “This gesture is typical of this group, who create such magnificent work on stage. To put their energy into helping others at a time they are not performing is a really positive thing to do. We’d ask anyone who can help to donate to the page.”

Anyone who would like to donate to SCMYT’s appeal to help Sutton Coldfield Town Hall’s food bank can do so through JustGiving at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/scmyt-townhall.  For those wanting to donate long-life food or toiletries in person, the entrance hall is open on a Monday and Friday, 10am to 2pm. Donations are collected by two centres in Erdington and two in Sutton Coldfield. Fresh produce including allotment produce is used by a further Foodbank canteen in Four Oaks. For further information, a short film about the project can be found on the Town Hall’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/suttontownhall

ENDS

For more information on Sutton Coldfield Musical Youth Theatre and its foodbank fundraiser contact Louise Grifferty . Picture: SCMYT’s Ben Hayfield (L) and Anneka Horne (R) helping the community that helps it with new fundraising for Sutton Coldfield Town Hall foodbank.

NSPCC “Breakfast At Tiffanys”

The NSPCC Sutton Coldfield and Walsall Branch held another of their wonderful fundraisers at Moor Hall Hotel on Monday. This one themed around “Breakfast at Tiffanys” with all the ladies being asked to dress up in their finest Little Black Dresses, as there would be a prize for the best.

After introductions from Carole   and Nikki Brook the breakfast was underway.

The staff from Moor Hall looked after everyone with their customary professionalism and there was a wonderful full English breakfast served buffet style.

After Breakfast we were introduced to Molly Murray who proceeded to regale us with her tales from little black dress which led to much laughter and hilarity.

The morning was rounded off with another of The NSPCC’s incredible raffle.

 

 

Rotary Club Walking For Man’s Best Friend

 

Release date: 12.02.2020

Media contact: Carolyn McLaughlin 

The Rotary Club of Wylde Green has just donated £2300 to Birmingham Dogs’ Home.

The funds were raised on a sponsored dog walk, 2 miles long through Sutton Park.

Walkers had been sponsored by friends, family members and colleagues. John Bradin had done particularly well raising in excess of £400, thanks to him having been sponsored by his colleagues at Glover Priest  solicitors. John’s dog ‘Dougie’ went on to win the competition for ‘the best dressed pooch’. 

The Birmingham Dogs’ Home is based at Catherine de Barnes in Solihull. It takes in and cares for stray and unwanted dogs from the West Midlands area and finds new homes where possible. The charity provides education to schools and other community groups in responsible dog ownership, whilst fundraising to ensure the on-going provision of service. It aims to rescue, reunite and rehome dogs and last year helped 2500 dogs.

Commenting on behalf of Birmingham Dogs’ Home, Rachel Frost, Digital Marketing Officer said:

‘The members of Wylde Green Rotary Club have helped us tremendously with supporting the dogs in our care by raising such a fantastic amount, for which we are really grateful. The sort of work these funds will support will be cruciate veterinary care for the dogs in our care, such a cruciate ligaments, eye surgery and skin treatments.’

The Rotary Club’s President, Dick Elston added:

‘We have found it a rewarding experience with our Club to support The Birmingham Dogs’ Home. Sadly within society today there are many incidents of what are considered to be “man’s best friend” suffering mistreatment, deprivation and cruelty; we are pleased to have helped this valuable organisation that seeks to address these ills with care and sensitivity. We wish them well in their future work.’

More information about the canine charity can be found on their website at: www.birminghamdogshome.org.uk

Many members say they join Rotary because it gives them a chance to give something back to their community. Members also volunteer their time – supervising and organising community events, running projects to promote the achievements of young people and coordinating educational programmes. 

Dick Whittington ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dick Whittington – CLOC Musical Theatre Company

Sutton Coldfield Town Hall

Wednesday 5th February

By Nigel Gambles

CLOC MTC return to the town hall with their annual pantomime, this year see’s them performing Dick Whittington, now I remember the story streets of gold and all that but don’t remember ever seeing the pantomime  so I took my seat with much anticipation and a little curiosity.

This is a great production and all the parts are played enthusiastically and professionally. The jokes and humour being current and the audience participation sections led wonderfully by our dame, Sarah the Cook played by Krystian Wharton who is excellent and his costumes are amazing he is aided by Idle Jack  wonderfully played by Lee Walker his outfit after the ship wreck scene has to be seen!

The show opens to a rapturous round of boos and hissing from the audience as King Rat and his little Prince enter the stage. King Rat played by Anthony Henn who normally lands some of the nicer roles but on this occasion digs deep to deliver a really villainous performance. As he lays out his dastardly plane he is confronted by Fairy Bowbells played beautifully by Juliette Fisher with a cute cockney accent.

We are introduced to Dick and Tommy the cat played played by Sam Rogers and Erin Mooney, this is Erins first principle role and she totally embraces even if she only has a few lines and a lot of meowing.

The show is produced by Stacey Muxlow, this is her first venture into producing but you would never guess, the show is full of life and gusto, filled with wonderful songs and dance routines all performed by the extremely talented cast.

This is a really wonderful show and should not be missed you will leave will leave filled with a fabulous feel good factor

Tickets are still available but hurry you only have until Saturday to catch Dick Whittington and his friends.  http://www.cloc.org.uk/contact-us/

 

 

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