Thursday July 24 2014
Village News
An exhibition by Alvechurch art students takes place at the Village Hall from July 24-26. It will be open on the Thursday and Friday from 10am until 6pm and on the Saturday from 10am until 5pm – and entry is free!
Two Barnt Green homes were targeted by burglars on the same afternoon and police believe the incidents may be linked.
Race to save historic Redditch building
A community group is urging local people to get involved in a campaign to save a historic Redditch building from the bulldozers.
St Andrew’s Church in Barnt Green is to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War with a number of events this year.
Philip Aubury, former director of Birmingham Botanical Gardens, managed to get a large “voodoo lily” in his garden at Hill Cottage, Scarfield Hill, to flower bang on time for Alvechurch Open Gardens.
A Bromsgrove man is taking on his first triathlon to raise money for a children’s home in Kenya.
Young explorer off to Himalayas
Many youngsters look forward to a relaxing holiday after their A-levels, but one Barnt Green teenager will be taking a trip with a difference when he joins an expedition to the Himalayas.
Three Barnt Green cyclists have raised £8,250 for Cure Leukaemia for Kids by riding from John O’Groats to Land’s End.
Sports stars and friends enjoyed a night of fundraising at Barnt Green’s Deedar Indian Restaurant when Dougie Brown, Warwickshire County Cricket Club’s Director of Cricket, hosted an event in support of The Brain Tumour Charity.
Bromsgrove Festival is on until July 20, encompassing all sorts of events ranging from exhibitions to concerts and theatre performances as well as free family entertainment.
Alvechurch Village Hall Management Committee is looking for a new secretary.
The Cinnamon Trust animal charity holds a special ‘Animals R Magic’ event at the Jinney Ring Craft Centre in Hanbury (B60 4BT) on Sun July 20 from 11am to 5pm.
Councillor in a supporting role
Sarah Rees reports from the Oakalls and Parklands . . .
The Suited & Booted Festival in Alvechurch was enjoyed by many people once again, despite wet weather!
The Orchestra of St John presents its annual MusicFest as part of Bromsgrove Festival, with three exciting concerts in St John’s Church, Bromsgrove.
Ken’s boost for local arts scene
A new arts initiative founded by an Alvechurch resident is set to bring a host of exciting events to the local area.
Walkers raise £2,000 for the boys
A group of friends who took part in a 40-mile walk have raised almost £2,000 for Prostate Cancer UK.
The top prizes in a prestigious golf tournament open to juniors across the Midlands held by an Alvechurch club were all won by lads with plenty of local knowledge.
The Alvechurch Neighbourhood Plan steering group wants to hear more villagers’ views.
Paws Here Dog Grooming and Hopwood Veterinary Centre have joined forces to provide a new dog waste bin for a popular area of the Lickey Hills.
Travellers’ visit is catalyst for debate
The provocative subject of gypsies and travellers visiting the area led to lively discussion at two Alvechurch parish meetings.
Lickey & Blackwell Parish Council is seeking two new recruits.
Record donations for Christian Aid
Door-to-door collectors have raised a record amount of money for Christian Aid in Cofton Hackett and Barnt Green.
Lickey & Blackwell parish councillors are considering a proposal from Worcestershire County Council aimed at easing the traffic problems near Lickey Hills Primary School.
Villagers are bracing themselves for more disruption as the Alvechurch rail upgrade enters a critical phase.
Alvechurch Middle School pupils showed their creative colours in the annual school Arts Week, this year’s theme being “The Four Seasons”.
Blackwell resident Andrew Cunnell won his 65+ age group category in the 80 Kilometre Powerman Duathlon race, securing a place at the World Championships in Switzerland.
Capture the spirit of Barnt Green in 2014
Barnt Green Residents’ Association is inviting young photographers to enter a competition aimed at capturing a snapshot of the village in summer 2014.
U13s win County Cup for third time
Alvechurch Middle School’s Under-13 football team is celebrating after winning the Worcestershire Schools’ Football Association County Cup for the third year running – something no school has achieved before.
A youngster from Cofton Hackett has become the national squash champion for his age group after a flawless progression to the final.
Man charged with ‘attempting to take’ schoolgirl in Barnt Green
A man has appeared in court charged with attempting to take a child in Barnt Green on Wednesday morning.
Police are appealing for witnesses after three burglars sped away from a Finstall house in broad daylight when one of them was disturbed inside the property.
An Alvechurch Variety Performance takes place in Alvechurch Village Hall on Saturday June 28, starting at 7.30pm.
The son of a Barnt Green man who fought in the Middle East during the First World War is to give a talk on his father’s experiences.
Exhibition of rare music photographs
Alvechurch Library is hosting an exciting photographic exhibition throughout July, promoted by Apollo Community Arts and featuring a unique collection of pictures taken by music manager Jim Simpson of Big Bear Music.
Village Views
We at The Village would be the first to agree that social media is a positive way to communicate – it brings immediacy to news stories, and Facebook and Twitter are great tools for promoting local events and businesses and for sharing information.
JULY 2014
Will bays be shown respect by shoppers?
