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TheVillage
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ISSN 1466-3376
Sporting Prizes
Page 6
• Stockbroking & Share Exchange
Editorial:
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Richard Peach
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Issue 97: Dec 09 / Jan 10
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Alvechurch
Worcestershire
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starts 14 December 2009
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Drumming Delight
Page 42
28 Hewell Road, Barnt Green
Sally’s Happy Ending
Page 67
COVER: Faces and places from Village life
over the past year
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Village News
‘Broken promise’ to youth
ing some teenagers, said there was a
County Council told us this was going
THE YOUNG PEOPLE of Alvechurch
lack of facilities for young people.
to be a community facility, but sudhave been let down by the failure to
One mother of a 15-year-old said:
deliver on promises of “community use” denly the rules changed and now it is a
”There is nowhere for him to go – why
terrible waste of a building.”
at schools in the village, it has been
is there not somewhere for boys of
Bromsgrove councillor Jean Luck
claimed.
that age? My son is a good lad and so
said: “It cost £6 million to build and the
A public forum of around 100 resiare his friends; we are not doing them
grandchildren of some of the people
dents heard that while teenagers were
justice, we are letting them down.”
here are still going to be paying for it,
left to hang about on cold street corResident Sarah Morgan, who acted
but it is locked away.
ners, the facilities at the new schools
as a spokeswoman for people opposed
“The facilities are here, the security is
remained locked and out of reach.
to the MUGA on Swans’ Length, said
here, but it is empty every night.”
The forum, held in the main hall of
“Two householders are on medication
The meeting aimed to be positive
the schools, was called by Bromsgrove
as a direct result of it.”
and a number of those present, includCommunity Safety Partnership after
A precedent had been set
complaints about young
in Birmingham for removal
people at the Multi-Use
n For the record, The Village magazine reported in June
of the MUGA and it could be
Games Area (MUGA) in
2005 the words of Peter Parkes, the county council manager
put on The Meadows playSwans’ Length, Alvechurch.
of the project to build the new schools. “It will be a fabuing fields instead.
A former governor of the
lous facility for the village,” he said.
The forum agreed to set
first school told the meeting:
“It could be open 300 days a year or more and will be
up a residents group to work
“We were told as governors
open from 8am until whatever time at night is viable. That’s
with “Safer Bromsgrove”
that this would be a comthe idea of having these community use schools.”
officers to come up with
munity project, but the gates
These sentiments were echoed by county council leader
practical solutions, and their
are locked at night and it is
George Lord at the sod cutting for the new site in October
efforts would be reported
wasted.”
2006. It would be a facility for everyone, he said: “Not a comto another public forum in
Another resident, Syd Cadmunity centre, but very much for use by the community.”
three months.
dick, said: “Worcestershire
Welcome to Hopwood
International Airport!
AS IF HOPWOOD didn’t have enough to cope with . . . the
hamlet that already lives with a rendering plant, plastic
chimneys on affordable homes and a main road splitting
it in two is now the site of what has been called “Hopwood
International Airport.”
The matter was raised by Alvechurch Parish Councillor
Debbie Brown at its monthly meeting. She said the
experience of small aircraft coming in to land was “pretty
scary” and there was even a “hangar” in the field.
One resident, who dubbed it “Hopwood International”, said
the flightpath was over the end of his garden and he feared
what would happen if the pilot misjudged his approach.
Bromsgrove District Council leader Roger Hollingworth
said planning officers had “had a word with” those using the
field as a landing strip.
The Village
December 2009 / January 2010
5
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Village News
Pupils shine in
sports finals
Alvechurch Middle School pupils have put in some fine
performances at district level over the autumn term.
The Year 5 & 6 tag rugby team won every game they played,
scoring 35 tries in five matches.
The Year 7 & 8 rugby team repeated this achievement, beating Catshill in the final.
Meanwhile, the Year 7 & 8 hockey team became district
hockey champions, beating St John’s, Bromsgrove, in the final.
Teachers Peter Hipkiss and Gary Sheriden praised the “fantastic effort” by everyone involved.
Year 5 & 6 tag rugby (front from left) Luke Billingham, Isaac
Hill, Charlie Marshall, Jed Hemmings, Scott Hancock. (Back)
Joe Broad, Jordan Rollins, Eddie Gwilliam, Richard Newton.
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Year 7 & 8 rugby (front from left) Ben Sanderson, Jack Lewis,
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Dixon, Hugo Morris. (Middle) Harry Stratton, Matt Lee, Joe
Coleman, Harrison Frost, Tom Fletcher. (Back) David Allenby,
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Year 7 & 8 hockey (front from left) Abel Mc Linden, George
Billingham, Harriet Tovey, Emma Morgan, Millie Doherty.
(Back) Jacob Smith, Harrison Frost, Piers Garrett, Anna Louise
Mead, Charlie Munday.
6
The Village
Village News
Village News Round-Up
David Bellamy helps Tardebigge
First School pupils Katie-Lou and
Ethan Medlicott to plant trees as part
of the national Tree Appeal scheme.
The school received 100 trees
and hedging plants in the Trees for
Schools campaign, and Ethan and
Katie-Lou also brought in their own
tree to plant.
Tardebigge was nominated by
customers of nationwide print firm
printing.com, which has sponsored
100,000 trees across the country, and
Mr Bellamy, as patron of Tree Appeal,
has visited schools across the UK. After taking an assembly, he helped
the pupils plant the trees at the school
and adjacent Community Hall.
“As an Eco Green Flag school we
were delighted to be chosen, and
the pupils thoroughly enjoyed the
project,” said headmistress Julie Cutler.
Quad-bike plan under fire
Villagers from Tutnall to Alvechurch
are protesting at plans for a quad-bike
and go-cart racing centre.
The plans have been submitted for
an outdoor activity centre at Sunny
Bank Farm, Stoney Lane. As well as race
tracks, there would be archery and
“laser tag”.
Residents from a wide area have objected to what they call an “outrageous
planning request”.
“The quad bike track and other
planned activities do not just affect the
immediate neighbours as the noise will
carry for miles across the adjacent fields
and spoil the tranquillity of the area,”
according to residents in Tardebigge
and Tutnall.
The Village has also been contacted by residents of Grange Lane,
Alvechurch, who fear there will be an
increase in cars up the already dangerous “rat run” that is their road.
Bromsgrove planning officers say
they have received up to 50 objections
to the plans. They are aiming to put the
application before the planning committee in January. The paperwork for
this has to be completed by December
14 – although residents can continue to
make their views known right up to the
date of the committee meeting.
8
The Village
per cent of the total being some form
of “affordable” housing.
Cofton
A 92-year
-old former
Alvechurch
resident is hoping MP Julie Kirkbride
can help to keep his sheltered home
open. Douglas Powell (above, with Ms
Kirkbride, his daughter Margaret Strong
and campaigner Kenneth Wheatley) is
upset at the prospect of having to leave
Lashbrooke House, Rubery, after ten
years’ living there.
The MP is seeking a meeting with
Abbeyfield UK, the charitable trust
planning to close Lashbrooke because
it says there is dwindling demand for
places there.
Bromsgrove
District
Council and developer Persimmon have
reached an outline agreement over
the future of the old school site in
Alvechurch, it is believed. The Village
has heard that Persimmon is looking to
submit plans for 60-70 homes, with 35
Parish councillors
have urged a rethink
over plans for an alcohol-free zone. The
area suggested by the district council
and police covers most of the parish,
but there were only a few minor problem areas, the parish heard.
They agreed to ask that the zone
should just cover “known problem
areas”, such as the Myhill playing field,
by the shops in Parsonage Drive and on
Groveley Lane where it is joined by Ten
Ashes Lane.
Luckily
this car (below)
somehow ended up
at a standstill by the school buildings
in Alvechurch while all pupils were in
lessons. An hour or so later and the consequences could have been far worse
than a shattered fence.
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n
Above: Lickey Hills Society members (from left) Brian Gould,
Jill Harvey and Baden Carlson with Lickey Ranger Emma
Woolley and youngest member Sam outside the Visitor Centre.
Keeping the
Hills alive . . .
The Lickey Hills Society is marking 25 years’ campaigning to
conserve the hills and surrounding area.
It was formed in 1984 in the aftermath of a protest against
plans for an artificial ski slope on Rednal Hill in the heart of
the Lickey Hills.
A hastily formed group of concerned residents from across
the Lickey Hills area and beyond led the campaign against
the proposals, which were eventually thrown out.
During the campaign the group realised there was a
need for a permanent organisation because the Lickey Hills
remained under threat from other developments.
The Lickey Hills Society was formed at a public meeting on
November 5, 1984 and in the years since has been involved in
a number of battles to help conserve the Hills.
As well as the country park, the society’s brief includes
the area from
Rubery in the
north to the
line of the M42
in the south;
and from
Marlbrook and
the A38 in the west to the Bittell reservoirs in the east.
Among its achievements was the promotion of a muchneeded Visitor Centre, which was eventually built in Warren
Lane. Anyone who would like to know more about the Lickey
Hills Society can contact its secretary, Baden Carlson, on 0121
624 9464.
The Village
9
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Village Views
Village Views
Village Vote
Would you vote for Julie Kirkbride
at the next General Election?
Answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ and write or
email to the addresses on the
opposite page.
Remain anonymous if you wish
and feel free to add any other
thoughts or comments.
TheVillage
View . . .
There is little doubt Julie Kirkbride has been very good at carrying out her job as our MP, both
in public around Bromsgrove and
behind closed doors at Westminster.
She’s been there at the smallest
of village fetes and she has always
seemed ready to take up the
causes of her constituents in the
corridors of power.
If the scale of MPs’ abuse of the
expenses we allow them hadn’t
been revealed, she would have
been sleepwalking to victory in
the General Election next spring.
But after we all learned of the
claims she and her MP husband
had been making, she had little
choice but to fall on her sword,
with or without a “Julie Must Go”
campaign.
When, soon after her decision
in May, we saw her out and about
at events like Barnt Green’s Summer Festival we remarked on how
she was seeing the job through
admirably.
She could have been spending her time trying to find future
employment rather than facing
constituents who might have felt
she should be hanging her head.
Then last month it was re-
10
The Village
ported Ms Kirkbride had told the
executive council of Bromsgrove
Conservative Association that
she would like to be considered
as their candidate for the General
Election.
That this possibility could be
entertained would demonstrate
little faith in the memories of the
people who will be casting their
votes in just a few months’ time.
And just imagine the number
of candidates who would stand
against her in protest?
UKIP would be rubbing their
hands in glee at the prospect of
all the disillusioned Tories they’d
attract, there could be an “Alternative Conservative” candidate
and we’d probably see a celebrity
protester parachute in.
Even the editor of this magazine
has threatened to put himself forward as a “Village Independent”.
It has been reported that
Conservative Central HQ would
want to see Ms Kirkbride win a
postal ballot of all constituents
first before allowing her name to
go forward.
Well, if they’ve got the thousands of pounds needed to
administer something like that,
the outcome would be interesting
to see.
Meanwhile, we can have a Village poll of our own (see the top of
this column). Go on, have your say
– we might even be able to sell our
results to the Tories!
Parish:
We were
urged
not to
put sign
on border
Sir – Barnt Green Parish Council would
like to respond to the letter from Mr
Edwin Gumbley (The Village, November
2009) regarding welcome signs placed
on the approaches to the village.
Worcestershire County Council is
responsible for signage throughout the
county and in 2008 Barnt Green Parish
Council liaised with WCC Highways regarding the erection of welcome signs
on all approaches to Barnt Green.
Accordingly signs were installed at
the parish boundaries on Bittell Road,
Kendal End Road, Blackwell Road and
Shepley Road (for traffic coming from
the Marlbrook direction).
The parish council was dissuaded
from placing a sign on Twatling Road as
on previous occasions there have been
a number of objections from residents
living in the Lickey & Blackwell parish
who mistakenly believe that they live in
Barnt Green parish.
The problem arises from the distinction between parish boundaries and
what for postal purposes is treated as
Barnt Green. This gives rise to confusion and in order to avoid antagonising
those persons, it was decided not to
erect a “Welcome to Barnt Green” sign
on Twatling Road.
The Parish Council trusts that this
clarifies the situation.
Judith Jagger
Chairman
Barnt Green Parish Council
Where are we . . ?
Now that is
some question! Sir – Edwin Gumbley’s letter confirms that few of us know where we
are. For example Burcot Grange is in
Blackwell as is most of Barnt Green
Cricket Club, but neither Blackwell
Court nor Blackwell Golf Club is
– they are both in Tutnall and Cobley, as are Blackwell Station cottages.
It is true that some estate agents’
maps show that Ron Atkinson’s
house is in Barnt Green, but not the
current Ordnance Survey map. For
administration purposes his house
is in Shepley Ward of Lickey and
Blackwell Parish Council.
If you really want to get confused
Cofton Hackett used to be in Dudley
(back in the 12th century), though it
has been claimed by Kings Norton
since then.
Administrative boundaries , such
as parish and ward boundaries, are
not the same as the old church parish boundaries, and the police and
the Post Office have different boundaries still. Of course the largest landowner in the Lickey area is the City
of Birmingham, with Lickey Country
Park and Golf Course and the various
schools and a children’s home.
At one time, when the cattle market was next to the rail station few
of the more wealthy of us wanted
to live in such a well-perfumed area
as Barnt Green – and the big houses
were mostly well away on the other
side of the hills, although some were
built before the railway came.
So according to some maps if you
live in the political parish of Lickey
and Blackwell north of the motorway
you could be said to live in Barnt
Green up to Brookhouse Road and
possibly south of the middle of
Cherry Hill Road. And it may be that
the northern boundary extends even
further.
Other people may have different
maps. But I guess as so many of us
shop in Barnt Green or catch the
train to work or school there, it is
convenient to say, “I live in (or near)
Barnt Green” because most people
in the West Midlands seem to know
where that is.
David King
(former resident of Cofton
Hackett and Barnt Green, currently
living in Blackwell)
P.S: That’s one of the reasons for Post
Codes – no one can get confused or
hot under the collar by such anonymous addresses , although they do
lack romance and have no poetry.
Planting protest
Sir – Regarding the letter about the
absence of a sign announcing the
boundary into Lickey, I do recall that
around ten years ago planters were
placed with signs on them at the
parish boundaries and then the ones
announcing Lickey on Fiery Hill /
Twatling Road area and on Rose Hill
were removed after residents in the
area objected to not being seen as
being in Barnt Green.
I guess that it is impossible to
please all the people all the time.
Andrew Smith (via email)
Have Your Say
Write to:
Letters, The Village
16 The Square, Alvechurch B48 7LA
or email:
[email protected]
Please include your name and address – even if you request them to be
withheld from publication. We reserve the right to edit submissions for
reasons of space or legality.
Why are Blackwell’s
traffic-calming
pleas just ignored?
Sir – A petition among Blackwell parents
asking for speed-calming measure in the
village was raised early this year – it had
more than 200 names and was handed
in to the Parish Council, who showed the
police. But no more was heard of it. We have been pestering the county
council for two years, and have found
them to be uncooperative.
Blackwell PACT dissolved and is held
no more after residents stopped going
because speeding was always the priority issue but nothing was ever done.
We have a simple point: Blackwell has
had no money spent, ever. Look around
at other villages, which have quite rightly
received measures to reduce speeding. We have no issue with that, but
state categorically that it should also
apply in Blackwell. I have attended public meetings with
Worcestershire County Council leader
George Lord and the council traffic
department where they have stated we
need “three death or life-changing” incidents before any money will be spent. I have also seen, in The Village, council
denials that any such criterion exists. Why then does the council elected
leader and the lead of the traffic department state that it does in an open meeting at Lickey Parish Council?
