Tag: Castle Vale

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BACK TO SCHOOL: Chivenor pupils captivated by West End spectacle

Chivenor Primary School pupils outside Lyceum Theatre in London / Photograph supplied by Chivenor Primary School

Words and photograph supplied by 4Cadbury — Chivenor Primary School’s Junior Correspondents

On Wednesday 7 January, students from Chivenor Primary School swapped their traditional classroom lessons and books for a “dazzling, once-in-a-lifetime experience” in London’s West End.

Departing by coach early in the morning, the group journeyed to the capital, where they were lucky enough to catch glimpses of iconic landmarks including the London Eye, Elizabeth Tower, Big Ben, and Trafalgar Square.

The highlight of the excursion was a visit to the Lyceum Theatre to see the world-renowned production of The Lion King. As the “heart-beating drum beats” began and the r curtain rose, the atmosphere became “spine-tingling”.

Students were fascinated by the “magnificent” giraffes, enormous elephant and various other animals in hand-crafted masks that brought the African savannah to life.

The performance was a powerful retelling of Simba’s journey from childhood to king of the Savannah. Pupils watched intently as the story unfolded, from the “animal parade” at the start to the darker moments where the villainous Scar led Simba toward a “disgusting” hyena-filled trap.

Despite the complexity of the plot, one student noted that the “captivating” production ensured even those at the back of the theatre felt like they were part of the action.

After the final curtain closed, the group began their long journey home enjoying the lights of London as they passed.

While the day was long, the students returned with “dazzling” memories of a ‘soul-stirring’ performance that perfectly complemented their current studies on the continent of Africa.

For more on Chivenor Primary School visit www.chivenor-gst.org

Chivenor Primary School is part of Griffin Schools Trust, for more information visit www.griffinschoolstrust.org

Chivenor 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: [email protected]

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Building momentum across Castle Vale with The Pioneer Group

Simon Wilson, The Pioneer Group CEO / Photograph by Phil Greig and supplied by The Pioneer Group

Words by Simon Wilson, Chief Executive Officer – The Pioneer Group & Compass Support

We know that Castle Vale is a proud community with a strong sense of identity, and the Government’s latest data* shows that things are beginning to move in the right direction.

While we remain aware of the challenges many residents face particularly around income, employment and access to opportunities the estate is less deprived than it was five years ago, which shows clear signs of progress.

We are also seeing improvements in community safety. Crime levels remain lower than the Birmingham average, showing the positive impact of local partnerships and a strong community spirit. These shifts matter; they create the foundations for greater confidence, investment and wellbeing.

We know that high‑quality housing and a safe, attractive environment are essential for a thriving community. The latest data highlights that Castle Vale performs better than many similar neighbourhoods in areas such as housing quality and the wider living environment, and we remain committed to strengthening those advantages.

But opportunity also depends on skills. Our Skills Hub, based in Topcliffe House continues to grow, offering CV support, training and pathways to local jobs helping residents build brighter futures right here on the estate.

Castle Vale is changing, and we are proud to play our part in driving that positive momentum forward.

(*Based on the Government’s 2025 statistics on deprivation, for more visit www.deprivation.communities.gov.uk)

For more on The Pioneer Group visit www.pioneergroup.org.uk

The Pioneer Group and Compass Support are key partners in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme – supporting independent local and community journalism.

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OPINION: A message from Paulette Hamilton, MP for Erdington

Paulette Hamilton MP (centre) with local community group memebers / Photograph supplied by Paulette Hamilton MP

(Ed’s note… this column was written for the January/February Erdington Local newspaper and first published on 20.01.26)

Words by Paulette Hamilton MP

A very happy New Year to you all. I hope you had a restful Christmas and were able to spend quality time with family and loved ones, just as I did at home here in Erdington.

Over recent weeks, I have been meeting with local groups including the Friends of Conker Island, Together in the Community and New Heights to listen directly from residents about their priorities for Kingstanding. These conversations will shape how the £20 million Pride in Place fund is delivered. This investment has the potential to bring real, lasting change, but only if it is driven by local voices, local needs and local ambition.

I have also seen some surprising claims from local Conservatives attempting to take credit for this funding. Let me be clear. After 14 years of Conservative government, Erdington was repeatedly overlooked for investment, including a rejected £10 million Levelling Up bid for Erdington High Street. That is their legacy; this £20 million is ours.

To keep this conversation going, I am hosting a public meeting for Kingstanding residents on Friday 23 January, 11am–1pm, at New Heights, St John’s Centre. I encourage you to come along and have your say.

Community safety remains a top priority. I recently met Sgt Fulford for a local policing update and was encouraged by progress under Operation Skybridge, which has already led to arrests, reduced crime and the disruption of a major cannabis farm.

