Paulette Hamilton MP for Erdington, BIrmingham, in Westminster / Pic supplied by Paulette Hamilton MP
(Ed’s note – this column was written for the Erdington Local printed edition and first published on 15.11.24)
At the end of October, the Chancellor delivered the autumn budget – the first under a Labour government in 14 years. After over a decade of Conservative mismanagement, we’re finally taking steps to rebuild Britain and restore faith in our economy.
This budget focuses on the issues that matter most: fixing the NHS, raising wages, supporting our schools, and strengthening our communities – all without increasing taxes on working people.
So, what does this mean for Erdington, Kingstanding, Castle Vale and South Oscott?
First, the increase in the National Living Wage will benefit thousands locally, putting more money in the pockets of hardworking families.
Our NHS will receive a £25.6 billion boost over the next two years, ensuring more appointments and better care for all. Schools will see a £2.3 billion increase in funding, 6,500 more teachers, and a £30 million investment in free breakfast clubs, ensuring every child starts the day ready to learn.
To tackle crime, we’re ending the neglect of low-value shoplifting and other petty crimes slipping through the cracks.
This budget funds 13,000 more neighbourhood officers and PCSOs, so our streets and local traders – like those at Erdington High Street, Slade Road and Kingstanding Precinct – will be safer. And with £500 million to fix potholes, our roads will finally see the improvements they deserve.
This budget fixes the foundations to deliver change, with working people and local communities at its heart. It’s the reset our economy and country have needed.
The annual Halloween Pumpkin Hunt comes back to Short Heath Playing Fields on Saturday 2 November – marking the fifth year in a row the popular event has been held on the local park land.
Completely free to attend, and open to adults and children of all ages, the Pumpkin Hunt runs on Short Heath Playing Fields from 5pm until 7pm – with the sign in tent located at the start of the hunt by the entrance on Short Heath Road, next to the number 28 bus stop.
Signs on Short Heath Playing Fields for the Pumpkin Hunt / Ed King
Children are invited to dress up in their scariest Halloween costumes and search for the hidden pumpkins that have been scattered around the playing fields, making a drawing of the individually carved pumpkin faces as they go. The at the end of the hunt all children taking part will get a special Halloween treat.
There will also be a costume competition with prizes for the best dress boy, girl, child under five, and adult.
Refreshments are also available and served by the Short Heath Wombles, a community group made up of local residents who keep the park free of litter and help support the site’s regular sporting events.
Pumpkin Hunt drawings in the sign-in tent / Ed King
Organised every year by Short Heath Fields Trust (SHFT), and held on the green space the Trust fought to save, the Halloween Pumpkin Hunt attracts families from across the Erdington constituency – from Kingstanding to Castle Vale.
Ahead of the Pumpkin Hunt on Saturday 2 November, a spokesperson from SHFT told Erdington Local: “The Pumpkin Hunt is a really important part if our calendar and something we look forward to each year.
“It’s great to see families come back each year to support us.”
Short Heath Fields Trust members and children from Pumpkin Hunt 2023 / Ed King
They added: “We see people from all along the 28 bus route so it’s important to us we make sure it’s free to all those that attend.
“This will be our fifth Pumkin Hunt and we can’t wait to see familiar faces return, as well as newcomers.”
Known for its spooky secrets, outlandish costumes, and welcoming SHFT members (even if they are dressed as scary clowns or plague doctors), the annual event has become a badge of community spirit with organisers saying it helps prove the value of retaining green spaces in an urban setting.
Running for half a decade, the popular family event has always been free to attend with every child attending going home with something special.
Short Heath Fields Trust members and children at Pumpkin Hunt sign-in tent / Ed King
However, this year SHFT were almost force to cancel the Pumpkin Hunt as squatters had left significant rubbish in the neighbouring Bleak Hill Park, including tents and even a microwave, which the Trust had been petitioning Birmingham City Council (BCC) for months to remove.
Erdington Local has been shown communication from SHFT confirming BCC had promised to clear the refuse by 28 August, and more emails dating back to the beginning of September as the Trust continue to chase local councillors and the Council to make good on their promise.
Decoration from Pumpkin Hunt 2023 / Ed King
SHFT have confirmed to Erdington Local the area is now cordoned off ahead of the Pumkin Hunt and will be staffed throughout the event to ensure no one can gain access, with appropriate Halloween messages warning people away.