The current response (if it deserves
that title) is that they have done speed
testing in Blackwell and “there is no
problem”. They say it is our perception, and that
no speeding occurs. Their tests (done
outside Blackwell First School in a halfterm week, which we did point out to
those who arranged it), showed an average speed of 29mph and a top speed of
39mph. This, they told us, indicates no problem, as when similar speed tests were
done in Lickey on the Old Birmingham
Road, the average speed was greater.
None of the great minds that inevitably
find their way on to august bodies such
as administration departments in local
councils, could possibly notice any differContinues Overleaf
The deadline for the next issue is January 16, 2010.
The Village
11
Village Views
Continues from Previous Page
ence between the two tests.
I will point some out. Old Birmingham Road is a huge, straight road
which will inevitably allow speeds in
excess of 50mph.
It is a wide road, with space for two
cars to pass easily even if there were a
car parked on each side of the road. In
short, four cars side by side can pass
easily.
It rarely has any cars parked on it,
as most are on the drives. An odd car
parked sporadically is no issue for drivers to negotiate.
It has houses set well back beyond
a wide pavement and large front gardens, so that any children playing are
easily seen from a distance.
On the other hand, Linthurst
Newtown (the main road through
Blackwell) is narrow and windy with
blind bends.
It has cars parked at various points,
at all times of the day. The effect of
this is that in places, cars cannot pass
each other. This is true when there
is only one car parked. In short, the
width is not enough for cars to pass
easily, it is considerably narrower than
Old Birmingham Road.
It has small cottages, often with
no front garden, so front doors open
straight on to pavements, and has a
very narrow pavement (two persons
wide at its best). And the pavement
does not span the whole village, parts
have no path at all.
All of this means people are not
protected, they are too close to the
cars. The comparison is therefore
redundant. But the authorities seem to
think it ends the argument. It does not,
and it does not make Blackwell safer to
think that it does. The other points the luminaries
at the council might possibly have
noticed, if anyone had ever come to
Blackwell, is this: We have a primary
school. Burcot does not, it hardly rates
as a village – so why does Burcot have
a mini roundabout and a flashing sign,
while Blackwell has neither?
To summarise, we have a busy
narrow road, with cars parked, narrow
pavements and in some parts no pavement, children of all ages walking to
school daily while cars whizz through.
It clearly merits speed calming and I
have never heard any sane person say
otherwise.
We have attended PACTs, council
meetings, parish council meetings,
written to and spoken to county
council leaders, and used all other
methods we could think of. Nothing
is done. We need action now, before
someone is killed.
Bill Heneghan, Blackwell
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Sir – I now live in Weston-super-Mare
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someone in the picture (above) still
12
The Village
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. . . or Margaret?
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of Minx Nail Armour. The latest musthave fashion accessory for finger- and
toe nails has taken the US by storm and
is reportedly a favourite with celebs including Victoria Beckham, Rihanna and
Beyonce – so what’s all the fuss about?
“Minx nails come in a huge variety
of colours and finishes, from metallics
to designs and graphics, and can even
Nikki
shows off Minx
nails on her own toes!
be customised with your own pattern
or photo,” Nikki explains. “What’s more,
they really don’t smudge or chip – as
soon as they’re applied, you are free to
do anything you like without ruining
your manicure or pedicure!”
When the adhesive backing is activated by heat, the solid film fits over the
curve of the natural nail and is sealed on
to the nail bed for a perfect finish. Minx
nails are also easily removed using heat
activation.
With Minx, nail art is beautifully and
tastefully done and, most importantly,
affordable – so make an appointment
with Nikki and unleash your inner minx
this Christmas!
Meanwhile, Nikki has some fantastic
offers available throughout January and
February (see right):
“It’s been a tough year and an expensive Christmas for many of us, but you
deserve a treat every now and then!”
Book now on 07837 071357
or [email protected]
The Village
SPECIAL OFFERS
l Look dazzling this Christmas:
with every Minx manicure or
pedicure, receive a half price full
body Sienna x spray tan.
Available throughout December.
l Why not get a group of girls
together and host a Sienna x
spray tan or Minx Nail Armour
party? A few glasses of mulled
wine, some mince pies and a
great new look – your friends will
think Christmas has come early!
Host receives free treatment with
guests at a reduced rate; for more
details please contact Nikki.
JANUARY SALES!
l 25% off full body massages
and Dermalogica Prescriptive facials
l Book three treatments and get
the third treatment FREE
l 15% off all Dermalogica
retail products
l Book two Sienna x spray tans
and receive the third tan FREE
$
Receive 10% OFF with this
voucher when you spend £20
and over (ends Jan 31 2010).
Does not apply to festive offer.
15
Village Directory
The Village Directory
To find out how to get your business or service noticed, call Louise on 0121 445 6757
Jane Ward
Kevin Smith
[email protected]
Tel: 01527 831156
Fax: 0121 445 5636
Mobile: 07813 188806
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
Plumbing & Heating Services
Boiler Replacement
Bathrooms
Service & Repair
Pipework Design & Installation
Domestic, Commercial &
Industrial
Friendly Service, Free Estimates, Quality Work
Dave Terry
Talk to me, your local friendly
travel agent, from the comfort of your own
home or at my office in Blackwell
Tel: 0121 445 3605 or 0845 058 7140
www.travelcounsellors.co.uk/jane.ward
Email: [email protected]
D Roberts & Son
traditional Joinery & furniture makers
Can’t get what
you want?
Supply & Fit Kitchens or Fit Only
Stair Handrail & Spindles
Laminate/Real Wood Floors Fitted
Timber Floors Renewed/Repaired
Built-in Wardrobes
Doors & Locks Fitted to
Insurance Standards
Flat Roofs Converted to Pitched
Canopy Roofs Made to Measure
All Internal & External Carpentry
Insurance Work Undertaken
Tel: 0121 445 1574
Mob: 07970 966470
Web: www.classic-carpentry.co.uk
Curtain Flair
Specialists in bespoke curtains
Come and visit our
curtain workshop.
We can make up from
your own fabrics or from
a large range of our own:
Harlequin, Roma, Villanova.
20% OFF
Family-run business
Own curtain fitting
service available
14 The Square, Alvechurch
0121 445 0700
Independent Travel
Counsellor
or
all work
booked in
Dec / Jan
07710 019193
We make stairs,
doors, windows,
conservatories,
kitchens etc, using
traditional woodworking techniques
to match existing
work or to your own
design. All work
carried out to the
highest standard.
The Workshop, 3 Bear Hill, Alvechurch B48 7JX
Tel: 0121 447 8017
P
Pledger
E
Electrical
S
Services
LOCAL
ELECTRICIAN
n
n
n
Part P
Registered
Installer
Installations
Maintenance & Repair
Inspection & Testing
For a Reliable Service
Call Dean: 0121 445 1601 Mobile: 07891 498909
To get your business or service noticed, call Louise on: 0121 445 6757
Why choose an Independent
Family Funeral Director?
Indian Cookery
Demonstrations
Cookery Classes
©
Cookery School
Gift Vouchers
City & Guilds
Fully Qualified Plumber
Dinner Parties
Corporate Team
Building Events
n
No call out charge
n
No job too small
n
n
n
Anita Sharma-James
[email protected]
01527 873303 or
07764 686119
Help to
Preserve
Rural
Character
ELECTRIC
©
PLUMBING
For all your electrical
& heating solutions
Boiler Servicing & Repairs
Domestic Heating & Plumbing
l C/H System POWER FLUSH
l Re-wiring, New Circuits
l Fuseboards, Sockets and Lighting
l Safety Inspection Certificates
(for Gas and Electrical Systems)
l
l
No obligation free estimate
All work fully insured
and guaranteed
All Work Guaranteed
Fully Insured
01527 834953
07976 270240
LLOYD MORGAN
m: 07789 622 453
t: 0121 445 6441
www.morganplumbingandheating.co.uk
041121
Approved
contractor
39946
The rural character of Alvechurch and its surrounding villages can be
maintained and enhanced with your help. When considering changes to
property and surroundings, including new build, extensions, renewals,
access driveways, boundaries, planting, lighting, you are encouraged
to visit Bromsgrove Planning Dept’s official design guide “Alvechurch
Parish Design Statement” at: www.alvechurch.gov.uk
D.D. PLUMBING AND
HEATING LTD
No n
gatio
obli EE
FR
ns
tatio
quo en
giv
COFTON HACKETT, B45 8PJ
n
n
n
n
GAS
©
CENTRAL HEATING
BOILER REPLACEMENTS
BATHROOMS n PIPEWORK n GUTTERING
DOMESTIC, COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIAL
TEL: 0121 445 6622
mob: 07791 312930
JW & AJ Barrett Ltd
Craftsmen in Metal
Period & Contemporary
Blacksmiths
Interior & Exterior Wrought Iron
Water Features, Gazebos, Sculpture
Balconies, Gates, Railings, Bridges
Staircases, Hand Rails, Glass Houses
01527893866
07973517781
[email protected]
www.artmetal.co.uk
Family run since 1982
l Virus & Spyware Removal l Wireless Broadband
Set Up/Repair l All Computer Hardware Repair
l All Email Issues l One-To-One Friendly Training
l New Computers/Laptops l No Call-Out Fee
Small
repair
undert s
aken
��
�
�
�
�
��
��
��
��
��
Mobile Computer
Engineer – Direct to
Your Home & Office
Recommended
for the perfect finish!
�
Mike Nash - Qualified - Local - Friendly
��
��
��
��
We provide a friendly, dignified service,
paying special attention to detail.
0121 445 3422
12A Red Lion Street
Alvechurch B48 7LF
Ontrack Computers Ltd 0800-077-8301
Email [email protected]
www.ontrackcomputers.co.uk
Barnt Green Physiotherapy
Kath Hamflett
MCSP Grad Dip Phys
 Chartered Physiotherapist
 Specialist in backs, necks, and sports injuries
Rapid access to appointments
Monday - Saturday
81A Hewell Road (behind Langfords)
0121 445 3949
www.barntgreenphysio.co.uk
Winter Offer: £5 off the normal price
of £36 for an initial consultation in
December 2009 and January 2010
if you mention this advert when calling.
Geoff Robinson
14 Turnpike Lane, Brockhill,
Redditch B97 6UJ
01527 584 930
U.P.V.C. FASCIAS, SOFFITS & GUTTERING
TheVillage
We don’t use detergents and we don’t
even need ladders, just our special
poles . . . and reverse osmosis!
To arrange a free quote for your property,
please call Louise on 0121 445 6757
To get your business or service noticed,
call Louise on: 0121 445 6757
tHE
Village Charity Fashion
The models from Continental
Diane and Nigel Cooke of Constance
Wallace
Stuart Toogood
and Santa!
A
fter the huge success of last
year’s Charity Fashion Evening,
organised by The Village and
Fresh@Burcot Garden Centre, we
couldn’t wait to do it all again – and
this year the event attracted even
more people and raised a higher sum
for the Midland Air Ambulance.
Everyone enjoyed a fun-filled
evening of fashion shows, shopping
opportunities, entertainment and
delicious refreshments, and there was
even a special guest appearance from
Santa and one of his elves!
The event was compered by
everyone’s favourite local poet, Spoz,
and talented guitarist Stuart Toogood
provided interval music while the
excellent sound and lighting was created by Inside Out Entertainment.
The professional catwalk shows,
TheVillage CHARITY
FASHION EVENING
which were filmed by Arch Moving
Memories, displayed the season’s
must-haves from Barnt Green boutiques Joolz and Continental Collection, and – to the audience’s delight
– some very cute pooches modelling
dog fashions from Paws Here.
Ticket holders took advantage of
a 10% discount on purchases from
Fresh, including fabulous festive
decorations and gifts, and also
browsed stalls selling various gifts
and services: accessories from Joolz,
lingerie from Temptations, handmade
20
20
The Village
Ed Killworth of Thresher, Barnt Green
Garden Centre
jewellery by Coconut Pink, handcrafted mirrors by Jackie
Nash, interior design by Vera Giles and vintage tea parties
by Constance Wallace.
As well as Indian canapes by The Spice Trade and a BBQ
courtesy of Meadow Farm Butchers, guests enjoyed fine
wine from Thresher and took part in a mini wine tasting.
The raffle offered a host of great prizes – including hair
and beauty vouchers, a meal for two and a clairvoyant
reading – and helped to raise further funds for a very
worthy cause. With donations from stallholders, the final
total is expected to top £2,600.
Thank you to everyone who was involved – we couldn’t
have done it without your support.
Santa and his little helper
with Neil Gow, of Fresh
More pictures overleaf
Keith and Simon Woolford, of Arch
Moving Memories
Jackie Nash
Anita Sharma-James
of The Spice Trade
Kim and Chris
of Temptations
chat to Spoz
Burcot
Lisa Oldaker of
Coconut Pink
The Village
21
Village Charity Evening
Gemma
Marlene
Lindsay
JOOLZ
Lindsey
CONTINENTAL COLLECTION
Claudia
Lucy
22
The Village
Faye
Jenny
Jessica
Chris
Adrienne
Louisa
More pictures overleaf
The Village
23
Village Charity Evening
Oscar
Porsche
Daisy
PAWS
HERE
Above: Sandra Edwards, whose mum works
at Fresh, seeks sponsorship for her trip to
Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of Teenage Cancer
Trust. (www.justgiving.com/sandraedwards
A massive thank you to:
Lily
Blue
Top: Visitors enjoy their Indian canapes and wine in the cafe area.
Above: Yvonne Goode, of Lickey, and Julie Volante, of Joolz, show
their approval of Meadow Farm’s BBQ. Below: Lesley, Sam, Steve and
Jenny Read of Meadow Farm Butchers man the BBQ.
Louis
Max
Daisy
Below: Neil and some of the his staff model the new
range of outdoor wear available at Fresh.
‘Cuddly toy!’ Paramedic ian Roberts of the Midland Air Ambulance
presents the raffle prizes.
u The staff of Fresh@Burcot
Garden Centre, who not
only stayed to help but
also donated their wages
for the evening
u Paramedic Ian Roberts
u Spoz u Inside Out Events
u Stuart Toogood u Joolz
u Continental Collections
u Paws Here/It’s A Gift
u All the models, both
human and canine!
u Thresher u Spice Trade
u Meadow Farm Butchers
u The Village Bakery
u Coconut Pink Jewellery
u Temptations Lingerie
u Constance Wallace
u Jackie Nash u Vera Giles
u Tony’s Handyman
u Bliss Hair Therapy
u @15 Hair & Beauty
u The Village Green Grocers
u Style & Tone Studio
u The Coach & Horses Inn
u Gently Does It
u Jacey Marsh
u Everyone else who
supported the event!
Above: The canine models and their handlers Carla,
Olivia, Sarah and Lydia.
24
The Village
The Village
25
Village Christmas
Reasons to ♥ Christmas
Our Sugar Plum Fairy challenges
the Grouch’s take on Yuletide...
Family-run for 25 years
AMAZING
SELECTION
of quality
Christmas
decorations
and unusual
gifts to make
your Christmas extra special,
with prices to suit all pockets!
CHRISTMAS TREES:
Nordmanns from £24.99 to £44.99
Noble Fir from £32.99 to £42.99
All have excellent needle retention
Why not treat yourself in our
Restaurant? *Delicious*
christmas menu now available
- please book to avoid disappointment!
2 courses + coffee & mints £15.50
3 courses + coffee & mints £17.95
l Waitress service
l Bring your own wine
WINTER SALE
STARTS 27th
DECEMBER!
A
fter the musings of our very own Scrooge in
the last issue (even if he is showing signs of
mellowing in his old –sorry, middle – age),
it’s time to look at Christmas through the eyes of
someone who actually looks forward to the festive
season...
I may be as cynical as they come in most other
aspects of life, but somehow that doesn’t apply to
Christmas, when everything is special and different
and just – well, Christmassy! OK, so it’s been commercialised beyond all recognition, and being able
to buy festive goodies at the start of September does
rather lessen the anticipation, but if you love Christmas as much as I do, you’ll be looking forward to it all
year anyway, and you’ll get a fizz of excitement when
you hear your first Christmas song of the season in a
high street store (or possibly on your own car stereo).