I look forward to seeing many of you on the 23rd.

For more on Paulette Hamilton MP for Erdington visit www.paulettehamilton.org

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OPINION: John Lambert, Chair of Reform UK Erdington Branch

Chair of Reform UK Erdington Branch John Lambert (far left) with local campaigners at Kingstanding Circle / Photograph supplied by Reform UK Erdington Branch

(Ed’s note… this column was written for the January/February Erdington Local newspaper and first published on 20.01.26)

Words by John Lambert

January in Erdington has a particular honesty. The lights are down and what remains is the everyday. Getting the kids to school, keeping a business open and hoping the street still feels like yours when you get home.

All across Castle Vale, Erdington, Gravelly Hill, Kingstanding, Oscott, Perry Common, Pype Hayes and Stockland Green, residents are telling us the same thing. They do not want another set of promises in 2026. They want the basics done properly. Bins collected on time, streets kept clean, potholes repaired before they swallow a wheel and anti-social behaviour dealt with, rather than managed.

They also want fairness. Planning rules should mean something, not least when decent streets are being slowly worn down by fly-tipping, nuisance vehicles and the quiet creep of overcrowded HMOs that change a street’s rhythm overnight. Good landlords should not be undercut by rogue operators who ignore standards because enforcement is rare. Residents should not be left to log the same complaints again and again while nothing moves.

Operation Fearless by West Midlands Police has brought a bracing reminder of what normal should look like. Visible patrols, pace and consequence. But a town should not require a named operation to feel protected. If urgency works when it is organised and resourced, it should work every day of the year.

We are Reform UK’s Erdington Branch.

Like every resident in Erdington, we want competence. We will push for transparent spending, firmer enforcement and a council that treats residents as customers, not an afterthought. You may have already seen us in Erdington’s neighbourhoods, listening, taking notes and asking residents the simplest question of all.

What would you fix first if the people in charge were finally prepared to do the job? Please send your suggestions to [email protected]

For more from Reform UK’s Erdington Branch visit www.reformerdington.co.uk

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OPINION: A View from the Vale – a message from Castle Vale Councillor Ray Goodwin

Councillor Ray Goodwin on Castle Vale High Street / Photograph supplied by Birmingham Labour

(Ed’s note… this column was written for the January/February Erdington Local newspaper and first published on 20.01.26)

Words by Cllr Ray Goodwin

The world feels as though it’s on its axis at the moment, and I believe it is incumbent on anyone in public life to show moral leadership.

That is why I decided to delete my X account. This decision was not taken because I am against free speech, but because I could not associate myself with a social media platform that freely allows the abuse of another individual through the use of AI.

The work I do in Castle Vale has always been about social justice and equality, without fear or favour. It is what I have focused on for the past three and a half years, and it will always guide my moral compass.

As we move into January and the first part of the year, there is much to reflect on and much to look forward to. Park regeneration is about to begin, and recently the BBC came to Castle Vale and showed what an amazing community this truly is—something we have always known.

The latest IMD figures are now out, and I am over the moon to say that in 2021 Castle Vale was the fourth most deprived ward in the city. Today, we have moved to fourteenth. That is really good news. The statistics also show that crime is down.

There is so much to be proud of: crime down, cleaner streets, regenerated parks, a stronger community.

In 2022, I promised a cleaner, greener, safer Castle Vale—and that is exactly what I am delivering.

For more on Cllr Ray Goodwin www.facebook.com/thisiscastlevale

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NEWS: Castle Vale residents still missing post as Royal Mail declare ‘service disruption’ has stopped across Erdington

Royal Mail collection box on Castle Vale High Street / Photograph by Ed King

Words by Tracy Fisher

Castle Vale residents are still not receiving vital post following weeks of Royal Mail ‘service disruption’, with some not having had any mail since before Christmas.

But according to the Royal Mail, the Erdington constituency no longer has a problem with deliveries and has been removed from the list of affected areas highlighted on the national postal service’s website.

Areas across the region still listed as affected include Sutton Coldfield and Tamworth.

But missing post continues to have a serious impact across the Castle Vale estate – with residents not receiving important letters such as hospital appointments and offers of school placements, alongside parcels containing Christmas gifts and cards.

Royal Mail collection box on Castle Vale High Street – full of letters with / Photograph by Ed King

One resident, living on Tangmere Drive, told Castle Vale Local they have not received any mail for over a month. Whilst a further group of nine residents – all over 70 – explained they had not received any mail for over seven weeks.

Adding to local concern, the Royal Mail collection box on Castle Vale High Street has been left unemptied for so long that letters can no longer be posted into it, with the backlog so dense that mail can be seen bursting out of the slot.

Royal Mail has also stated that the ‘service disruptions’ of postal deliveries across the UK is ‘due to severe weather’.

