Tag: Covid

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NEWS: Erdington’s Star Cars win national award for community support during Covid and Commonwealth Games

Pics supplied by Star Cars

Erdington taxi firm Star Cars have won a national award for their work helping the community and the NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic and Commonwealth Games.

On 15 November, Star Cars beat taxi firms across the UK and Ireland to win the Community Award at the annual Dotted Taxi Summit UK and Ireland Industry Awards – held in Liverpool.

The Chester Road based company were also shortlisted for UK Taxi Company of the Year.

Martin Walker, Operations Manager for Star Cars, said: “We were thrilled to be nominated and shortlisted in two categories: UK Taxi Company of the Year, and the Community Award.

“We won the Community Award for our Covid response, NHS support, our support for charities, and the work we did on the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

“We were very proud of Umar, one of our executive drivers, who personally took care of Ozzy Osbourne’s transport during the (CWG) closing ceremony.”

He added: “We took staff, drivers, and owners to the awards in Liverpool where we shared the celebration. It was a great night for us and for Erdington and Birmingham.”

The celebrations were all the more poignant with the widow of late Star Cars boss Grahame Markham joining the team at the November awards ceremony.

Martin told: “We were delighted to have Jaqueline Markham, one of our directors with us.

“She is the wife of the late Grahame Markham, who always wanted Star to be a community focussed family business – always innovating for the benefit of customers, passengers, drivers, and staff.”

Founded in the 1960’s, Grahame Markham took over the firm in the 1980’s – which is now run by his widow Jaqueline, and daughter Emma. Star Cars’ community based ethos still carries on in the company to this day.

Even with the current cost of living crisis and spike in fuel costs, Star Cars provide a fixed-price service for elderly and disabled people.

During the height of the Covid pandemic, the Erdington firm ran errands for regular customers free of charge and were even known to have delivered a portion of fish and chips or two.

They support local charities, the nearby Erdington Court Bowls Club, junior league football teams, food banks, supported living homes, and disabled groups.

Star Cars also have a special association with The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

Martin Walker added: “We decided to sponsor our very own seeing-eye dog, ‘Star’, and visited the Association’s national breeding centre to meet him.

“While at the centre, we learnt of the problems that blind people face when trying to use taxis.

“After our trip, we decided to find a way to better serve visually impaired people in the taxi industry. We now offer braille ID in all of our vehicles and on driver ID cards.

“We also organised training for our drivers, in an effort to make blind people feel as comfortable as possible using our services.”

For more on Star Cars and Coaches visit www.starcarsbirmingham.com or call 0800 622 6611

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NEWS: Council and NHS to hold Covid Vaccine Webinar/Q&A

Words by Ed King

On Thursday 4th February, Birmingham City Council will be hosting an online Covid Vaccine Webinar/Q&A session to address questions and concerns about the Covid-19 vaccine roll outs.

People can register for a free place via the popular event ticket outlet Eventbrite: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/138628992047

Running from between 6pm and 7:30pm this Thursday, the first in the series of five citywide sessions will be focussing on North Birmingham – with local residents across Erdington invited to attend.

Hosted by Councillor Paulette Hamilton, Cabinet member for Adult Social Care and Health, Birmingham City Council will be joined by NHS staff who have been fighting coronavirus since March last year.

The online events will be a chance to hear direct from Council and NHS staff who have the latest information about the Covid-19 vaccines and the roll out process – with organisers wanting ‘local residents to ask questions, discuss and highlight their own thoughts or concerns.’

At the time of writing, there have been over 100,000 deaths in the UK from coronavirus – with the office of National Statistics counting a death toll of 178 in Erdington alone by last November.

Listed on the NHS website there are currently four GP surgeries administering Covid vaccines across Erdington, with people directly invited to get the jab in the priority order set by Government. There is also a walk-up Covid testing facility on Orphanage Road which is open to all.