26
The Village
Great kids‘
parties
For a great kid's party that takes
away all the stress of planning and
preparation, book an Inside Out party.
We provide all the decorations, party games
and prizes and host the entire event for you.
Discos, bouncy castles, circus skills or themed
parties, such as pirates, princesses or a
beach party ... we'll make it happen.
For fun parties and great memories
for you and your children, book now.
Prices from £60.
inside
0845 683 2539
07802 605095
Continues overleaf
www.insideoutevents.co.uk
Continues Overleaf
Piano Lessons
RF Collyer
F.G.A
GPSCFHJOOFSTBOEJOUFSNFEJBUF
Local independent Jeweller
Est. 1948
For that special gift
this Christmas...
l Rotary
l Watch
watches now in stock
& jewellery repair
185 New Road, Rubery, Birmingham B45 9JP
0121 453 2332
XXXQJBOPGVODPVL
Carol Cox
Artist
Original Artwork
for sale
Workshops
Spend a day in an
Artist Studio . . .
no experience
necessary to create
your own artwork
A great gift idea.
www.littleheathgardencentre.co.uk
Whether they like it or not, these
days shops and businesses are fully
expected to embrace Yuletide by running special offers and promotions,
stocking festive giftware or enticing
punters with an appropriately festive
advert – and quite right too!
Being presented with ideas on
where to celebrate the season and
what to buy your loved ones is all
part of the fun, and we are lucky in
this area to be surrounded by so
many great places to shop, relax, eat,
drink and be merry.
As the Grouch mentioned last
time, the Dodford Inn is to be the destination for the Village Christmas party, and we’re all looking
forward to some real ale and home-cooked food in cosy
surroundings. I’m sure we shall be visiting another of our
Jim Matthews
of Reeves
Trees has
donated
this tree to
Alvechurch
£10 off
if you mention this
advert. Further
discounts available
midweek.
Please ask!
07986 466274
email [email protected]
THE DODFORD INN
wishes festive greetings
to all our customers
Open throughout Christmas & New Year
Limited food menu on Boxing Day
New winter
lunchtime
menu
New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Day
Look out for our new
‘Taste the Experience’
menu in January!
Open all day l Closed Mondays for food
Whinfield Road, Dodford, B61 9BG
T: 01527 575815 www.thedodfordinn.com
16 The Strand, Bromsgrove
Tel: 01527 873021
www.cupittjeweller.com
The Village
27
Village Christmas
Have yourself a merry Blissful Christmas...
We are
proud to
introduce
our new
creative
stylist
Anna, who
has more
than 10 years’ experience.
Introductory SPECIAL OFFERS:
* Cut & Style only £28
* Men's cuts only £12
* 20% OFF all colouring services
Appointments with Anna on
Tuesdays only, from 12 - 9pm
Offers valid until 31/12/09
Open: Mon 1–9pm, Tues 12–9pm,
Wed 11–7pm, Thur 11–9pm,
Fri 10–6pm, Sat 9am–4pm
Bliss Hair Therapy
12b Red Lion Street, Alvechurch B48 7LF
Tel: 0121 445 5009
* 30% OFF Greatlengths hair extensions with Zoe
Transform yourself for Christmas & New Year with lustrous locks, giving you
the volume, thickness and length you’ve always wanted! (valid to 31/12/09)
* 20% OFF Greatlengths pastel & crazy colour extensions
to add creative colour to your hair (valid to 31/12/09)
More info at www.greatlengthshair.co.uk
* Glamorous/party hair up £20, natural/party makeup £25 or book both for £40 (valid to 31/12/09)
* Diamond hair extensions £12 * GHD gift sets available
* Luxury manicure £15 * Eyelash extensions £5
* Gift vouchers for any service
Please quote “Village mag” when booking. Pop in or call to make an appointment to avoid disappointment!
Continues from previous page
our favourite pubs, The Coach & Horses, at some point to
sample their festive brew – and meanwhile, the Abbey
Hotel is sure to attract plenty of customers over the festive period with its Party Nights and elegant New Year’s
Eve Ball.
If you’re planning to host your own party, Inside Out
Entertainment can provide the sound, lighting and
any other equipment you may require – and Maids of
Honour can take care of the big clean-up afterwards!
Before attending a party of any kind, why not visit
Bliss to make sure your hair and makeup look fabulous?
The salon is offering jewel, pastel and crazy colour hair
extensions, and if – like me – you are incapable of mastering a special hairstyle, Bliss will do the work for you
with glamorous or party “hair-ups”.
Beauticle also offers a range of beauty services to get
you ready for the party season, including spray tans for
just £15 (it would be rude not to!) You can then dress
up to the nines, perhaps starting with some beautiful
lingerie from Temptations, and finishing off the outfit
with some stunning jewellery from Cupitts or RF Collyer;
the shops will be looking gloriously sparkly as the festivities approach.
Lingerie and jewellery make lovely gifts, but there are
also plenty of options for more unusual presents: artistic
types would appreciate piano lessons from Andrew
Continues overleaf
Fe stive
Celebrations
3 FOR 2 LUNCH PROMOTION
1st - 23rd Dec Monday - Friday (selected dates)
Now only £9.95 for 3 courses
NEW YEAR’S EVE BALL
Party in style – champagne reception followed by
superb 6 course dinner and disco
Only £69.00 per person
Enjoy our New Years Eve Ball with 4 star
accommodation and brunch on New Years Day.
From Only £129.00 per person
FESTIVE PARTY NIGHTS
Let your hair down at one of our party nights
From only £24.50 per person
Gift Vouchers Available.
Hither Green Lane,
Dagnell End Road, Redditch,
Worcestershire B98 9BE
For bookings telephone 01527 406600
Download our brochure at www.theabbeyhotel.co.uk
6 HEWELL ROAD, BARNT GREEN, BIRMINGHAM
TEL: 0121 445 2632
www.tonys-handyman.co.uk
Everybody at
Hillscourt
Conference Centre
wishes you a very
Merry
Christmas
Continental
Collections
would like to wish
you all a
Merry
Christmas
The Village
magazine
wishes all readers
and customers a very
Merry
Christmas
Everyone at
David Matthews
Insurance
wishes you a very
Merry
Christmas
Tracy and Ian
at The Village
Green Grocers
in Alvechurch wish their
loyal customers a
Merry
Christmas
Dean &
Amanda at
Pledger Electrical
wish you all a
Merry
Christmas
7-9 MARKET PLACE, REDDITCH, WORCS
TEL: 01527 66066
email: [email protected]
Visit our new online cookshop at www.kitchenmistress.com
as
Christm
ts
r
Sale sta
Gifts galore for Christmas!
Charlie &
Lola hot
water
bottles
fri 11 dec
20%yooff
u spend
when
ver*
£10 or o
Gingerbread
cutters from 60p
20%
off
selected casseroles
Fine bone china from £3.50
a range of kitchen
ware for boys & girls
Cupcake stands £14.99
Cupcake teapot
£11.99 & trinket
boxes £2.99
NEW Anolon by
Raymond Blanc
NOW IN
STOCK
Village Christmas
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas from
Designer wear for dogs
and cats, including
wedding outfits!
Large selection of wedding
gifts and homeware
www.pawshere.net
www.itsagiftshop.com
REAL ALE to take away
1 to 72 pints
Containers available
25 Withybed Lane, Alvechurch,
Birmingham B48 7NX
Tel: 0121 445 4411
www.weatheroakales.co.uk
FREE mini tree for all kids visiting the farm
Studley
Opening Hours:
Friday 5.30pm–8.30pm
Saturday 5.30pm–8.30pm
Bulk orders can be collected at
other times by arrangement
XMAS GOLF GIFTS
Give the golfer in your life a present
they really want . . . lessons at
Bromsgrove Golf Academy!
Christmas Cracker:
l CLEANING l LAUNDRY l IRONING
l BED MAKING
l ERRAND RUNNING
l SHOPPING l PET CARE
l WAITING IN FOR TRADESMEN OR
DELIVERIES
References Available
Weekly - Fortnightly - Monthly - One Offs
Phone: 07792 812 855
5 x 30-min lessons + 1 Free lesson
Santa Special:
Trees professionally wrapped for easy transportation
Help the environment – buy a real tree from a renewable forest!
Come in and see us at:
0121
447 8605
Potted and rooted trees, wreaths, holly and mistletoe also available
Delivery and installation service for larger trees
We can supply REAL ALE in bulk for
Christmas & New Year’s Eve parties
83 Hewell Road,
Barnt Green
All trees grown on site and freshly-cut each day
Freshness means excellent needle retention – no mess!
Your local REAL ALE Off licence
IT’S
A GIFT
incorporating Paws Here
300 acres of trees, including Norwegian Spruce, Douglas Fir, Scots
Pine, Nordman Noble and Fraser Fir
£100
5 x 30-min lessons + 2 Free lessons + 9-hole
playing lesson (inc green fee)
£160
10%
Call for more gift packages and off with
this
special deals using the latest
advert!
hi-tech teaching aids.
01527 575886 or 07812 029615
Family-run business for 30 years
Located near Shirley railway station
Still cutting and digging FRESH trees
up until Christmas Eve
1 mile
SHIRLEY
STRATFORD
Plume
Pub
2 miles
J4
A34 STRATFORD ROAD
Robin Hood
Island
St James
Church
SHIRLEY
STATION
Draw
Bridge
Pub
A3400
WOODS FARM
www.woodsfarm.co.uk
M42
Due to popular
demand, a full body
spray tan is still
only £15!
Farm!
D
0121 445 4943 l Mearse Lane, Barnt Green
your own from Woods
OA
Contact Dawn on 07768 764545 or
There’s nothing quite as Christmassy
as a real tree – come and choose
LR
natural nails & beauty
GREEN
Christmas...
HO
O
Tel: 0121 445 0081 www.kingfisherflowers.co.uk
Dreaming of a
SC
8A The Square,
Alvechurch B48 7LA
Clarke or a studio day with artist Carol Cox, while golf
fans will love to have lessons at Bromsgrove Golf Academy. A gift from Weatheroak Ales would suit anyone
who enjoys real ale as much as the Grouch and I do, and
of course it can be supplied in bulk for parties.
There’s no shortage of pressie ideas at It’s A Gift (the
clue’s in the name) and at Little Heath Garden Centre,
where you’ll also find everything you need to decorate
your home. Over at Tony’s Handyman, keen cooks and
fans of kitsch kitchenware will go crazy for the cupcakeand gingerbread-themed items (they are so cute!)
Once you’ve bought gifts for everyone, you’ll need
a tree to put them under, and Woods Farm supplies
home-grown, freshly-cut trees for that wonderful aroma of a traditional Christmas. Finally, Kingfisher Flowers
has a range of wreaths and seasonal arrangements to
make sure your home is fully “Christmassed”.
Now all we need is some snow . . . I’m keeping all my
fingers crossed and dreaming of a White Christmas.
1 mile
l Wreaths l Table centres l Bouquets &
l arrangements l Local & worldwide delivery
l FREE Christmas delivery to include Redditch, Rednal &
l Rubery if ordered by Dec 12
Order in shop, online or
by telephone l Credit/
debit cards accepted
Continued from previous page
BILLS LANE
Kingfisher Flowers
Woods Farm
Bills Lane
Shirley, Solihull
B90 2PP
0121 733 2633
[email protected]
Ode To A Plastic Tree
I think that I shall neve r see
So vile a thing as a plastic tree
It has no char m, it has no grace
A total utter waste of space
It has no character, I fear
it is the same every year.
So boring that you have to dust
it
Until the day you gladly bust
it.
No environmental need it serve
s
but depletes the earth of oil
reser ves.
It is neve r outsi de on farms
no birds have neste d in its arms
From its factory pollution passe
s
while real trees use up greenhou
se gase s,
And when at last it’s had its
day
it’s still a pain to throw away
.
You can’t recycle it, nor chip
it
but can only bin and tip it.
And yet on top of all this racke
t
it even costs a tidy packet.
So this advice I give for free
Get yourself a real tree!
Village Christmas
Village Charity
Haircuts for heroes
Beautiful Lingerie
& Swimwear
High-heeled help
Hair today . . . Villager John Carthy (left) and Mark “the Brew” Shepherd, of
Weatheroak Hill Brewery, have their long locks shorn in the bar at the Coach &
Horses, Weatheroak. The event raised more than £1,000 for Help for Heroes.
Tempting treats
A
Gift wrapping service
Swimwear ranges now in stock
Fitting service A – H cups
WEATHEROAK HILL
Still taking bookings for Christmas
New Year’s Eve: Restaurant open as normal l Party in bar & lounge
Taste the real ales from our own Brewery
47 Hewell Road, Barnt Green,
Birmingham B45 8NL
0121 447 8088
Open 10am–5pm, Tues–Sat
l
21 St Johns Way, Knowle,
Solihull, West Mids B93 0LE
01564 778292
Celebrations at The Coach
l
32
The Village
Op
7 en A
D
W ays ll Da
ee a y
k
Beautiful gifts at
affordable prices
s well as the Yuletide festivities, Temptations has
another good reason to celebrate – owners Kim
and Chris are delighted that the Barnt Green
boutique has proved such a big hit, and it’s not surprising given the range of beautiful designer lingerie and
swimwear available from exclusive brands and wellknown labels.
The expert bra fitting service carried out by fully
trained, friendly staff also helps customers feel at ease.
There’s a wide selection of swimwear accessories,
as well as little treats
like La Perla perfume,
body lotion and gift
sets – perfect for
Christmas presents.
Ladies can also
place a wish-list in
store, so that their
partners will know
exactly what to buy
for them – and in
the right size! – so
that everyone has a
wonderful Christmas.
Laura Tonks (above) will, we
hope, be swapping her high heels
for something more sturdy when
she tackles Kilimanjaro to raise
money for Help for Heroes.
The 25-year-old scenes of crime
officer from Lower Bentley decided
on the climb after being moved by
the BBC documentary Wounded.
Laura is paying the £1,900 cost of
the trip in March herself so that
everything she raises will go to the
charity.
Anyone who would like to help
her reach her target of £3,400 and
follow her progress should visit:
www.justgiving.com/Laura-Tonksdoes-Kilimanjaro-in-her-loobyloos/
Festive brew Benedictus (5.0%) l The return of Radford Ale
Winners of Best Beer at The Anchor Beer Festival
More information at www.coachandhorsesinn.co.uk
Village People
BOXING
DAY &
NEW YEAR
Normal Opening
OPEN XMAS
DAY
1pm-5pm
(bookings only)
Above: Ron and Maggie Atkinson chat with David Busst and
his daughter, Leah.
Hot night out
raises £2,600
Fully Licensed & Air-Conditioned
Restaurant & Take Away
FREE HOME DELIVERY
SUNDAY - THURSDAY
3-MILE RADIUS
Only the best ingredients available will be
used in your Indian meal.
The best Indian food doesn’t happen by
‘LUCK’
26/26a Hewell Road, Barnt Green, B45 8NE
Tel 0121 447 7692
Above (from left): Sarah Wharrad, Steph Gill, Cathy Dakin,
Hannah Marshall and Lesley Read.
T
he Deedar Indian Restaurant in Barnt Green
was packed with sporting celebrities for a special charity evening. Hosted by Warwickshire
County Cricket Club’s elite coach, Dougie Brown,
the event raised £2,600 for the Midlands charity
Cure Leukaemia and Warwickshire Cricket’s Tony
Frost Benefit Year.
Dougie and Tony were joined by former
Warwickshire cricketers Dominic Ostler and Neil
Smith as well as former Warwickshire captain and
England legend MJK (Michael John Knight Smith),
and from the world of football, Ron Atkinson, David
Busst and Geoff Thomas.