However, Storm Goretti – the recent adverse weather that would have most affected roads and logistics networks across the country – only reached the UK on the 8-9 January, according to the Met Office.

Royal Mail van driving through snow covering the road / Photograph sourced through Adobe Stock Images

Castle Vale Local has heard further conflicting reports from sources at Royal Mail delivery offices, stating that whilst some lorries were unable to make scheduled deliveries due to snow and ice on the roads the delays are due – at least in part – to a lack of staff across the national mail network.

Internal sources have further told how agency staff have been brought in to work on behalf of Royal Mail elsewhere in Erdington constituency – alongside unbranded vehicles, and not official Royal Mail vans, being used to collected parcels from a High Street Post Office.

Existing employees at local depots also share customer frustrations, with one member of staff saying the disruption has been internally flagged up as unacceptable by staff and aimed at Royal Mail management.

Royal Mail post box covered in snow / Photograph sourced through Adobe Stock Images

Castle Vale Councillor Ray Goodwin initially contacted Castle Bromwich Delivery office “in relation to residents’ concerns about letters not being delivered”, recognising the delays in deliveries are “causing much frustration” across the North Birmingham estate.

Cllr Goodwin added: “I took it upon myself to go down to the [Castle Bromwich] delivery office to speak to someone.

“They said there has been a backlog of parcels and letters since Christmas and with the snow, they’re doing their very best to sort it by the end of the week (25 January).”

While there are reports that residents have started receiving some parcels and post, albeit dated from as far back as December 2025, Castle Vale Local has been unable to identify an official timescale as to when delivery issues will be fully resolved.

With Birmingham’s Local Elections fast approaching, and the deadline to apply for a postal vote on 31 January, the backlog of mail and delays to deliveries could also block those without digital access from being able to vote in May.

Royal Mail, now run by International Distributions Services, is owned by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky’s EP Group, following a recent £3.6 billion takeover.

Castle Vale Local has reached out to Royal Mail for further comment.

If you have any comments or responses to the issues raised in this article – or any other news from Castle Vale – please get in touch with Castle Vale Local reporter Tracy Fisher at: [email protected]

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OPINION: A message from Paulette Hamilton, MP for Erdington

Paulette Hamilton MP at coffee morning in Stockland Green / Photograph supplied by Paulette Hamilton MP

Words by Paulette Hamilton MP

As we approach Christmas, I want to wish everyone in Erdington, Kingstanding, Castle Vale, and South Oscott a peaceful festive season and a hopeful New Year. This is a time for community and reflecting on our shared progress.

My coffee morning in Stockland Green confirmed what I hear time and again, that residents are fed up with the out-of-control spread of HMOs. Many spoke about the impact on stability, safety, and the shortage of family homes. That’s why I’ve been campaigning with local voices like Derek Douglas and Shabrana Hussain to stop a proposed 5-bedroom HMO in Stockland Green.

The recent Autumn Budget delivers real change for families. Lifting the two-child benefit cap will be life-changing, helping 6,430 children in Birmingham Erdington alone. This, plus £20 million for Kingstanding, upgrades to Stockland Green Health Centre, and support with energy bills, shows a Labour government investing in our community.

Paulette Hamilton MP presenting winning Christams card to Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP – Speaker of the House of Commons / Photograph supplied by Paulette Hamilton MP

I’m also pleased that Operation Skybridge is now active across Stockland Green and Erdington. This increased police presence, which I’ve long pushed for, is crucial to tackling crime and keeping our streets safe.

These achievements don’t happen by chance – they result from a strong local MP working with a Labour government committed to communities like ours.

Finally, congratulations to Thomas from Abbey Catholic Primary for winning my 2025 Christmas Card Competition. I proudly presented his design to the Speaker of the House. Enjoy the match with your complimentary Aston Villa tickets!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a wonderful 2026.

For more on Paulette Hamilton MP for Erdington visit www.paulettehamilton.org

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OPINION: A View from the Vale – a message from Castle Vale Councillor Ray Goodwin

Cllr Ray Goodwin outside Spitfire House on Castle Vale High Street / Photograph supplied by Birmingham Labour

Words by Cllr Ray Goodwin

Castle Vale welcomed the festive season in spectacular style as hundreds of residents gathered for the annual Christmas Tree Light Switch-On at Centre Park on 1 December.

The event, made possible through the support of The Pioneer Group and a number of dedicated local partners, was a powerful reminder of the remarkable community spirit that defines our estate.

The evening opened with a heart-warming performance from our very own Pioneer Choir, whose beautiful renditions of classic Christmas carols set the perfect tone for the celebrations.