Short Heath Fields Trust’s Halloween Pumpkin Hunt will be held from 5pm to 7pm at Short Heath Playing Fields on Saturday 2 November, accessible through the entrance on Short Heath Road.
The Pumkin Hunt is free to attend and open to children of all ages.
Officers from Operation Skybridge / West Midlands Police
Officers from the recently formed special police unit Operation Skybridge have arrested three men in the Erdington constituency and charged them with possession with intent to supply, after seizing Class A drugs and money.
After stopping a car on Jackdaw Road, Perry Common, in the early hours of Friday 25 October, two men were found to be holding what police described as “a stash of drugs and haul of cash.”
Shaun Williams, aged 35, of no fixed address, and Daniel Griffiths, aged 31 from Erdington, were arrested and charged with possessing drugs with intent to supply.
Jacdaw Road, Perry Common / Google Maps
The pair were then processed and appeared at Birmingham Magistrates Court the following weekend, with a date set for their case to be heard at Birmingham Crown Court on 25 November.
Preceding the arrests, and acting on information gained, officers from Operation Skybridge were able to apprehend and charge another suspected local drug dealer.
Rielle Forbes-Brown, aged 23 from Erdington, was arrested for possession with intent to supply after being found with drugs, money, and “multiple mobile phones” in a car on Chudleigh Road, Erdington, on Thursday 24 October.
Mr Forbes-Brown has been remanded in custody until his day at Birmingham Crown Court on 22 November.
Chudleigh Road, Erdington / Google Maps
Following all the arrests and the suspects being processed into the courts, a spokesperson from West Midlands Police told: “We’ve seized Class A drugs and secured charges after our proactive crime team swooped on vehicles in Erdington.
“Officers from the Op Skybridge team stopped a car in Jackdaw Road during the early hours of last Friday (25 October) and recovered a stash of drugs and haul of cash.
“We arrested two people who have since been charged with possessing drugs with intent to supply.”
They added: “We detained another man after acting on information and stopping a vehicle in Chudleigh Road on Thursday [24 Oct] morning.
“We found drugs, multiple mobile phones and a quantity of cash.”
Cocaine / Adobe Stock Images
As defined by the Misuse of Dugs Act 1971, narcotics in the UK that fall under Class A include cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, crystal meth, LSD, and magic mushrooms.
Jail time for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs can vary depending on the amount seized, and the perceived role the offender plays in the distribution of the drugs.
The lowest level offender can be let off with a high level community order, but most will be looking at a minimum of around two years behind bars – with the most serious facing life imprisonment.
Operation Skybridge was recently launched with officers from the Birmingham Proactive Crime Team, with a mandate to tackle street level and community crime such as robbery, assault, home invasions, burglaries, and drug dealing.
A spokesperson from WMP added: “Our Op Skybridge team is made up of plain clothed and uniformed officers who target areas where information is received about crime that affects our communities.
“This includes those believed to be involved in robbery, burglary and drug crime.
“If you have any information about crime in your area then please call us on 101 quoting #OpSkybridge. The intelligence we receive will be considered and acted upon.”
Members of the public have also been invited to contact West Midlands Police though the Live Chat facility on their website, or by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Local amateur dramatics company, The Erdington Players, is set to return to the stage this November with their production of Ken Ludwig’s award winning murder mystery play The Game’s Afoot (Holmes for the Holidays).
Running from 13-16 November at the United Reformed Church (URC) on Holly Lane, tickets will be priced at £9 (adults) and £7 (children under 16). Performances will be held at 7:30pm from Wednesday to Friday, with a 2:30pm matinee rounding up the run on the Saturday.
The Erdington Players, which has operated since 1963, has pervious performed family friendly plays and musicals including Goodnight Mister Tom, Peter Pan, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Grease, and is committed to bringing “affordable theatre to the heart of the community.”
The Erdington Players rehearse The Game’s Afoot by Ken Ludwig
Written by renowned American playwright, Ken Ludwig, The Game’s Afoot has kept audiences guessing on both sides of the Atlantic since premiering at the Cleveland Playhouse, Ohio, on 25 November 2011.