The funds were raised via ticket sales, a raffle and
auction, with guests participating in silly sporting
games along the way. The auction, led by Simon
Millington of Sports HQ, featured one of Ian Bell’s
England shirts from this year’s Ashes; membership
at David Lloyd; a four-ball at the Forest of Arden
golf course; and a ten-year-old bottle of Talisker
Whisky signed by all the sportspeople present.
Raffle and game prizes included a signed
Warwickshire cricket bat; a meal for two at the
Deedar; Champagne and a beautiful bouquet donated by Oasis of Barnt Green. Guests were also
treated to Amelia Whiteman from Elysium III leading them in the “drinking song” (La Traviata) and
Nessun Dorma.
Cathryn Worth, who organised the night, said,
“We had a packed curry house and raised just over
£2,600. The feedback has been brilliant. Guests
especially enjoyed the relaxed and informal way of
raising much-needed cash for such a good cause.”
Cure Leukaemia supports the Leukaemia Centre
at University Hospital Birmingham through a research nurse programme, funding vital equipment,
extra counselling services and improving patient
care. For more info visit www.cureleukaemia.co.uk.
Above: Geoff Thomas enjoys
proceedings.
Left: Tony Frost (left) and
Dougie Brown sign the vintage
whisky bottle that fetched
£120 in the auction.
Left: Neil
Smith (former
Warwickshire
cricketer) with
his father Mike
‘MJK’ Smith,
the former
Warwickshire
and England
cricketer.
A group from Barnt Green Chuggers clap along to singing from
Amelia Whiteman.
Photographs by John James.
The Village
35
Village People
Village History
Bromsgrove is to honour
the engineer who gave his
life ensuring trains could
climb the Lickey Incline,
writes Neville Billington.
Ladies from Rubery Tangent
S
unday January 10 will be the
200th anniversary of the birth
of William Creuze BA, the
Locomotives Superintendent of the
Birmingham & Gloucester Railway
Company from 1839 to 1841.
He gained his degree in the
Mathematical Tripos at St. John’s
College, Cambridge, where he became
Geoff and
Julie Thomas
with Jo and
Andrew Hodges
New look for Old Rose & Crown
PIONEER REMEMBERED
“9th Wrangler” in 1834. It is believed
that he was the first Johnian scholar
to be appointed to a senior position
in the field that came to be known as
mechanical engineering.
Creuze’s significant achievement was
in keeping the company’s three 12-ton
USA-built banking engines running on
the Lickey Incline during the critical
first winter of 1840-1841; a task that
called for much engineering ingenuity
due to the locomotives having prob-
lems with our operating conditions.
Had he failed, the railway would have
faced closure – almost certainly for
good.
Creuze lost his life in an accident on
the Lickey Incline in April 1841 and is
buried in St Godwald’s Cemetery in
Finstall.
The Bromsgrove Society has teamed
up with the Parish of St Godwald’s and
the Milestone Society Worcestershire
Group to mark the special contribution
Above right: Local
stonecarver Mike Ford,
at work refurbishing the
gravestone of William
Creuze ready for the
celebrations.
One Second Later
(right): It is the early
hours of April 8, 1841,
and the locomotive
Boston, descending the
Lickey Incline tenderfirst, suffers a violent
escape of steam. William
Walworth, foreman at
the Bromsgrove Engine
House, and his wife,
leap clear. Meanwhile,
trapped within the pall
of steam, William Creuze
and Edward Carter (who
was driving) are less
fortunate.
36
The Village
Creuze made to the district in ensuring
the survival of the railway.
Sunday January 10, 2010, exactly 200
years after his birth, will start with a
Graveside Dedication at 10am undertaken by the Rev Margaret Woodgates,
Honorary Priest of St Godwald’s. This
will be followed by the unveiling of the
“William Creuze Memorial Fingerpost”
by his great-great-grandnephew
Warwick Sheffield, who is coming from
Australia to perform the task.
The fingerpost event will be held
in Garrington Road, Aston Fields,
at 11.45am. In the afternoon the
Bromsgrove Society is to make a gift
to the people of Bromsgrove in the
form of a pastel painting by Lawrence
Roy Wilson, NDD GRA, President of the
Guild of Railway Artists.
The painting conjecturally shows
Creuze dealing with a moment of crisis in the railway workshops, situated
at the foot of the Incline, in the early
months of 1841. It will be unveiled by
the artist in Bromsgrove Council House
at 1.30pm.
This is followed on Tuesday January
12 by a talk, open to the public, on The
Life and Death of William Creuze BA, by
Norman Hewer, St Godwald’s Organist
and Choir Master. This will take place
at Bromsgrove Methodist Centre in
Stratford Road, Bromsgrove, at 7.45pm.
The Rev
Rob
Fieldson
wins the
raffle prize
Jo Peplow,
Cathy Dakin and
Jacquie Grenfell
S
porting legends, local
councillors, friends and
neighbours joined the
celebrations as the Old Rose &
Crown Hotel unveiled its recent
major refurbishment.
The historic hotel on Rose Hill
now offers the highest quality
accommodation and conference
facilities, and continues to be a
popular venue for weddings and
celebrations.
Guests can also enjoy traditional Sunday lunch and Friday
night fish ‘n’ chip suppers.
Sally Rossington,
Barry Docherty
and Julie
Above: Ron
Atkinson,
Andrew Hodges,
Dougie Brown.
Far left: John
Williams and
Keith Woolford
urge Leanne
Ling to stand as a
parish councillor.
Left: Russ Morris
of BRMB with
Andrew.
Photos by
John James
The Village
37
Village Equestrian
March
January
April
February
THE EQUESTRIAN YEAR
May
T
June
July: Ruth Spencer Jolly takes first place at Seechem’s
one-day event. Aug: Seechem Pony Club Centre win
the National Pony Club Equitation Competition.
Gill Cure looks back at a busy
year of activities at Seechem
Equestrian Centre.
he year started with a talk and jumping lessons from Olympic
medal-winning three-day event rider Jeanette Brakewell,
which proved very informative.
The Seechem Pony Club has enjoyed a terrific year, including
a visit from Staff Sergeant Chris Lloyd from the Kings Troop Royal
Horse Artillery. He brought memorabilia from all over the world
and told the members exciting stories of his travels.
The children took part in many competitions, from Easter
bonnets and Halloween fancy dress to show jumping and cross
country. The Pony Club’s greatest success in 2009 was winning
the National Centre Equitation Competition in Derbyshire.
Congratulations to the team: Sinead McGeever, Ruth Spencer Jolly,
Chloe Abutier and Ellie Pilkington.
Seechem adult riding school customers didn’t miss out either.
They have enjoyed evening show jumping competitions, a oneday event, dressage to music, training sessions in all disciplines and
indoor school barbecues when the weather let us down!
Seechem’s priority is that everyone must enjoy their riding and
achieve their targets, whoever great or small. The riding school
offers a facility where the riders can relax and become absorbed in
their favourite hobby in a safe and friendly environment.
Everyone at Seechem is looking forward to an equally exciting
2010. Happy New Year!
August
MAR
Jan: Olympic medallist Jeanette Brakewell gives jumping
training. Feb: Dressage trainer Lindsay Wilcox-Reid offers an
Equi-Pilates lesson. March: Junior Pony Club members in their
Easter bonnets. April: Louisa Warren of Barnt Green at an
Easter Pony Club rally. May: Seechem Bank Holiday Funday.
June: Weekly riders enjoy a dressage to music competition.
DESIGN
.
CENTRE
3 The lowest prices
q
(we regularly check our competitors’ prices to ensure we are
cheaper. If you do find a lower
price elsewhere, just ask us to
match it)
October
November
OCT
Sept: Sisters Chloe
and Aaliyah
Abutier of
Blackwell receive
junior prizes at the
Summer Dressage
Championship
from judge Julie
Austin.
Oct: Pony Club
Halloween antics.
Nov: Pony Club
members all help
each other.
December
3 Expert advice & personal
q
service
(including a survey and fitting
service for built-in appliances)
3 FREE same day delivery,
q
FREE installation and
FREE removal of your
old appliance
(Exceptions apply: ask for details)
3 A fast, reliable, low-cost
q
repair service
3 Buy now pay later
q
(Subject to status and minimum
spend. Ask in store for details)
September
3 New kitchens and
q
kitchen updates
JUL
July
38
The Village
www.bromsgrovedomesticappliances.co.uk
Dec: Another year over – thank you to all our instructors!
The Village
39
The Village Remembers
Villagers
remember
the fallen
Above: Villagers observe two
minutes’ silence on November 11
on the Memorial Green, Alvechurch,
to remember fallen servicemen
and women before wreaths were
laid by officials, including (below)
Coun Roger Hollingworth, leader of
Bromsgrove District Council.
Alvechurch Parish
Council chairman John
Cypher dedicates a
bench in the village
centre to the memory
of former chairman
John Puckering, who
died earlier this year.
Village People
Andrew Gardner and
his wife, Mary, cut the
celebration cake at a
party to mark 25 years
of Victoria Travel.
Andrew began the
business in 1984 in a
small shop in Barnt
Green. It now employs
75 people working on
its online operation,
www.cruise.co.uk,
which has just been
voted World’s Leading
Cruise Travel Agent
at the World Travel
Awards.
Lickey and
Blackwell Parish
Councillor
Kathryn
Crockett gets
her breath
back after
raising £400
for the Mission
to Seafarers
Charity by
completing the
Cheltenham
10K run. She finished the run in a very
respectable 73 minutes, despite the
day being “very cold and very windy”.
www.missiontoseafarers.org
The Village
41
Village Drummers
Bhangra Beats
P
upils from four village first
schools came together for
the finale of a ‘Bhangra
Fusion’ project at Crown Meadow,
Alvechurch.
For many weeks, the pupils at
Blackwell, Barnt Green, Beoley and
Alvechurch had worked hard to
learn their pieces and this was their
chance to bring it all together.
They were led by Drumlove and
Nachda Sansaar Bhangra Dancers
and the day ended with a surprise
show by Gurchuran Mall, an internationally known dhol drummer.
“This is has been a wonderful
experience that the children will
always remember,’ said Crown
Meadow head Jeanette Morris.
42
The Village
Independent
Schools
TheVillage
Winter 2010
A guide to local independent education opportunities for Village readers
REGI
REGI
BROMSGROVE
SCHOOL
FOUNDED 1553
Bromsgrove School:
Tradition and innovation
‘
We don’t do public school clichés: no swagger; no
arrogance. Our stunning examination results had
the Good Schools Guide proclaiming “Bromsgrove
inhabits the academic stratosphere”.
(If you believe in league tables, we are always top
ten, sometimes top five of all British co-ed day/boarding schools). Yet the same book goes on to say our
pupils are “refreshingly free from false sophistication”.
We are proud of that.
Five hundred years of history breeds confidence
here, never complacency. The once small medieval
school is now a gentle giant, home to twelve hundred
British and three hundred international pupils (the latter
group form thirty-five nations) aged 2 to 18.
And they come not just because A level and Interna-
tional Baccalaureate are taught superbly, but because
sport is phenomenal and the arts fizz. It’s a passionate
place with a dash of pizzazz to boot.
Architecture spanning four centuries graces a one
hundred acre campus, the uniform is worn with pride,
not disdain, and the piccolo player is as valued as the
tennis ace (better still: play piccolo and tennis).
Discipline sits with flair; rigour with intellectual liberalism; Led Zeppelin with Thomas Tallis. Those wanting
spoon-feeding and cosiness should look elsewhere, but
young people seeking to throw away comfort blankets
and celebrate their own initiative and individuality will
find the warmest of welcomes in an ancient school that
is as 21st century as tomorrow.
Why we
chose IB
Open Morning
early years foundation stage
Saturday January 30th, 10.00am - 12.00
please telephone for details
Reception spaces available for September 2010
Taster sessions available
Telephone: 01527 873007
www.bromsgrove-school.co.uk
220 pupils aged 2 - 7, 470 pupils aged 7 - 13, 880 pupils aged 13 - 18.
‘
(.#+4r&+5%+2.+0'r#%#&'/+%4+)174
Independent Schools
B
romsgrove School has
introduced the International
Baccalaureate Diploma
Programme (IBDP) as an alternative
to A levels.
As reported in The Village last
month, 38 students from the UK
and abroad have now embarked
on the course.
Here is what some of them say
about it:
“I am studying IB because I think
it is the best education you can
possibly get. I really like the fact that it is not an “exam factory” like
A levels – it educates you to be an
adult.” – Alexander-Simon Engel,
from Cologne, Germany
“This course offers me the
opportunity to continue with all
Above: Some of the students who have chosen to study for the
International Baccalaureate as an alternative to A levels.
of the subjects which I enjoy and
has the bonus of exam results
being published nearly two months
before the A levels.” – Katie Nixon,
from Herefordshire
“I chose the IB because I am not
yet ready to limit my learning to
four specific areas and would like
to have a greater knowledge of
the world by learning alongside
people from all the different
corners of the earth.” – Hannah
Rowsell, from Worcestershire
“The long term benefits of doing IB
are a broader view and a better
understanding of the world we live
in.” – Aldiyar Nugmanov, from
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Page 3
Independent Schools
A historic change
F
rom September 2010 King
Edward’s School, Birmingham
will be giving up the teaching
of A Levels and will be offering
the International Baccalaureate
Diploma to its Sixth Form. King
Edward’s School will be the first
independent school in this country
to move entirely at one moment
from A Levels to the International
Baccalaureate.
“This is a historic change for
King Edward’s School,” said John
Claughton, the Chief Master.
“The International Baccalaureate
Diploma is a programme that is
respected throughout the world and
it is growing rapidly in this country.
We are very excited by the prospect.
“IB is very different from A
Levels. It offers much greater
breadth: pupils study six subjects
and every one continues to study
English, Mathematics, a language,
a humanity and a science. The
course also encourages independent learning through an extended
essay and activity through its
Creativity, Action and Service
programme. And, to bind it all
together, there is the Theory of
Knowledge component.”
At work
in a science
laboratory.
Page 4
Trekking in Morocco (left) or hockey on the school fields are among the
activities enjoyed by King Edward’s pupils.
Mr Claughton added: “There are
other advantages, too: the Diploma
has an exam at the end of two
years, so there are no more Lower
Sixth exams. And there has been
no grade inflation in 40 years.
“We believe that the Diploma
will be more challenging, a better
preparation for university study and
for the complexities and variety of
adult life. In the end, we are doing
it because it fits in with what we
feel education is about. These truly
are exciting times.”
King Edward’s School, situated
in Edgbaston, is one of the leading independent school for boys in
this country. The school has 840
pupils, ranging in age from 11 to
18. In 2009 the school achieved
83.6% A* and A grades at GCSE
and 76.9% A grades and 92.6%
A and B grades at A level.
Although the school is fee-paying, it provides financial support
to nearly 30% of its pupils through
scholarships and means-tested
Assisted Places and 10% of pupils
receive full fee remission. These
places are funded by the King
Edward’s Foundation and the generosity of former pupils and others.
For further details, visit the
school’s website: www.kes.org.uk
or contact Mrs Nicole Phillips
(Admissions and Marketing Coordinator) on 0121 415 6056,
[email protected]
Independent Schools
Independent Schools
RGS ‘number one in Midlands’ Winterfold’s
A
t a ceremony held at the
Institution of Engineering &
Technology, Savoy Place
London, Robin Hearn, Jonathan
Horne, Joseph Perry and Douglas
Wilkie from RGS Worcester were
awarded prestigious Arkwright
Scholarships for their outstanding
work in design and technology.
Robin Hearn’s Scholarship is
sponsored by The Happold Trust,
Jonathan Horne’s is sponsored by
The Worshipful Company of Salters,
with The Industrial Careers Foundation sponsoring Joseph Perry’s Scholarship and The Royal Aeronautical
Society sponsoring Douglas Wilkie’s.
Only 249 Arkwright Scholarships
were awarded across the UK this year,
following applications from 770 students. Scholars are selected following
a rigorous selection process.