Castle Vale’s Christmas Tree lights switch on event in Centre Park / Photograph supplied by The Pinoeer Group

Excitement grew as families waited for the arrival of our special guest – Santa himself – who delighted children and adults alike before helping to officially illuminate this year’s impressive Christmas tree.

This stunning centrepiece, proudly standing at the heart of Castle Vale, was generously donated along with the lights by Nationwide Windows and M&BG. Klassic Donuts added to the festivities with sweet treats that kept everyone warm and smiling throughout the night.

As the lights flickered on and the crowd cheered, it became clear that this event was more than a seasonal tradition; it was a celebration of togetherness.

Organisations such as Upcycle Birmingham, The Sanctuary, Castle Vale Community Environmental Trust, Spitfire Services, YoungStars Community Hub and Castle Pool Community Partnership all played a part in bringing the community together for an evening of joy, connection and pride.

With the unveiling of a special Christmas flag and more festive surprises to come, Christmas at the Vale is officially underway.

This year’s celebration stands as a shining example of what Castle Vale can achieve when we come together.

For more on Cllr Ray Goodwin www.facebook.com/thisiscastlevale

 

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OPINION: A View from the Vale – a message from Castle Vale Councillor Ray Goodwin

Cllr Ray Goodwin outside Spitfire House on Castle Vale High Street / Photograph supplied by Birmingham Labour

Words by Cllr Ray Goodwin

October and November have been months of reflection, change, and community spirit in Castle Vale. As we move from autumn into winter, we’ve continued to see that spirit of unity and progress shine.

October kicked off with another successful Mobile Tip Truck event, helping residents tackle fly-tipping and keep our streets clean.

It’s always inspiring to see so many people come together, showing real pride in our community. When we work side by side, we not only improve our environment but strengthen our connections.

Community safety remains a priority. Following concerns about antisocial behaviour and off-road biking, I’ve been working closely with local police, housing officers, and partners to ensure everyone feels safe.

I’ll continue pushing for quicker responses and stronger enforcement.

Exciting news: the rebuilding of our parks will soon begin. These green spaces are vital to families, children, and older residents alike, offering places to relax and connect.

(l-r) Cllr Ray Goodwin and local veteran raise ‘Lest We Forget’ flag in Centre Park on Remembrance Day / Photograph by Tracy Fisher

On Remembrance Sunday we attended the Remembrance Day service at St. Cuthbert’s Church, which bought the community together, and at 11:00am on the eleventh month we stood together as a community to raise the flag and honour those who served and sacrificed.

It was a meaningful moment of reflection and unity.

As the festive season approaches, we look forward to the Christmas tree light switch-on and supporting the Christmas Toy Appeal. Together, we’ll ensure that every child in the Vale has something special to look forward to.

Castle Vale is a place of determination, unity, and hope. Together, we’ll face whatever comes next.

For more on Cllr Ray Goodwin www.facebook.com/thisiscastlevale

 

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BACK TO SCHOOL: Local heroes remembered – Chivenor Primary’s moving poppy display

Chivenor Primary School pupils and teacher in front of Remembrance Day poppy display / Photograph supplied by Chivenor Primary School

Words by Chivenor Primary School

(Ed’s note – this BACK TO SCHOOL article was first written for the Erdington Local printed edition and published on 18.11.25)

Chivenor Primary School has unveiled a deeply meaningful display to mark Remembrance Day, ensuring the sacrifices of past generations are not forgotten.

The tribute holds extra resonance for the local area, which is historically significant: Castle Vale was home to the Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory, producing over half of all Spitfires built during World War II.

Every child at the school contributed to a magnificent wall display featuring a silhouette of the iconic Spitfire aircraft surrounded by hundreds of individually crafted poppies.

Fr Jules Mambu and Chivenor Primary School pupils by veteran’s memorial at St Cuthbert’s Church, Castle Vale Photograph supplied by Chivenor Primary School

The vibrant tribute faces the busy local roundabout, offering a powerful, visible reminder to the local community as they pass by. This collaborative project allowed every student to directly participate in honouring veterans and those who served.

In a further act of remembrance, the school’s Head Boys and Head Girls proudly represented the school. They visited the nearby St Cuthbert’s Church, where they solemnly laid a poppy wreath at the war memorial nestled in the church garden.

This Proud Tradition reinforces the strong community ties and commitment to teaching respect and history.

To complete their efforts, the school also donated a giant poppy, which is now on display at The Sanctuary, Executive Head Lisa Guest commented: “The children have shown immense respect and pride in creating these tributes. It’s a vital part of their education to understand the importance of Remembrance Day.”

The Chivenor Primary displays serve as a moving testament to the community’s commitment to memory, courage, and peace.

For more on Chivenor Primary School visit www.chivenor-gst.org

Chivenor 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: [email protected]