The success of another parking bay for disabled drivers (“Co-op parking bay ideas”, The Village, June 2014) will depend on Alvechurch shoppers’ willingness to respect it.
Re: your report on the Marlbrook Tip last month: I’m afraid the information from Coun Cooper is not really correct. The following outlines where I think we are with the formation of this group.
This is a copy of a letter we have sent to Network West Midlands regarding the Number 45 bus.
I thought you might be interested in seeing this roe deer buck, antlers just starting to grow nicely.
These are photos of some of the rubbish left again in the field next to the M42 overpass in Alvechurch.
The Marlbrook Tip debacle already beggars belief, so long-suffering residents could be forgiven for thinking that things couldn’t get any more farcical. . . but the latest twist in the 15-year saga has scaled new heights of absurdity.
The committee of Alvechurch & Hopwood Cricket Club would like to acknowledge the way in which Andy Humphries and Alvechurch Parish Council have gone about supporting the club in dealing with the problem caused by the infamous fallen black poplar tree.
I was surprised that Bob Dale decided to question the integrity of The Village (Village Views May 2014) in reporting the leader of the district council stepping down.
£50 fine crosses a line for parking
On the morning of April17 my father returned to his car in the Alvechurch Sports & Social Club car park to find a fixed penalty envelope stuck to the windscreen containing a charge of £50 for parking over the white lines.
JUNE 2014
Following on from last month’s View, in which we bemoaned the various traffic problems in our villages, we’ve been exercising our brains over the question of just why people choose to park on pavements.
Getting tyre-d of all the litter. . .
Just a couple of weeks after volunteers did such a good job of collecting litter in Hopwood, I walked down Ash Lane to see a load of tyres dumped all around the ‘No Tipping’ sign.
MAY 2014
I thought your short and rather sarcastic article about Roger Hollingworth in the April edition was unworthy of your magazine, which can usually be relied upon for balanced reporting and opinion.
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Village Features
The soldier shot by his own side
The tragic tale of a Rowney Green man executed for alleged desertion during the First World War.
Film Review: Boyhood (Richard Linklater, 2014)
There is a scene in Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty (2013) where journalist and central protagonist Jep Gambardella views a photographic exhibition whose author is the son of one of his friends. This exhibition is comprised of thousands of photographs of the son from a multitude of points in his life.
Amateur astronomer Brian Watkiss peers into the Village night sky.
Spring warmth in 200-year highs
Alvechurch amateur weatherman Phil Thomas records the changes.
Protect your family’s most valuable assets
Critical illness insurance is essential to look after your family, says Paul Lyons.
Traditional teas for all occasions
Since relocating to the centre of Barnt Green in March, the nostalgia-fest that is Constance Wallace has been doing a roaring trade.
Village Archive: 10 years ago…
A look back at what was happening around here in July 2004.
Sally Oldaker finds out if the food lives up to the beer at the Coach & Horses.
Special touch for country homes
Give your property the treatment it deserves with a prestigious makeover by Mark Lea Interior Design.
Simon Welch of Alvechurch Communities Together makes an appeal on behalf of The Lounge.
The ideal driveway, patio or footpath should be attractive, safe, and environmentally friendly – and local company Eco-Pave ticks all the boxes with its resin-bound surfacing system.
Shaw Stone picked to kit out Amanda’s place in the sun
With a client list that already includes Harrods, Bentley Motors and Wembley Stadium, Shaw Stone Surfaces Ltd is being recognised in high places – and the firm’s latest client was no exception.
Blackwell travel counsellor Jane Ward arranges an epic adventure in New Zealand.
Mary Green seeks flora and fauna along our roadsides.
Hannah Genders enjoys viewing the Chelsea show gardens created by young designers.
Folk from Bromsgrove and beyond flocked to the Finstall Open Gardens event, taking the opportunity to stroll around the pretty village, chat to friends and neighbours and visit the many diverse gardens on show.
Dave Morgan suggests visiting some unusual Open Gardens further afield in Worcestershire.
Film Review: The Wind Rises (Hayao Miyazaki, 2013)
Like Luxor Jr, the animated lamp that signals the beginning of a Pixar film, the outline of Totoro, the adorable wood spirit from Hayao Miyazaki’s 1988 My Neighbour Totoro, introduces The Wind Rises as emerging out of Japan’s Studio Ghibli. Not only do the two studios make use of a mascot in order to represent themselves pictorially, but they both enjoy a history of critical and popular successes unrivalled by any other animation studios working at present.
Enjoyable and fairly funny: **
Film Review: Bad Neighbours (Nicholas Stoller, 2014)
Our film reviewer Tom Draper (www.draperonfilm.com) gives his verdict on Seth Rogen’s latest outing.
Hopwood-based artist Paula Hamilton learns about a quilt exchange.
Everyone at The Lounge would like to extend their heartfelt thanks for the generous support of local people over the past few months.
Hannah Genders picks a favourite garden at this year’s Malvern Spring Show.
Dave Morgan describes some of the treats in store for children and adults in our local Open Gardens.
A Rowney Green wood is about to be transformed with native tree species.