Agnes Segal, Membership Services
Manager for the The Institution of
Engineering and Technology said: We
hope these talented young people will
nology department receives £200
per year for the next two years.
“This is the third year that RGS
has managed to get four students
through the rigorous assessment procedure. From the statistics it can be
seen how difficult it is for a school to
obtain more than one scholarship.
Four is an exceptional achievement,” commented a delighted
From left: Jonathan Horne, Joseph Perry, David Cotterill, Head of Design &
Robin Hearn and Douglas Wilkie. Technology at RGS Worcester. “As
a school we have now received 28
go on to become the leading scientific
Arkwright Scholarships over the past
and engineering minds who will work
11 years, a feat that sees our Design &
with engineers around the globe to
Technology Department currently stand
solve the pressing problems facing the
as number one in the Midlands and
world today.”
third in the UK.”
The Arkwright Trust was founded
The four winning pupils are now goin 1990 and supports young people
ing on to enter the Green Power Comduring their A Level/Scottish Higher
petition to build an electric vehicle.
years by awarding £250 a year to as“It’s a great initiative on the part of
sist with the purchase of materials and
the scholars and I hope it will help to
books. Each student will also carry the
create further interest amongst pupils
status of ‘Arkwright Scholar’ into uniin the school and careers in design or
versity. The school’s design and techengineering,” added Mr Cotterill.
musicians
play Prague
Winterfold
House School
For Girls & Boys 3–13
A
group of 39 children from Winterfold House
School in Chaddesley Corbett recently embarked on a five-day music tour of Prague. The school’s choir and jazz band performed
concerts in two schools, a church and an old
Bohemian theatre. The group, all aged between eight and 13, also
had the opportunity to experience the wonderful
cultural life of this famous city, including a walking
tour of the old town and a hike up a mountain to
a medieval castle which looked like something out
of a Dracula set! The school’s Director of Music, Jerry Price, said,
“Prague proved to be the most fantastic venue to
take musicians. Their concerts were all packed
out, and with this level of support the children
upped their performances to new levels. “We were made hugely welcome at all our
events and the Mayor of Slany invited us to come
back any time to play more! The tour was such a
success that we are looking to organise another
one in two years’ time.”
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
The School Your
Child Deserves
Impressive academic results
Superb opportunities for Music
Outstanding facilities for Sport
Scholarships available
Learning Support Unit
Pre- and after-school care
Holiday Clubs
Integrated Kindergarten
Day Nursery open 50 weeks a year
Bursaries available
46 Scholarships to Senior
Schools in 08/09
Open Day: Sat February 6
Come and see what
makes us so special
Chaddesley Corbett, Worcs DY10 4PW
Page 7
TEL: 01562 777234
www.winterfoldhouse.co.uk
Independent Schools
Independent Schools
Priory School: Enabling more
pupils to succeed
F
Playing piano is good
for your children
M
aking music has been scientifically proven to help people of
every age, especially children.
They can have great fun learning to
play, whilst benefitting from developing their academic skills, memorising
capacity, problem-solving ability and
self-confidence.
As well as improving communication
skills, making music develops parts of
the brain that would otherwise not be
used – and most importantly – it feels
good! While popular computer games
like Guitar Hero and Rock Band can
inspire someone to learn an instrument,
nothing beats the real thing and a
piano is a great place to start.
to be welcomed if the same
room is being used for other activities. Even the most soothing
pieces can have the potential to
irritate if performed at an unacceptable time, but now you can
play an acoustic piano silently
through headphones at the flick
of a switch.
This allows you to continue
to enjoy the distinctive feel
of a traditional piano, whilst
listening discreetly using
headphones. It is also ideal for
adults in the early stages of learning,
who aren’t confident enough yet to
share their music with others.
The good news for parents…
We realise that in certain environments, playing an acoustic piano can
prove quite disruptive; the diligent tones
of children practising scales are unlikely
If you would like to learn more about
the benefits of playing the piano or
would like to visit Vale Pianos, please
telephone 01386 860419 or visit
www.valepianos.co.uk
or many families today, giving
their children the benefits of private education is just out of the
question. However, Priory School is
changing all that through its innovative
Scholarships and Supported Places
scheme which enables many more
pupils to benefit from the excellent opportunities offered at the school
On Entry into Year 3 and Year 7 the
school offers:
The sound of silence: At
the flick of a switch your
child can practise with the
feel of a traditional piano,
but without disturbing the
rest of the family.
n Non-means-tested scholarships to
children who demonstrate excellence in academic studies, sports
and the performing arts. Up to 20%
tuition fee reduction is guaranteed
to any pupil achieving a Scholarship standard, with higher awards
subject to means-testing.
Since its launch, the scheme has
n Means-tested supported places for
helped many pupils access and benefit
rounded pupils who demonstrate
from the high standards of teaching
good academic ability but whose
and learning, the excellent facilities
The
Village
115x162:Layout
1 outstanding
26/11/09 individual
10:15 Page
1
family
incomeMagazine
is below £50,000
and the
support
per annum.
Priory School provides.
Tennis
for England.
Priory
for school.
n For more information on Scholarships and Supported Places contact
Caroline Clarke, the Pupil Relations
Officer, on 0121 440 0256, email
her at [email protected] or
visit www.prioryschool.net
You can trust Priory School to develop
and support your child’s unique talents.
• Individual attention • Excellent facilities
• A family atmosphere
Boys and Girls from 6 months to 14 years.
Girls only from Year 10 upwards.
FULLY CO-EDUCATIONAL BY 2011.
GENEROUS SCHOLARSHIPS AND
SUPPORTED PLACES ON OFFER ON
ENTRY INTO YEARS 3 AND 7.
To obtain a prospectus or book a visit
call 0121 440 0256 or apply online at
www.prioryschool.net
Luke Hammond,
Top 8 National Junior
Tennis Player.
Priory School
Where every child succeeds
Sir Harry's Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2UR
Open Morning 14th January 2010. 9.30am -12noon.
Senior School Entrance Exam - 30th January 2010.
Page 8
Page 9

Independent Schools
Exciting new chapter in
Old Swinford’s history
Edgbaston High School for Girls
Whole School
Open Event
Saturday 9 January 2010
11.30am - 2.00pm
11+ academic and
music scholarships
16+ academic, music, arts and
sports scholarships
Means-tested bursaries
Edgbaston High School for Girls, Westbourne Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 3TS
[email protected] Tel: 0121 454 5831
OLD SWINFORD HOSPITAL
“An Outstanding Boarding School Education”
� Affordability � Academic excellence
� Top grade in all Ofsted inspection categories
� Boarding fees just £3225 per term
� Strong pastoral care system
� Impressive range of extra-curricular and weekend activities
� Excellence in music and sport
� Sixth Form day student places for boys and girls
O
ld Swinford Hospital is entering
a new and exciting chapter in
its long history with a school
expansion programme which will
see pupil numbers rise from 600 to
750 by 2012.
A programme of new building
works has just been completed and
the school can now boast a dedicated high-tech performing arts centre
with seating for over 200 people, a
control room for sound and light and
a green room. OSH will now be able to teach
Dance and Drama as subjects within
the school in their own purpose-built
facility. The school’s Art and English
Departments have been relocated to
a new teaching block and pupils will
also benefit from the new state of the
art facilities.
Sports facilities have been
enhanced with an extension to the
sports centre which was only opened
in 2008. Classrooms, larger changing facilities, a fitness suite and an
all-weather multi-use floodlit pitch
further boost the school’s success in
the sporting arena. Opening in September 2010 will be three additional
rugby pitches.
Founded in 1670, Old Swinford
Hospital in Stourbridge is a state
maintained boarding school, one
of 34 in the country. Parents pay
only for the cost of accommodation
and after-school care as education
is funded by the Local Authority. It
offers extraordinary opportunities
to students and exceptional value to
parents at only £3,225 per term.
Old Swinford Hospital delivers the
quality of education and facilities
often associated with the independent sector, at a fraction of the cost.
Providing for just over 600 pupils
of secondary school age, admission
for boys normally takes place at
the start of Years 7 and 9 and the
beginning of the Sixth Form. Girls
are admitted as Day Students at the
beginning of the Sixth Form.
A broad curriculum embraces
both traditional and modern subjects
and includes many subject-based
enrichment opportunities unique to
the school. While academic results
are clearly important, they are only
one element of life at Old Swinford
Hospital.
Old Swinford Hospital has become
synonymous with an outstanding
range of extra-curricular opportunities that enrich school life, develop
potential and play a significant part
in creating happy, fulfilled and welladjusted young people. For further information contact
the Registrar on 01384 817325 or
OPEN MORNING
Saturday 15th May 2010 0900-1130
For further details contact The Registrar on 01384
or email [email protected]
817325
OLD SWINFORD HOSPITAL
HEATH LANE, STOURBRIDGE, DY8 1QX
website: www.oshsch.com
Page 11
Village Finance
Wealth managers find
growth in testing times
W
ell, this year has certainly
been an odd one. With
many companies going out
of business and everyone you talk
to knowing someone who has been
made redundant, isn’t it refreshing
to hear some positive news?
Despite the very testing economic conditions, AFH Wealth
Management, situated in the heart
of Bromsgrove, has tackled the
recession head on and against all
odds has continued to grow.
Established in 1990 by local lad
Alan Hudson, AFH has grown from
strength to strength and now has a
team of around 100, an increase
of almost 20% this year, a vision
that Alan could only imagine back
in the early 1990s when he set up
his business in a small office above
a local building society with two
administrators and five Financial
Advisers.
Now occupying 6,000 square
feet in prestigious offices, AFH is
no ordinary company. Alan has
striven to provide clients with an
approachable, personal service
and says that the success of his
company is down to the friendly
service provided by his team and
staying ahead of the game.
Building his business through
mergers and acquisitions, Alan
said: “We have acquired twelve
practices over the last four years.
Our most recent acquisition entailed purchasing the IFA arm
of the West Bromwich Building
Society.
“What is even more important to
us is the ongoing relationship for
them to refer clients looking for independent advice to AFH. This is a
huge achievement for our firm and
endorses our service offering for
corporate and individual clients.
“With three more acquisitions
54
The Village
Village Gardens
October 2009
Spindle
berries
St John’s
House, the
home of AFH in
Bromsgrove.
in the pipeline for early 2010 the
company will continue to expand
and develop its service proposition to benefit new and existing
clients,” added Alan.
Being directly regulated by the
Financial Services Authority, AFH
offers independent financial advice
and is totally unrestricted to the
advice it provides. Introducing an
in-house Investment team several
years ago gave the company the
resources to offer Discretionary
Portfolio Management, a service
that you would normally only obtain from a stock broker.
Further developments this year
have seen AFH take on a Chief
Economist, Colin Warren, who
previously worked in the City, and
an experienced stock broker, Will
Humphries, previously of Gerard
Stock Brokers in Birmingham.
Alan said: “We are pretty unusual with our offering. Most IFAs
outsource their investment portfolios to external stock brokers. We
have made a conscious effort to
facilitate this in-house and have
offered Discretionary Portfolio
Management to our clients for the
last two years.
“The development of the stock
broking service is a natural progression for us and allows us to
remain competitive by offering low
cost investment solutions.
“Will’s experience of working in
both a stock broking and wealth
management environment provides
him with a rounded view of the
investment industry, together with
an appreciation of the needs and
concerns of our clients.”
Earlier this month AFH Wealth
Management was listed in the
Financial Times top 100 Financial
Advisers in the UK. AFH currently
has 45 Independent Financial
Advisers and plans to continue to
recruit good quality, highly qualified advisers.
So with the investment landscape
finally looking more favourable
and tax year end looming, why not
get in touch with AFH to discuss
your current financial arrangements?
All initial reviews are free of
charge and without obligation. To
arrange an appointment please
call 01527 577775 and ask to
speak to one of AFH’s diary managers who will be pleased to arrange for an adviser to meet with
you.
O
Woody wonders
ne of the best things about
moving to a new house is the
chance to explore a new area;
we had often cycled around in this
area of Worcestershire but had not
done much walking. With a young
dog to take out every day I have
been having great fun exploring the
lanes, woods and fields.
I also have the privilege of walking in a newly planted woodland, as
the neighbouring farmer very kindly
knocked on the door when we first
moved in and said that we could
walk anywhere on his land.
At the bottom end of his land he
planted more than 15,000 trees to
celebrate the new year of the millennium and leave something for future
generations to enjoy. As you will
know if you regularly read these articles, I love woodlands – and what a
great way to celebrate a millennium?
Many of us don’t have the chance
to plant a whole woodland but
even one or a few native trees can
Hannah Genders
wanders among
a few of her
favourite trees.
enhance any garden. As this young
woodland develops, the new species
will create their own character and
support each other into the future.
These are just a few of the species
planted there and why I think they
are important to include:
Alder
cones
and
catkins
Silver Birch (Betula pendula)
I know these are common, but they
are an important feature in any
young woodland as they operate as
a “pioneer” tree; they are fast growing and colonise a new area quickly.
Relatively short lived at 60–90 years
compared with our other native trees
of oak and ash, we know and love
this tree for its white bark – but this
only really occurs when it matures; to
start with the bark is reddish brown.
Historically, the name “birch” is
thought to have derived from the
meaning “to write on” as the bark
was used instead of paper. It was
also widely used in the tanning industry and the sap makes a very good
wine when fermented.
Common Alder (Alnus glutinosa)
Although these trees are often associated with water, they are also a
good pioneering tree like silver birch
and will colonise new ground very
Tcontinues overleaf
The Village
55
Grow with us at
Village Gardens
HOPWOOD GARDEN CENTRE
Ash Lane
Hopwood
0121 445 4022
Tel: 01527 873 470
www.burcotgardencentre.co.uk
$
SPECIAL OFFER: Buy 4 bags of
Vitax multi-purpose compost for
only £10 with this voucher
Name
Address
Post code
Email
Voucher must be completed and presented at time of purchase. One voucher per purchase.
Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer. Valid until Jan 31, 2010. If you would
prefer not to cut up your copy of The Village, just bring the magazine along when you visit!
Please tick if you do not wish to receive information from Fresh@Burcot Garden Centre
HOPWOOD
HOUSE
PUB
To M42
Nordman and Fraser
Silver Fir ‘non-drop’
Christmas trees!
Spindle Tree (Euonymous europaeus)
It is native to northern Europe and its
common name comes from the wood
being used in the past to make
spindles for looms. It is often
seen in hedges but not
grown so much as a
tree, although it can
reach six metres in
height.
It has a grey-green
bark and bright green
flowers in May but it is
the fruits that are most
noticeable: very garish
with a bright pink outer
skin on the fruit revealing an
orange seed as it develops.
It is enough to brighten any woodland setting and I
was really pleased to see so many growing in this local
woodland, adding so much colour and interest at a dark
time of year.
56
The Village
WE ARE HERE!
OPEN 7 DAYS
PLUS: Potted Fraser Silver Fir
Alder cones
Below: Virburnum berries
Ash L
ane
VISIT US FOR
ALL YOUR
GARDENING
NEEDS
All sizes can be netted
for easy transport.
quickly – they are especially good at improving the soil
as they have the ability to add nitrogen and therefore
make a new area richer in nutrients, improving it for future trees.
They tend to be quick growing and will often grow
multi-stemmed, especially when they are coppiced (cut to
the ground). The coppiced branches were traditionally
used in charcoal making and because of this habit and
their leaf shape the tree can often be confused with hazel; however, the catkins and flowers single them out.
Into the winter they carry lovely male catkins and dark
brown to purple cones, which are the female flowers. An
all-round good tree, this one, and in this era of climate
change the Alder’s ability to improve soil conditions has
led to its being used widely on brown field sites all over
the UK.
Alcester Rd, Burcot, Bromsgrove, B60 1PW
BRIDGE
GARAGE
only the best!