The murder mystery tells the story of a famed 1930’s actor, William Gillette, housing a Christmas Eve party for his Sherlock Holmes cast members. But as life imitates art, not all of his festive guests will make it through the night – with Gillette assuming the persona of his on stage detective to solve the case.
The Game’s Afoot was nominated for and won the Edgar Allen Poe Award for ‘Best Play’ following its initial run, with The Erdington Players bringing it across the pond nearly 13 years later to the day.
The show’s director, Colin Bridle, said: “The cast and crew are working hard to deliver The Game’s Afoot, and it’s a fantastic challenge for us to bring such a strong, critically acclaimed script to life.”
The Erdington Players cast of The Game’s Afoot by Ken Ledwig
He added: “This is a show that combines a genuinely gripping ‘whodunnit’ with laugh-out-loud slapstick elements, and we’re sure that our audiences will enjoy watching it as much as we’re enjoying making it.”
While The Erdington Players focus on the upcoming performance, the group has also issued an appeal to the community for help as it looks to recruit new members.
Founded over 60 years ago, The Erdington Players is one of the longest running amateur dramatics companies in the city and want to build both cast and crew to support their aims of two annual productions.
James Cresswell, chairman of The Erdington Players, said: “Delivering quality, affordable community theatre for more than 60 years is a legacy that we’re immensely proud of, and something that we’re keen to continue to offer.
“Our latest production owes everything to the small, passionate group of volunteers that make up our group today.”
He added: “The reality is, however, that we must increase our numbers in order to deliver shows going forward.
“Therefore, we would encourage anyone who would like to join us, whether as a performer, backstage hand, or as a member of our front-of-house team, to get in touch.”
The Erdington Players present The Game’s Afoot at the Erdington United Reformed Church, Holly Lane, from 13-16 November. For a direct link to online ticke sales visit www.ticketsource.co.uk/erdington-the-players
Wilson Stuart School student with books from Bookbuzz
Students at Wilson Stuart School are wholeheartedly embracing the joy of reading, thanks to their recent engagement with the Book Trust scheme, ‘Bookbuzz’.
This innovative initiative allows the school to pay a subscription, granting access to a vibrant selection of accessible, high-quality books.
Pupils are encouraged to conduct investigative work on these books, determining their interest before choosing one to enjoy at home and school. If they find a book to their liking, they have the delightful opportunity to keep it, thereby gaining access to hundreds of literary treasures throughout the year.
Central to this initiative is a generous donation from the Children’s Book Project, which has significantly enriched the students’ reading experience.
All children at Wilson Stuart School are now able to select a book to take home, fostering a lasting love of literature and ensuring every child has access to quality reading material.
A special visitor this year was Woody from Toy Story, adding excitement to the occasion.
Literacy lead Kristyl Bonner and EYFS learning lead Charlotte Davis expressed their gratitude, stating: “We would like to say a massive thank you to the Children’s Book Project in donating to Wilson Stuart and giving our students the opportunity to come along, pick up and take home a book of their choice. It shows the importance of reading and the power of books.”
We start with cold air.
Weak, unwarm sunshine,
Falling in rays –
A cold wind heaving
His chorus …
Imperceptible fade into summer,
The sound of happiness personified –
The tinkle of wind chimes,
The slam of struggling sea waves,
And the smell of cut, hot grass …
Then the weather makes an
Imprint like a potato: nice, paintable skies –
Yellow clouds and flying birds.
The smell of fire and the sound of crows …
We end with cold air.
A frosty feeling –
The taste of colds wrapped in a bandage
Around our tongues,
Burned away with a hot, sweet drink…
Daniel Selwood is a student at The Hive College who is involved in our BACK TO SCHOOL, LOCAL AMBASSADORS, and GET WRITING GET WORKING programmes – providing him a platform to support and develop his writing.
Staff and students at Queensbury School presenting a collage for Black History Month
Queensbury engaged students in a meaningful exploration of influential Black figures and their contributions to society by celebrating Black History Month.
Students participated in research projects focused on notable individuals, ranging from civil rights leaders to artists, scientists, and activists.
In classrooms, teachers facilitated discussions about the historical context of these figures, encouraging students to delve into their lives, challenges, and accomplishments. Students worked in groups to present their findings, using creative formats like posters and presentations.