Yet as vaccines are rolled out across the county, with a triage system to prioritise the millions to be treated, many people are expressing concerns about the inoculation – or are still unclear as to when, where, and how they will receive the jab.

In a recent interview, Dr Dave Sangha, Executive Chairman of the Midlands Medical Partnership, told Erdington Local: “Please be aware that the current Covid workload pressure in the local hospitals is extreme. Covid is real, please take it seriously.

“The Vaccine is safe, please have it. A lot of the social media misinformation is sad to see, it is putting people off and there’s a huge risk to that. It is safe.”

To register for a place on the Covid Vaccine Webinar/Q&A, visit www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/138628992047

For more information about the Covid vaccines, direct from the NHS, visit www.birminghamandsolihullcovidvaccine.nhs.uk

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NEWS: Erdington UFC star cancels Vegas fight after testing positive for Covid

Words by Adam Smith

Erdington MMA star Leon Edwards has been fored to pull out from headlining UFC Fight Night 186 in Las Vegas after testing positive for COVID-19.

Fight fans across the world were looking forward to the 19th December clash between welterweight Edwards and the UFC’s new “global star” – Russian born Swede Khamzat Chimaev. 

Catching Covid caps off a dreadful year for Edwards who has unable to fight due to a string of pandemic related cancellations, match-up disputes, and injuries.

Edwards not only tested positive but was laid low by the disease losing 12Ibs in four days and being unable to train, meaning the best-case scenario is the two reschedule a fight in January.

Edwards tweeted: “Another setback, but when you come from the mud you learn to put everything in perspective.

“This virus has affected many lives and families much worse than mine.”

He said: “Looking forward to getting this rebooked soon, thank you all for the well wishes.”

Headlining UFC Fight Night 186 in Las Vegas against the much hyped Chimaev would have cemented Edwards‘ place on the global sports stage.

Edwards and Chimaev could not have had more contrasting years, Edwards not stepping in the octogen once – whereas Chimaev burst on the UFC scene winning three fights in the first round since July.

Crucially Chimaev has impressed UFC supremo Dana White, who needs another global superstar after the retirement of Khabib Nurmagomedov.

White said: “The guy is special. I’ve been in this game my whole life; I’ve never seen anything like him. I’m telling you the guy is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Never seen anything like this in my life. Special.”

The UFC temporarily removed Edwards from the welterweight rankings last month due to “inactivity” but reinstated him as world number three when the 29-year-old accepted the fight with Chimaev.

Edwards has been calling out competitors on social media, after refusing a short notice world title shot against Kamaru Usman in July led to him consistently being overlooked for big bouts.

Edwards told MMA Fighting beating Chimaev will guarantee him a world title shot due to the interest in the fight.

He said: “Outside a title shot, I believe he’s the biggest fight. Obviously, [Jorge] Masvidal would have been good as well, but he turned the fight down. This is the biggest fight to guarantee me what’s next.

“That was my thinking going into this. The UFC loves him. Dana [White] loves him. They all think he can’t be beat. When I go out there and take him out, I can’t see what they can say next to give me my title shot. I’d be on a nine-fight win streak. I believe this was the fight to make and now here we are.”

He added: “I know the UFC’s probably banking, Dana anyway, I know he’s praying that this kid wins, but I’ll be way too much for him in there, I’m telling you,”

This time last year the former Aston Hall Academy pupil was one of the hottest properties in the UFC with his signature post clinch elbow move making him a fan favourite.

Represented by the same management company as Irish superstar Conor MacGregor, Paradigm Sports, Edwards secured his financial future by penning a five-fight deal with UFC.

On an eight-fight winning streak, one of the longest current unbeaten runs in the sport, Edwards was rewarded by headlining UFC London on March 21 at Wembley Arena. A win against legendary fighter Tyron Woodley would have given him a world title shot against champion Karamu Usman, however, the event was cancelled to the first UK lock down.