Burcot
Garden Centre
For the best
in gardening,
whatever the
season.
A441
All aspects of tree
work undertaken
aTree care and surgery
aTree reduction
aPruningaFelling
aRe-shaping
aTree bracing
aHedge cutting
aStump grinding
Young
woods
Young birch
Guelder rose (Viburnum opulus)
This is really a shrub more than a tree as it will only
reach a height of four to five metres. It can often be
found in our native hedgerows but also has an important role when planted as a woodland shrub. The
leaves are similar to a maple shape and the white
flowers are flat headed and like those seen on most
garden shrubs in the same group.
The flowers attract beneficial insects to the woodland
and the berries attract the birds – they are very luscious looking and bright red in colour, each containing
a single seed. In times past a jelly was made from this
fruit, although it is known to be rather toxic, and it was
used to treat “feminine” problems and help to prevent
miscarriage.
For free advice or a free quote call
0121 445 4747 or 01527 874143
www.reevestreesurgeons.co.uk
All staff fully trained and fully insured
Local authority approved contractors
Hannah Genders Ltd
If you fancy growing either a whole woodland or a
few trees for the new year, have a look at the websites
below for help. And have a very happy new year!
For more information on planting woodland trees and
grants available:
www.woodlandtrust.org.uk
www.forestry.gov.uk
www.greaterworcester.org (for community grants)
n
Sustainable
Gardens
n
Organic
Landscapes
n
Therapeutic
Projects
Chelsea medal
winner
As seen on UKTV
01386 793962
www.hannahgenders.co.uk
The Village
57
Village Nature Diary
The turning
of the year
I
t has been a lovely autumn, with the
tree colour enhanced by the mild,
sunny and dry “Indian summer” we
had in October, and a great season for
fruit. The strong winds in November
meant that the leaves disappeared
from the trees quickly, and now as I
write only our lovely English oaks have
their bronze leaves. I wonder what the
weather will be like when you read this.
Last year, we were on our third lot of
snow!
I have been watching the beautiful Hunters’ Moon – the full moon of
November. Each full moon through
the year has a name, though most of
us only know the Harvest Moon, nearest to the autumn equinox. There will
be two full moons this December, the
Cold Moon on the 2nd and the Long
Night Moon on the 31st – the latter also
58
The Village
Mary Green
celebrates the
natural cycle
of changing
seasons.
known as a Blue Moon as the second in
the month.
Many of the moons are named after
wildlife and weather (Wolf Moon, Snow
Moon, Rose Moon, for example.) They
are still celebrated in parts of the USA,
as they have a strong Native American
tradition. Most religions include the
moon in their calendars – in the case
of Christianity the Paschal Moon determines the date of Easter.
In December and January we are
always aware of the old year dying
and the new one beginning. Watching
wildlife makes you
very conscious of the
changing seasons,
and the complexity of climate, plant,
animal and human
systems in those
changes.
Winter is an important season for us
and the rest of our
world. The trees have
shed their leaves to
retain their energies
for new growth. And
you can see this new
growth already. The
buds are there, sitting quietly behind
the shed leaves,
and the catkins are
already formed on
hazels. Some berryFrosty bearing trees, like
hogweed hawthorn, show
Teasels
their fruits on bare twigs long past the
leaves.
Animals go quiet, though only the
hedgehogs and dormice truly hibernate. Birds, too, are generally quiet (or
have flown south) except of course for
the robin, which is so aggressively territorial that it sings through the winter.
But by the solstice (December 21) you
will begin to hear the two-note call of
the great tit again, establishing its territory and preparing to mate.
Some birds fly in from the north for
the winter. You should see redwings
and fieldfares, from the thrush family,
especially if we get some cold weather,
stripping hawthorn berries. Even blackbirds and thrushes migrate, and if you
hear them being noisy in the autumn
and winter they may be new arrivals.
Of course, for Christmas we look to
our native evergreens. There are only a
few: holly, ivy, yew, pine, mistletoe. They
have been brought indoors to celebrate
the undying-ness of nature since time
immemorial. Until relatively recently,
though, Christmas Day itself wasn’t
much celebrated except as a religious feast. January New Year too
is relatively recent - and didn’t
have a bank holiday here until
the 1970s.
Twelfth Night (the feast of
the Epiphany, or Three Kings)
was the real celebration day,
with fires, decorated houses, plays,
mummers, music, food and drink,
presents, and the ancient festival of
Winter fields
misrule. The latter meant turning
the world upside down for a day, with
masters waiting on servants, boys being elected bishop for a day, and men
dressing as women, as always seems to
happen in carnivals – and now in pantomimes.
Spanish countries still celebrate the
Three Kings festival on Twelfth Night. It
was also “old Christmas” in the old Julian
calendar.
Like wildlife, we slow down and
withdraw into our homes and families,
lighting fires to keep warm. However,
our winter festivals are outgoing, all
about giving and sharing food, drink
and music, to drive away the darkness.
Since Victorian times all the winter
solstice customs here have centred on
Christmas and New Year.
Some people don’t like “commercialisation”, but it means this is the most
widely celebrated of all festivals, as it
is integrated into modern life. And it
still carries the ancient
within it, the time
Snowdrops
of winter darkness in which
nature is just
beginning
to reawaken
to the light.
We light the
fires, give
each other
red robin cards
and pick holly, to
help it all along.
We take our calendar for granted,
but Britain only adopted the Gregorian
calendar in the 18th century, much later
than the rest of Europe. When it came
in we “lost” 11 days, and some people
doggedly followed the “old” Julian calendar for centuries afterwards.
New Year was set at January 1 by
Julius Caesar, but many Christians didn’t
accept this new year, and wanted Lady
Day (the Annunciation or conception of
Christ) to be the Christian new year. For
centuries the New Year was celebrated
in late March in Christian countries. The
financial new year is a relic of this.
Within the Gregorian calendar there
are some older markers of the year.
We have two solstices, summer and
winter, and two equinoxes, spring and
autumn. Even modern business, with its
bankers and bonuses, still has quarter
days originally based on these events.
These now fall on March 25, June 24,
September 29 and December 25 (Lady
Day, Midsummer, Michaelmas and
Christmas).
Halfway between each was an
ancient Celtic festival, some later
Christianised – Imbolc (Candlemas),
Beltane (May Day), Lughnasa (Lammas)
and Samhain (Halloween). Lots of
changes in nature have become traditionally associated with these events,
for example blackberries being over
(“ruined by the devil”) on September 29
(Michaelmas) or snowdrops appearing
for Candlemas, which is also a weatherpredicting day.
The Village
Agriculture has added a dimension
with festivals to celebrate the planting,
growing, fruiting and harvesting of
crops. In Christian countries these are
often matched with saints’ days. I still
plant my potatoes on Good Friday! The
main relic we have of this old country
calendar is the academic calendar, with
its long summer holiday (for harvest)
and new year in autumn (the start of
preparation for the
next year).
Almost all
calendar festivals have
wildlife
traditions
associated with
them. But
of course
wildlife has
Frosted
a calendar of
nettles
its own. Plants
come up, flower, seed,
die down, lose their leaves and grow,
depending on a combination of temperature, moisture and light.
Insects are influenced by temperature and the availability of plant and
other habitats and food. Mammals and
birds are dependent on particular plant,
insect or other animal foods being
there. Some of them move around the
world, too.
All of this can be disrupted by unexpected changes in the weather, or even
continues overleaf
59
Village Nature Diary
continued from previous page
the result of weather in the previous
year. This is one of the things that make
wildlife so fascinating. There is a basic
familiar cycle year to year, but you
never quite know when things are going to happen.
A relatively new science, called
phenology, has grown up around the
natural cycle. It involves noting the key
stages in plant and animal growth and
movement over a long period of years
and looking at the patterns. Sometimes
amateur naturalists have played a significant part in this – people who have
kept diaries of their local wildlife for 50
years have had them snapped up by
scientists.
These records have enabled us to
know that climate change has changed
the overall pattern in England, though
for short periods the trend can be in
opposite directions. This reminds us
that there is a difference between
climate – long-term
weather patterns
– and weather
– relatively
short-term
ones.
An example is
the flowering of the
archetypal
British tree, the
Catkins
hawthorn (also
known as whitethorn
or may). Traditionally it was brought in
to celebrate May Day, so was expected
to flower for the first of May. If you read
books from about 50 years ago, they
point out that this must have been the
“old May Day” (Julian calendar) which
was a fortnight later.
I remember as a child that may was
in flower on my birthday at the end
of May, and was often associated with
Whitsun. Now, due to climate change,
may is once again usually in flower for
the first of May on our calendar.
However, due to weather, it varies
from year to year, and from place to
place. In 2003 and 2004 I first saw it in
flower on April 21. In 2005 it was later,
April 29, though I saw it out in Cornwall
on April 8. In the cold spring of 2006
60
The Village
Village Weather
Wild and windy, wet and mild
Alvechurch
amateur
weatherman Phil
Thomas records
the changes.
A
Winter on
the canal
it didn’t appear till May 7. The next
Christmas sloe gin. So, a happy Twelfth
year, a mild one, it was April 15, and in
Night, Yule, Christmas and New Year to
Cornwall I found it on March 26.
you all! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading
It was more back to normal in
my observations as much as I enjoy
2008 on April 27. This year I was quite
writing them.
surprised to see it on April 23, after
Next year I shall concentrate my
our exceptionally harsh winter which
nature notes on particular places and
made blackthorn and plum late. The
walks in the area where you can watch
good weather of March and April was
wildlife and the turning of the year.
enough to get the may back
on track.
Compare this with the first
flowering time of blackthorn.
Over the same period this
has ranged from February
I burn the holly and the cards
4 to April 8. Early spring
Good flames in the night
weather is especially variable.
One piece of mistletoe left over the lintel.
In 2007, the very mild winter,
Everywhere people take down their Santas
I found it flowering near
Switch off their pretty lights.
Rowney Green on February 4,
though I had actually found
I walk at night
a single flower near the canal
I have the night back
on January 4! In the very cold
And the light
spring of 2006, it didn’t apThe dark holly glistens around me
pear until April 8.
Above star after star weaves patterns
Last year, 2008, after a mild
Falling among the snowdrop leaves.
start to spring it flowered
The turning earth thrusts the trees into bud
much on time on March 4.
Catkins yawn and stretch themselves
However, after the frosts and
Twelfth night
snows of April there were
hardly any fruits (sloes) later.
The cold early spring this
year made it late, not appearing till March 26. But by
then the weather was good,
so we have a bumper harvest of sloes this year for our
At dawn, a robin sings
The chaffinches of my mind join him.
Sun streams into my house.
The fool of misrule
Kicks up his red and white skirts
And my heart laughs.
windspeed of 55mph was
recorded at 11pm Tuesday
November 24 – the highest
local gust since January 2007.
And the average wind speed for
November to the time of writing
(26th) was 8.3mph, which is 25 per
cent higher than the local average.
The recorded rainfall of
101.7mm was already 44% above
the average for the entire month
while 52.3 hours of sunshine was
82% of the average.
Temperatures were above “nor-
D
ecember, and Jupiter is still
the brightest object in the
evening twilight but setting
earlier each day so the end of the year
sees an end to the bright planets for
a while.
On the 21st, a thin crescent Moon
will be very close to Jupiter, in the
south west but only till about seven
o’clock so look out for it as soon as
you get home. The 21st also sees the
Winter Solstice (at 17:47 to be precise)
so the full Moon on the 31st will be
very high in the sky if you are out and
about around midnight for any reason.
This will be a very special full Moon
too, as we should see the very bottom
of the Moon turn reddish as it grazes
the Earth’s shadow in a partial Lunar
eclipse. Look out for it from about six
in the evening till about eight.
During December, the Great Square
of Pegasus is very distinct in the south
west and looking to the left or east,
coming into view now is the beautiful
little cluster of stars called the Pleiades
or Seven Sisters. These blue-white
stars, roughly four hundred light years
away, illuminate a surrounding cloud
Cofton Hackett doesn’t look like the place to spend July, according to these
rainfall figures supplied by Village reader Jim Rowan.
mal”, with the maximum average
of 11.9C being 2.3C higher and
the minimum of 6.3C being 2.8C
above average.
Early December may be changeable with frequent rain showers
but a little on the cold side after
recent mild conditions. The outlook towards Christmas is difficult
to predict, probably changeable
and below or near normal temperatures.
See Phil’s daily local forecast at
www.alvechurchweather.metsite.com
Village Stargazing
A special full moon
Amateur astronomer
Brian Watkiss
peers into the
Village night sky.
of gas, giving them a slightly “fuzzy”
look but, they are a magnificent sight
through binoculars.
About halfway between the Great
Square and Pleiades, are two pairs of
stars, forming a pair of parallel lines.
The top one, on closer inspection, is
part of a thin triangle of stars, making
up the constellation of Triangulum.
The lower one is the brightest part of
Aries, a tiny constellation of about four
stars.
On the other side of the Pleiades,
and slightly lower, is the “V” of Taurus,
the big red star Aldebaran making
it easily identifiable. Within the “V”
is another cluster of stars called
the Hyades, not as distinct as the
Seven Sisters but a great target for
binoculars.
Following Taurus, the magnificent
constellation of Orion starts to
dominate as we move into 2010.
Further into January, the planet Mars
will be starting to appear late in the
evenings, low in the east. This is a very
distinctive planet because, although
not as bright as Jupiter, the reddish
orange colour is very noticeable.
On January 15th there will be an
annular eclipse of the Sun. Although
not visible in the UK (I am an expert
on where you can‘t see eclipses!), it
will be noteworthy because the Earth
is just about as close to the Sun as it
ever gets and the Moon is just about
as far away as it gets. This means that
the “ring” of Sun left on view will be as
thick as it can be; look out for pictures.
Finally, previous years have seen
reports of a mysterious flying object
observed crossing the sky on the
night of the 24th of December. I shall
certainly be out looking on that night.
See if you can spot it...
Happy Christmas!
The Village
61
.
Village What’s On
Village What’s On & Leisure
Special day in the USA
I
wanted to spend my 60th birthday
on a special holiday in the USA,
writes Pat Rogers, of Lickey.
My friend Lesley and I decided
to travel from coast to coast, taking
in some of the more popular sights
such as New York, Los Angeles, San
Francisco and Las Vegas.
I knew Jane Ward years ago when
she was starting her lovely family (I
was her midwife) and had heard that
she was working as an Independent
Travel Counsellor, so I gave her a ring.
Not only did Jane take all the stress
out of booking all the flights, transfers
and hotel accommodation, but she
Louise Robinson reports
on her first month at
Rednal’s new fitness
centre Gently Does It.
W
ell, here I am again – I’ve joined
Gently Does it, where the
motor-kinetic machines assist
you to achieve a full body workout
in just 30 minutes. Each machine is
programed for 2.5 minutes; they move
electronically on their own, while you
work by putting on more resistance
depending on your level of fitness.
Whether it be weight loss, inch loss,
general fitness, or generally improving
your mobility, Kelly and Julie at Gently
Does It will help you come up with a
programme to achieve what you want.
I, of course, want what most women
desire, and that is to lose weight and
look and feel better. Here, I’m sure, I will
achieve this.
Having watched Kelly, Julie and
Joanne with the other members, this
doesn’t feel like a regular gym. The care
and attention given to all members
is something else; they really do
genuinely want to be able to help you,
and to see you see results.
Gently Does It certainly caters for all
sorts of women, from those wanting to
lose weight and tone up to women with
medical issues which make normal gym
visits impossible.
I really enjoy my visits – we do have
a laugh, while exercising safely. Some
62
The Village
EVENTS
Alvechurch Bell Ringers will be repeating
last year’s successful Christmas Coffee
Morning in Alvechurch Village Hall on Bear
Hill from 9.30am–12.30pm on Dec 12. Take a
rest from the shopping and call in for some
festive food and drink. All proceeds to the
Bell Fund.