The initiative not only fostered a deeper understanding of Black history but also promoted critical thinking and teamwork.
A closer look at Queensbury School student’s work for Black History Month
Students learned about figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Owen Jesse, George and contemporary leaders, gaining insight into their struggles for equality and justice.
The celebration culminated in a school-wide event where students showcased their research through displays and posters.
This collaborative effort highlighted the importance of Black history, encouraging students to appreciate the cultural contributions while inspiring them to continue advocating for equality and understanding in their own lives.
Words and pics supplied by Marsh Hill Primary School
Designs on Christmas cards and other festive items printed by School Print World
Festive fun has come early at Marsh Hill Primary, as children across the school get ready for a special ‘design your own Christmas card’ project to celebrate the autumn/winter term.
Teaming up with education print and fundraising specialists School Print World, the project will let the children’s imaginations run wild – and then see their designs on a personally designed Christmas card, which parents and carers can order online for the festive season.
A lot of fun and teaching children to have confidence with their own artwork, the schoolwide project is also a chance for Marsh Hill to raise extra funds – whilst encouraging creativity.
The cards are sold online (much cheaper than in the shops) and give families a chance to send something really special to their loved ones over the festive period.
School Print World work with schools across the UK, bringing innovative and art driven creative projects that support fundraising, and can print the designs on a range of festive items – including mugs, calendars, and even scented candles.
Marsh Hill Primary School Deputy Head, Mrs Leavey, told: “The design your own Christmas card project is about getting the children really engaged in creativity and art, producing something special for their families and loved ones.
“It’s a lot of fun and can be a great way to raise a bit of extra funds for the school during the festive season. We can’t wait to see what the children come up with.”
Marsh Hill Primary School is part of the Erdington Local BACK TO SCHOOL programme, working together to celebrate school life from staffroom to classroom.
If your school would like to know more about going BACK TO SCHOOL with Erdington Local please email: edking@erdingtonlocal.com
Winning artwork at the Kings Rise Academy 2024 Autumn Art Competition
We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2024 Autumn Art Competition! Eight talented students have been selected for their outstanding artwork, which will be displayed in our school gallery throughout the term.
The competition invited students from all year groups to create pieces inspired by the beauty of autumn. From colourful landscapes to abstract interpretations of the season, the submissions were filled with creativity and technical skill.
The judges had a difficult task selecting the winners, as all the entries demonstrated a strong sense of imagination and artistic flair. After much deliberation, eight exceptional pieces were chosen for their originality, technique, and the way they captured the essence of autumn.
Sign outside Kings Rise Academy / Ed King
A huge congratulations to our winners: Fatima (Yr6), Ronia (Yr2), Joshua (Yr6), Michelle (Yr3), Kylen (Nursery), Annie (Yr2), Ruby (Reception), and Madison (Yr4). Their remarkable artworks will be showcased in the school gallery, offering a beautiful reflection of the season for everyone to admire.
Thank you to all students who took part in the competition. Your creativity brought autumn to life in so many wonderful ways, and we are proud of everyone who submitted artwork.
Words and pics supplied by Kingsthorne Primary School
Kingsthorne Nursery children on a bug hunt
Life at Kingsthorne has continued to be very busy this month. Last week, our youngest children in Nursery went on a bug hunt around their outdoor area.
As well as finding ants, earwigs, worms and snails there was the opportunity for mark making and vocabulary development. The children also made a bed for ten in a bed which allowed for physical development and collaborative discussions.
Year 6, travelled further afield on their visit to the Heights of Abraham in Derbyshire. To go, the children had to be at school very early and didn’t get back until after half past 4!
Kingsthorne Year 6 children exploring the caves at Heights of Abraham, Derbyshire
Whilst they were there, they had the chance to explore the caves and discovered how the landscape is now used to support tourism after being mined for many years.
The children had the chance to take a ride on the cable car and experience the amazing view – a first for most of them. The visit was linked to their learning about mountains around the world.
They have been researching Mount Everest and the hostile climate there – even colder than Kingstanding in winter.
Kingsthorne Primary School is part of the Erdington Local BACK TO SCHOOL programme, working together to celebrate school life from staffroom to classroom.
If your school would like to know more about going BACK TO SCHOOL with Erdington Local please email: edking@erdingtonlocal.com