A very satisfied client
tells how Blackwell
travel counsellor Jane
Ward organised the
holiday of a lifetime for her.
also visited me at home to customise
the trip, listening to all our requests.
The holiday went without a hitch;
everything was pre-booked, even
the Amtrac Train up the west coast. I
had my lobster meal on Pier 39 in San
Francisco on my birthday, which was
a dream come true.
We were so pleased with Jane’s or-
THEATRE
Above: Pat (left) and Lesley
embark on a helicopter ride over the
Grand Canyon.
ganising skills that we contacted her
again earlier this year and we are now
in the process of organising a trip to
Australia for 2010.
The gentler way to
get fit and have fun
of the ladies who joined some weeks
back have seen results already, with one
member losing 11 inches and another
losing 5 inches, and I’m sure as time
goes by we will see others achieve their
targets too.
Other women I’ve spoken to have
noticed changes – one, who has MS,
couldn’t walk without a stick and
struggled to use the machines, but she
can now use most of the machines and
walks without her stick.
Kelly supervises
Louise on one of the
machines.
Gently Does It also offers treatments
such as reflexology, which I was lucky
enough to have a taster of the other
evening. What a treat! Speaking
to Elaine Mead, the reflexologist, I
discovered it’s not a beauty treatment
but a clinical treatment recognised by
the NHS, and is totally safe for people
of all ages.
By applying pressure to the reflex
points on the hands and/or feet, the
blood circulation is improved, the body
relaxes and organs and glands become
balanced. Elaine will be giving a talk
on hand reflexology at Gently Does It
towards the end of January – please call
them for details.
There are lots of offers available in
the run-up to Christmas: you can treat
yourself to one of the many beauty
treatments with Joanne or Stella, ready
for your Christmas and New Year’s Eve
parties, or just for a treat!
You’re not tied into a contract at
Gently Does It, and you don’t have to
be a member to take advantage of the
beauty treatments.
Pop in to see what’s available, meet
the girls, see the lovely Christmas gifts
and have a coffee . . . or even a piece of
CAKE!
Gently Does It: 0121 453 9032
ALL & SUNDRY perform their 2009 panto,
Babes In The Wood, at Artrix from Dec 16–20,
with plenty of comedy characters, vile villains
and audience participation! Performances at
7pm all days, plus matinees at 2pm on Dec
19 and 20. Tickets for Dec 16 & 17: £10/£9
conc/ £33 Family Ticket. Tickets for Dec
18–20: £12 /£10 conc/ £38 Family Ticket.
Book online at www.artrix.co.uk or call 01527
577330. Details at www.allandsundry.org
MUSIC
The Arrow Vale Singers perform a
Christmas Concert in aid of Where Next? on
Dec 12, at 7.30 pm in The Ecumenical Centre,
Redditch Town Centre. £6.50 per ticket;
refreshments included. Call 01527 69955 for
tickets.
The Midland Sinfonia’s 14th season starts
at 7.30 on Dec 5 at St Laurence Church,
Alvechurch with the very popular Candlelit
Concert. Tickets £12 (£1 discount in advance), from Marian on 0121 447 7040 or
The Village Green Grocer, (conc £5, accompanied children free).
BANDASEMNOME, the Alvechurch
Community Samba Band, welcomes new
members! The group meets at Alvechurch
Social Club on the first Thursday of the
month at 7.45pm. No experience necessary,
instruments provided. For more info
call Jude on 0121 445 4189 or see www.
bandasemnome.org.uk
Get into the Christmas mood with Belle Voci
Local chamber choir Belle Voci will be
holding their annual Candlelit Christmas
Concert at St Laurence Church, Alvechurch
on Dec 12, commencing at 7.30pm. For
many regular supporters of this choir, this
annual concert has become the traditional
way to open the Christmas Season.
The music is always very varied, mixing
choral music with songs from the shows
and films and not forgetting seasonal folk
songs and even a few carols. The church is
full of candles, giving a wonderful atmosphere and a nice warm glow!
The choir had a very successful fund
raising event in March when over £1,000
was donated to the St Laurence Tower
Bell Fund. Belle Voci were aptly supported
by the Waverton Hand Bell Ringers from
Chester. This talented group so enjoyed
their visit to Alvechurch (this could have
more than a little to do with the excellent
refreshments provided by the Tower Bell
Bromsgrove Young Voices, part of
Worcestershire Youth Music, meets each Saturday at St John’s Middle School, Bromsgrove
– learn to sing and perform at venues such
as Symphony Hall. Classes are 10–11am for
children aged 7+ and 11.15am–12pm for
5- to 7-year-olds. Try a free session first! More
info from Worcestershire Youth Music on
01905 333344.
BROMSGROVE FOLK Club meets on the second and last Thursday of every month. For a
full list of events call Bob Bignell on 0121 476
5938 or see www.bromsgrovefolkclub.co.uk
DANCING
A ROCK ‘n’ Roll Dance takes place at
Alvechurch Village Hall on Friday Dec 11,
with Rockin’ Berries guitarist and singer
Jefferson and the Razzle Dazzle Rock ‘n’ Roll
Disco. 8pm–11pm (doors open 7.30pm).
Licensed Bar and Raffle. Tickets £6 (to in-
Village Review
Cradley Heath Male Voice Choir
The choir’s Autumn Concert began traditionally with a Welsh hymn and a spiritual
with a quality that reassured the relatively
small audience. The choir’s performance of
Verdi’s Nabucco was exquisite; it was perfection; the audience was won over.
This was followed by astounding versatility, intermingling excerpts from My Fair
Lady, Sweet Charity and Kiss Me Kate with
the choir’s own versions of the Beatles’
When I’m 64, Cliff Richard’s Bachelor Boy and
Rod Stewart’s Sailing.
So lifelike was the rendition of She that
we looked around for Charles Aznavour,
Burcot Village Hall
and similarly, the interpretation of the
Prayer from the South African National Anthem was inspiring.
Add to these the anticipated spirituals
and Welsh hymns plus rousing regulars like
When The Saints Go Marching In etc, all of
which were performed with the choir’s own
individuality. The performance was superb
and was warmly applauded, particularly accompanist Cynthia Partridge and Philippa
Brettell who conducted exquisitely.
This was not just a top male voice choir
recital – this was ENTERTAINMENT.
Bruce Ayling
The Village
Ringers) that they asked to come back.
As a lot of their favourite pieces have
a seasonal flavour, Belle Voci has asked
the Bell Ringers to provide a few pieces
for the Candlelit Concert. If you haven’t
heard the Waverton Hand Bell Ringers,
you haven’t heard Hand Bell Ringing as it
should sound! The effect is magical and
will enhance what is always a very enjoyable concert.
If you have been to a Belle Voci
Candlelit concert before, we hope for your
continued support with tickets being held
at £10 to include interval refreshments.
However, if you have never been before,
we hope this will be the year that you
give the concert a try. It will certainly be
an excellent way to get into the Christmas
mood. Please put Dec 12 in your diaries
– tickets available from Martin Wright on
0121 445 4335 or from any other member
of the choir.
clude a light supper), available from Cynthia
on 0121 445 5270; Masons Optician or
Clayton Fern Butchers.
PASSION 4 DANCE Dance School, at The
Barns, Hewell Lane, Tardebigge, offers classes
to suit all ages and styles, including Ballroom
& Latin, Salsa, Line, Street/HipHop and
Aerobics. Info on 07917 669211 or at www.
passion4dance.co.uk
The Star Project, where kids aged 6–16
can learn dance, drama and singing with
professional tutors, continues at Barnt Green
Parish Centre on Thursdays from 5-8pm
(during term time) with a show at the end of
each term. £15 per child. There’s also an Adult
Street Class for over 17s, offering a fun and
funky way to keep fit – open to all ages and
abilities, £5 per class. Private tuition (singing,
dancing and acting) is available at the venue
on Thursdays between 4-9pm, as is mobile
tuition from founder Jo Edwards during the
week at £15 for a 30-min session. Limited
places – book on 07719 645710.
Belly dancing at Crown Meadow First
School in Alvechurch: class for beginners on
Mondays, 7-8pm, with an experienced and
well-respected teacher. This dance improves
posture, builds confidence and it’s fun! £5 per
class. Call Lorraine on 0121 447 7761.
Bromsgrove Scottish Country Dance
Group meets each Monday evening from
8–10 pm in St Godwald’s Parish Church Hall,
Finstall. Come alone or bring a friend or
more, or just watch and share the fun. If you
would like to join in then please bring a pair
of soft shoes – group members will help you
Continues overleaf
63
.
Village What’s On
through the dances. For more info contact
Mr Alan Lovett on 01527 854012, or Mrs
Dorothy Edwards on 07773 341076.
CHARLOTTE EVE Academy of Dance offers
classes for adults, children and teenagers
in Musical Theatre Dance, Freestyle/Street
Dance, Contemporary Dance and Tap. All
take place at Burcot Village Hall – for times
and costs call Charlotte on 07793 079515.
Alvechurch Scottish Country Dance
Club meets in Hopwood Village Hall on
Tuesdays from 8-10pm. No need to bring a
partner – just be prepared to enjoy yourself!
For info call Joan on 0121 445 1231 or Olive
on 01527 875141.
THE PHOENIX Dance Club runs Ballroom
and Sequence Dancing every Tuesday night
and twice a month on Saturday nights. No
membership needed; open to the public
at the Spadesbourne Suite in Bromsgrove.
Please call Mick or Thelma on 01527 872634
for further info.
POPULAR & MODERN sequence dancing
with a touch of ballroom takes place in
Northfield every Tuesday evening from
8-10.30pm – the venue has a bar and huge
car park. Details from Margaret and Ron on
0121 453 4785.
TEA DANCES held by Bromsgrove District
Council and Phoenix Dance Club take place
on the last Wednesday each month in the
Spadesbourne Suite, Bromsgrove from
2–4pm. Admission £2.50 to include refreshments – funds to the Council Chairman’s
charities. Make friends, have fun and keep fit!
HEALTH & FITNESS
Hopwood Ladies Cycling Club meets at
Hopwood Playing Field on Tuesdays at 11.30
am and Wednesdays at 9.30 am. For more
information, visit www.hopwoodladiescyclingclub.co.uk or phone Deb Weston on
07738 982161.
The National Childbirth Trust is now
running antenatal courses in Alvechurch.
These are designed to help parents prepare
for labour, birth and early parenthood and
run over a number of weekday evenings
and/or weekends. For info on dates and
costs, please call 0844 243 6873 or email
[email protected] or visit www.nct.org.
uk/confidence
TRADITIONAL Thai boxing (Muay Thai)
classes take place at Fitness Factory in Kings
Norton on Mondays and Tuesdays from
7.30–9.30pm. £5 per class, all abilities welcome. More info on 07740 300008.
style & Tone in Rednal offers fun fitness
classes for non-members, including Disco
Divas, Boot Camp and Simple Step Aerobics
– ring 0121 460 1999 for further information
or visit www.styleandtone.co.uk
Jangchub Ling Centre offers Meditation
classes in Barnt Green. The drop-in sessions
are every Thursday at the Friends Meeting
House, Sandhills Rd; classes start at 7.30pm.
The classes are designed to introduce
meditation and Buddhism so they are
perfect for beginners.
The Women’s Counselling Centre at Lickey
provides counselling, psychotherapy and
Success for festive Fayre
The Christmas Craft Fayre at Alvechurch Village
Hall on Nov 14 was another big success, beating
last year’s total with all proceeds to
the upkeep of the Hall. Visitors
enjoyed browsing 16 tables
of local handmade crafts,
sampling seasonal refreshments (served by Cynthia
Lawton and Jenny Manning,
right) and entering a raffle
with lots of donated prizes.
Irene Hoare and Santa
draw the raffle!
Lynne Poole and
Barbara Baker on
the tombola
Grace Shepherd
and Barbara
Goodfellow
cognitive behavioural therapy in a supportive environment for women experiencing
anxiety, depression, stress and other issues. Contact Centre Manager Julie Hannan
on 0121 445 5107.
Pilates can help you to improve your
posture and overall well being, create
suppleness, natural grace and skill and
develop greater muscle strength and
endurance. Why not try it for yourself?
Classes run in and around Bromsgrove.
Spaces are limited, so to secure your place or
for more info call Jenny on 07843 023306 or
TAI CHI Classes run by Mark Peters take place
on Tuesdays at the Friends Meeting House in
Barnt Green, Thursdays at the Padstone Cen
tre and the United Reformed Church, both
Bromsgrove. Mark also offers Cardiac Rehab
sessions in Hopwood and Selly Oak, for people with heart conditions. Booking essential
– call 0121 445 0093 or 07831 743737, or see
www.kaiming.co.uk for more details.
Yoga for Well-Being, Balance and
Harmony: Hatha Yoga evening classes in
Bromsgrove. A new Beginners’ Class will start
in the New Year as soon as enough enquiries
are received. Please phone Sandra on 01527
835642 if you require any more information.
AEROBICS classes in Alvechurch have
moved to the new school site (Birmingham
Rd) and still run on Tuesdays 7.30- 8.30pm,
Fridays 6.30-7.30pm, and Sundays 11am-12
noon. Lapsed or new members welcome. For
info ring Tony on 0121 445 1819.
Karate classes take place every Tuesday
and Thursday from 7–8pm at Hopwood
Community Hall. First three Classes FREE. Call
Colin on 01527 578880 or 07738 674023 or
[email protected]
KOMBAT KIDS offers karate classes for
children aged five and over in Barnt Green,
Bromsgrove and Catshill. Suitable for total
beginners, the classes cost £4 per session
and provide high quality tuition leading to
increased agility and confidence. Sessions
run on Weds 4–5pm at Catshill Middle
School; Weds & Fri 6–7pm at Barnt Green
Parish Centre; Fri 3.30–4.30pm at Parkside
Middle School; Sat 9.30–10.30am at St
Peter’s RC First School. More details on 01543
473408 or 07730 899722.
CHILDREN & FAMILIES
Rowney Green Pre-school has vacancies
Tuesday and Thursday 9.30am-1pm (term
time only). We offer Learning through Play
in a rural situation at the Pavilion, adjacent
to the playing field and secure play area at
64
The Village
Rowney Green. Children can start at 2yrs to
school age. Please come along or phone
Rosemary on 0121 445 6102.
A Baby and Toddler Group will run on
Wednesdays from10-11.30am if enough
interest shown. If you would like to come
along please phone Rosemary as above.
Barnt Green Playgroup (Barnt Green
Baptist Church, Bittell Road) has spaces for
two- to five-year-olds from 9am to 12noon
on Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays, term
time only. Funded places are available. Please
call in to see us, or for further information
call Vicky: 0121 445 3953 / 07805 627072 or
Nicola: 0121 447 7741 / 07876 560244.
Lickey/Marlbrook Toddlers Group
meets every Monday and Thursday from
9.45–11.45am (term time only) at Lickey Parish Hall on Old Birmingham Road. New members welcome – come along and join in the
fun! For more info call Tina on 0121 445 5216.
MUM’S THE Word, a supportive group for
mums with babies and small children, meets
on Thursdays at The Ark, St Laurence Church,
Alvechurch from 9.30–11.30am. Free to
attend, but mums take turns to make the
coffee! Drop in for more info or call Alice on
0121 453 0197.
Blackwell Toddler Group meets every
Wednesday from 10–11.30am (term time
only) at the Church Hall, Greenhill, Blackwell.
Session includes craft activity and singalong. New members always welcome. For
more info call Trudy on 0121 445 3438.
Lickey End Playgroup runs a Parent &
Toddler session every Thursday (term time
only) from 9.30–11 am at Lickey End Methodist Church, Alcester Road, Lickey End,
Bromsgrove (tel: 07791 851382).
CLUBS & SOCIETIES
Alvechurch Film Society presents three
more films in the new year to complete
the 2009-10 Season: O Brother, Where Art
Thou (Jan 8); The Reader (Feb 5) and Cinema
Paradiso (March 5). Membership of the
Society costs just £25 per year for six films,
with visitors paying £6 per film. Films start
promptly at 8pm and the doors and bar
open at 7.30pm.
The Ark at St Laurence Church is converted
into a picture house for the evening with
a large screen and comfortable chairs.
There is usually an interval to give time for
replenishing of glasses and to have a chat
to your fellow filmgoers. More details from
Janet or Martin Wright on 0121 445 4335.
Churches Together in Alvechurch and
Rowney Green are pleased to announce
Village Society celebrates Christmas in style
ALVECHURCH VILLAGE Society celebrates
the end of its 40th anniversary year with
an evening of singing and readings from
the Alvechurch Community Choir on
December 16 at Alvechurch Village Hall.
Doors open 7.30pm; entertainment starts
at 7.45pm prompt.
Tickets must be purchased in advance
and cost £6 each, to include ALL of the
following:
l Glass of Hot Punch on arrival
l Songs and readings from the
Community Choir
l Fish + Chip supper (chicken or
vegetarian options available)
l Desserts or mince pies
l Wine or soft drinks
The evening is open to AVS members
and non-members. Contact Eileen McHugh
(0121 445 6080), Andy Humphries (0121
445 5955) or email [email protected] for
more details.
Meanwhile, the next Village Walk takes
place on Dec 26. Meet at 10:30 am at
Lickey Hills Visitor Centre for the traditional
Boxing Day freshener – a figure of 8 route
to cater for all tastes. Details from Ray &
Norma Yarnell on 0121 445 5739.
that the Citizens’ Advice Bureau will hold
advice sessions at Alvechurch Library on the
third Thursday each month from 2pm–4pm.
An adviser from Bromsgrove CAB will be
available to discuss debt and consumer
issues, benefits, housing, employment,
immigration and legal matters. The nature of
your enquiry is strictly confidential.
SILVER THREADS, the Alvechurch club, meets
on the first Wednesday each month at 2pm.
You’ll be sure of a welcome in this friendly
atmosphere, where members can chat over a
cup of tea. There are regular bingo sessions,
and occasional days out. New members welcome. Info from Pat on 0121 447 8630.
the BARNT Green Group of the Macular
Disease Society meets on the last Friday of
the month (except December) from 2–4pm
at The Friends Meeting House, Sandhills
Road, Barnt Green. We are a self help group,
which proves that there is more to life than
this devastating eye condition. New members always welcome. Contact Wendy 0121
445 1585 or Denny 01527 404518.
CAN YOU Hear Me? is a growing community
of Hearing Aid users who want information
and knowledge to enhance our daily living
and independence. Whether you’re a hearing
aid user; someone struggling to catch words,
or simply wanting information for a family
member, work colleague or friend, why not
join the group? More info on 0121 445 1985.
Bromsgrove Scrapbooking Club meets
twice monthly at Fairfield Village Hall, where
we get together to scrapbook or make cards
together. We do not run regular classes, but
we welcome all levels of experience. Come
and make some new friends, learn new
techniques and share your ideas. For more
information, email [email protected], visit alifetimeofchances.blogspot.
com, or phone 01527 875613.
The bromsgrove ladies Circle is part of
a national organisation for women aged
between 18–45, who enjoy lots of fun activities as well as raising money for national and
local charities. The group is always looking
for new members, so if you would like more
info, contact Chairman Suzanne Green at
[email protected] or visit www.
freewebs.com/bromsgrovecircle
The Village
The Monday Fellowship Group meets
at the Parish Centre behind St Andrew’s
Church in Barnt Green at 2.30pm on the
second Monday of each month. £1 per
talk, to include tea and biscuits. For more
information, come along or ring Pam
Bridgewater on 0121 445 4764. LICKEY HILLS Local History Society has
its Christmas Party and Quiz on Dec 14,
with teasing questions and seasonal
refreshments. Then on Jan 11, Simon
Henderson will talk on Bromsgrove Parish
Voices. Meetings take place at Cofton Village
Hall at 7.45pm on the 2nd Monday each
month. More info from Hon Sec George
Gascoyne on 0121 453 6320.
ALVECHURCH HISTORICAL Society has a talk
on Tramways Old & New from Mr John Boynton on Dec 7. Meetings take place at 7.45pm
on the first Monday each month at the Society’s Museum in School Lane. More info on
0121 445 1649.
THE FRIENDSHIP Club of Barnt Green’s next
meeting is on Dec 8, with a performance
from the Bournville Singers, then on Jan 19
Ed Shore will talk on Vietnam & Thailand.
Meetings take place at 2.15pm at the Friends
Meeting House in Barnt Green. For details
call Linda Fuller on 0121 445 4950.
ROWNEY GREEN Friendship Club meets on
the first Wednesday each month at 2.30pm,
currently in the Community Hall on Tanyard
Lane, Alvechurch, as the Peace Hall is being
renovated. For more details call Sandra on
0121 445 3922 or Jean on 01527 63209.
Continues overleaf
65
Village What’s On
Woodrush RFC “Old Dogs” meet on the
second Thursday in the month at the Club.
Former players and members meet and chat
over a glass of beer. For more information
call Mike Betts on 0121 445 1105 or visit
www.woodrushrfc.co.uk
BROMSGROVE PHOENIX NCDS (National
Council for the Divorced, Separated &
Widowed) Club meets at the Crown pub in
Catshill every Thurs from 8-11pm. For more
info call Jenny on 0121 608 9530, or Barbara
& Les on 457 7174.
games & COMPETITIONS
wanted: lady bridge player to make up
a foursome. Interested players please telephone 0121 445 3967.
Halesowen Bridge Club meets every
Monday at 7pm in the United Church Hall,
Hagley Road, Halesowen B63 4PX and is
seeking new members. All are welcome to
this friendly club, including visitors, whatever
their experience. The club is within easy
reach of Bromsgrove and car parking is available. For further info ring Frank on 01527
872799 or see www.waltonwestmids.org.uk
“managed” duplicate bridge sessions are
run by Anne Glendenning and Eugene Elijah
on Tuesdays (1.15 for 1.30pm) at Bournheath
Village Hall, Claypit Lane – perfect for emerging players to gain confidence. Entry £3.50
covers session, some tuition and refreshments. Info from Anne on 01527 882169.
The Friday Bridge Club plays competitive
but friendly duplicate bridge at Burcot Village Hall. New members and visitors are
always welcome. Please arrive by 7.10pm to
enable play to start promptly at 7.15. For further details, please call Jan on 01527 857796.
A pub quiz takes place every Thursday night
at The Swan, Swan Street, Alvechurch, at
9pm. Come and join in!
THE WARGAMES, Chess & Backgammon Club
meets every Mon from 7pm at Alvechurch
Sports & Social Club. All levels of ability
welcome - tuition for beginners. Call Karl on
0121 445 4616.
FOOD & DRINK
Kings Norton Farmer’s Market meets on
the Green at Kings Norton on the second
Saturday each month from 9am to 2pm.
An average of 30 stalls sell a wide range of
produce from fresh veg, bread and meats
to pastries, eggs and wine – all locally produced. All profits generated are used to
support the local community. More info at
66
The Village
ARTRIX BROMSGROVE
MAY 2010
Exciting & challenging
works required
Entries to be selected by a panel of
experienced artists/curators
Entry deadline: March 1, 2010
Details and entry forms from Carol
Cox at [email protected]
or collect from Artrix, School Drive,
Bromsgrove B60 1AX
www.kingsnortonfarmersmarket.org.uk or
call Terry Bowen (0121 459 9383) or John
Bodycote (0121 458 2420).
LICKEY WINE Circle meets on the last Thursday of each month at Cofton Hackett Village
Hall. Meetings start at 8pm – the varied programme includes talks, games, quizzes and
themed evenings. More details from Sheila
on 0121 445 5436.
Birmingham Wine School offers anything
from an introductory session to a ten-week
course – perfect for those who enjoy a tipple
and would love to learn more. For more info
or to book, visit www.birminghamwineschool.com or call Rob on 01295 679 313.
ART & LITERATURE
Alvechurch Library Readers Group meet
in the library one Monday a month from
6.30–7.45pm. New members are always welcome. Further details from Alyson Williams
on 0121 445 3049. The creative writing group
“writerworkshops@alvechurchlib” also meets
in the library on the last Friday of the month
from 11–12.30pm. Details as above.
Alvechurch Art Group meets at the Baptist Hall (rear of church) every Tuesday, 12.45
–3.30pm. We use all mediums except oil. All
welcome, especially beginners. Friendly tuition offered. Park at rear of Red Lion. Contact
Paul Birch on 0121 445 5437 or just drop in.
LICKEY HILLS ART SOCIETY, a friendly bunch
of artists and those interested in art, meet
at Longbridge Methodist Church, Bristol Rd,
B45 9TY, on the first Sat each month at
7.30pm. We have demonstrations by other
highly skilled artists, and members can
exhibit and sell paintings at our exhibitions.
Open to artists and non-artists alike. For
more info call Graham on 0121 453 7097 or
come to a meeting – we’d love to see you.
BURCOT ART Group, which meets on the
first Friday of the month between 10am12pm at Burcot Village Hall, has space for
new members. For more info call 0121 445
1424 / 1780.
Hall. For more info, call Annette on 01527
64814.
WYTHALL WRITERS meet at Wythall Library,
May Lane, Hollywood on the second Thursday of the month. New members always
welcome. More info from Helen on 01564
824517, Eileen on 01564 822214 or at www.
wythallwriters.com
Burcot Gardening Club meets on the first
Wednesday of each month at Burcot Village
Hall. Meetings start at 7.45pm. New members
and visitors very welcome. For more info
please call 01527 877227.
MUSEUMS
AVONCROFT MUSEUM hosts A Worcestershire Christmas from Dec 5 –20, featuring an
exhibition of period interiors, festive music
and costume. More info on 01527 831363.
THE BLACK Country Living Museum’s highly
popular Santa Hunts, in which children
embark upon a fun-filled search for Santa,
take place on Dec 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 22,
23 and 24.
There are also Traditional Christmas Evenings on Dec 18, 19, 21 and 22, when Victorian carol singers, bell ringers, street organs,
market stalls and a brass band take visitors
on a trip down memory lane. Both events are
pre-book only – call 0121 520 8054.
COMPTON VERNEY in Warwickshire has two
exhibitions running until Dec 13. The Artist’s
Studio takes visitors behind the scenes to
explore the studios of artists such as JMW
Turner and David Hockney, while Georgian
Portraits: Seeing is Believing is a unique opportunity to see portraits by the likes of
Henry Raeburn and George Stubbs. Advance
booking recommended – call 01926 645500
or visit www.comptonverney.org.uk
GARDENS & FLOWERS
A New floristry course began on September 15 at Alvechurch Village Hall from
1.30–3.30pm, teaching creative techniques
in floral design for all occasions. All ages
welcome, please phone to book your place
on 0121 447 7690 or email byrne_tp@yahoo.
co.uk
BROMSGROVE & DISTRICT Flower Arrangement Society meets on the third Thursday
each month at 2.30pm in All Saints Church
Hall. Visitors always welcome. For further info
contact Beryl on 01527 833287 or view our
fantastic website: www.bromsgroveflowerclub.org.uk
BARNT GREEN Garden Society meets on
the second Thursday of each month at the
Friends Meeting House in Barnt Green. Meetings start at 7.30pm; the December meeting
is a Christmas Party and is for members only.
ROWNEY GREEN Flower Club meets on the
fourth Thursday of each month at The Peace
Rosehill Flower Arrangement Society
meets on the second Monday of each month
at Lickey Parish Hall – for details call Belinda
on 0121 447 7477 or Diana on 01527 870549.
THE NORTH Worcestershire Fuchsia Society meets on the second Wednesday each
month at Aston Fields Social Club, with regular speakers, exhibitions and advice – 7.30 for
7.45pm. Info from Secretary Stewart Jones:
01527 877662.
WOMEN’S INSTITUTES
BEOLEY WI meets on the first Tuesday of each
month in Beoley Village Hall at 7.30pm. For
more info please contact Georgia Jacobs on
01527 62766.
Blackwell & BURCOT WI meets at Burcot
Village Hall on the second Wednesday each
month, at 2.15pm. For info call Barbara Savage on 01527 833947.
Lickey WI meets on the first Tuesday of
every month at 7.45 pm in the Parish Hall,
Lickey. For more info please contact Jenny
Ryder on 0121 445 1872 or visit www.lickeywi.moonfruit.com
ALVECHURCH WI meets on the second
Monday each month in Alvechurch Village
Hall, at 7.30pm. For more info call President
Christine Grainger on 0121 445 4957.
St Catherine’s WI meets at 7.30pm on the
third Thursday of each month, in ‘The Wheel’
at Blackwell. More info from Pearl Prior on
01527 832493.
Hopwood WI meets in Hopwood Village
Hall on the first Thursday of the month at
7.30pm. For more info call Doreen Springer
on 0121 445 3191.
Hillside at ALVECHURCH WI meets
at 7.45pm on the first Wednesday each
month at Tanyard Lane Community Hall,
Alvechurch. For info call Jacqueline Hollingworth on 0121 445 0488. 
If you would like us to list
events for free in this guide,
please send or email details to
Sally Oldaker at the address on
page 3, by January 16.
Sally’s
very
happy
ending
Village Books
S
ally Anne Morris has
wanted to be a writer
since she was a young
girl, and now she has seen
her first novel published and
launched at Alvechurch Library
(right).
Trick or Treat is a modern
romantic comedy with paranormal elements – and even a
bit of spoon-bending.
It has been published by
Little Black Dress Books, pioneer of
“chick-lit” titles where the reader has
a good idea of what they are going to
find between the covers.
And that is “light-hearted romantic
comedy, with the emphasis on the
romantic,” says Sally, a 40-year-old
mother of two who writes in her spare
time at home in Alvechurch.
“It is a kind of escape for me,” says
Sally, who teaches psychology to sixthformers as her day job.
Without giving away too much
of the story, Trick or Treat features a
main character called Lizzie Diamond
(whose mother was influenced by
The Beatles) who has to sort out the
love-lives of two ghosts before she can
tackle her own.
Sally has clearly enjoyed the writing,
even when it came to the “intimate”
scenes, “which can be really tricky to
write – I have tried to keep it very lighthearted!”
Sally says seeing her book published
“has been like two dreams comes true
for me,” explaining that the money
from the book enabled her to pay for a
“nominated” horse she can ride when
she likes at a rescue centre in Wootten
Wawen.
Sally also spends a day a week
learning the craft of bee-keeping from
Alvechurch bee-master Morris Jephcott.
Even with so many projects on the
go, Sally is now working on her next
novel, set in a vintage clothes shop.
Trick or Treat is available from bookshops at £5.99 or on the internet.
T
he final book in Barnt Green (or should that be Lickey?)
barrister David Crigman’s crime and court trilogy has
just been published.
In Death We Trust sees the flawed beauty, Naomi Nicholas,
take on the contemptible Ronan Cadogan yet again as the
two legal high-fliers find themselves entangled in the nasty,
soulless world created by vicious criminals.
I didn’t have chance to read this one before we went to
press (it was launched at Borders, Birmingham, on November 26, the day the book company went into administration), but I enjoyed the first two – What’s Truth Got to Do
With It and The Molecule Man – and am looking forward to
finding out if Naomi can best Cadogan in this outing. RP
In Death We Trust is £9.99 from www.librario.com and also available in bookshops.
The Village
67
FH
& S
part of
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OF ALL LEADING MAKES OF MOWER
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and Chainsaw Chains.
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& DELIVERY
SERVICE
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full services*
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*cost of service only. Until 31.01.10
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11 SANDERS ROAD, BROMSGROVE, B61 7DG
FULL ON-SITE PARKING

0121 445 4545 - btconnect.com

Transcription

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