Though not a title eliminator, a rearranged Las Vegas fight will give Edwards the platform to increase his fanbase in America and stop one of the most hyped new fighters in UFC in his tracks.

The last UK fighter to top the bill in Las Vegas was boxer Tyson Fury in February, who won the heavyweight championship of the world when he dismantled Deontay Wilder in one of the greatest British sporting performances of all time.

Fury described why headlining a major event in Las Vegas is so special for any British fighter.

He said: “I always dreamed of seeing my name up in lights on the Las Vegas strip and being the main attraction.

“There is nothing like fight week in Las Vegas and for a British fighter to come over here and win is always going to be special, because of how rare it is for our fighters to come over here and be recognised as the main man and actually win.”

To find out more about Leon Edwards, visit www.ufc.com/athlete/leon-edwards

For more from UFC, visit www.ufc.com

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NEWS: Erdington MP steps in to secure mass COVID-19 testing site on Orphanage Road

Words by Adam Smith / Pics by Ed King

Getting tested for Covid is a matter of life and death, this was the stark warning given by Erdington MP Jack Dromey at the site of a brand new mass testing facility – which could be open in Erdington as early as next week.

Construction of the testing facility began on Friday 26th November, after Mr Dromey brokered an 11th hour agreement between the Department of Health, Birmingham City Council, and the NHS.

The Erdington based facility was the last testing site signed off by the Government, but a licensing issue held up construction and put the entire project in danger.

Speaking at the old Colliers site, Orphanage Road, where the centre is being built, Mr Dromey told Erdington Local mass testing offers a route out of Tier 3 restrictions for Birmingham.

He said: “We needed a facility that enables thousands of local people to be tested in Erdington.

“Lives would be lost if there was not a testing facility in Erdington and lives will be saved because there is a testing facility in Erdington, it is as simple as that.

“There were delays concerning it being approved but thankfully they were sorted out, it should take two days to build and then a few days to get the facility ready and it could be open as quickly as the end of next week, when the national lockdown ends.”

The MP admitted getting all the relevant agencies and departments to work together on the project was not easy.

He said: “To begin with it was like pulling teeth but progressively it got better; I’d like to thank NHS Birmingham and Birmingham City Council for their hard work in delivering the facility.”

The Erdington MP is in no doubt how important mass testing will be in the fight against controlling COVID-19 and saving lives.

He said: “Here and now, as we don’t have a vaccine yet, the message is test, test, test. So I say to the citizens of Erdington come and get tested.

“And to those who doubt the wisdom of getting tested I say come and get tested – if you are not tested and get Covid you might end up dying, you might be responsible for members of your family dying, and you might be responsible for your friends and members of the community dying. So come and get tested.”

Erdington residents will be able to book a test either online or by using 119, walk to the testing facility, take a test, and then they will be notified of the results between 24 and 72 hours later. A recent trial of mass testing in Liverpool reduced the R-Rate and helped the city escape Tier 3 restrictions.

The MP added: “We discovered this week that Birmingham will enter into the highest level of restrictions, Tier 3, following the end of lockdown on Wednesday. The whole city must now pull together in order to drive down the spread of the virus and get us out of Tier 3 as quickly as possible.

“Tier 3 restrictions will be devastating for many businesses and workers across Birmingham. In particular the hospitality industry, and the tens of thousands of people it employs in the city, will be severely impacted.”

He added: “We have seen from the recent trial in Liverpool, that mass testing is an extremely effective way for us to reduce the R-rate and exit Tier 3.

“This testing facility will therefore play a crucial role in Birmingham’s response to COVID-19 this winter and I’m very happy Erdington residents will have the best possible access.”

Joining Mr Dromey at the site to see construction begin was Damien Siviter, Group Managing Director of Seven Capital who own the former Colliers site.

He said: “This has been a great example of how the public and private sectors can work together. We were approached about two weeks ago to see if the site could be used for a testing facility and we did everything we could to make it happen.”

The Covid testing centre could be on the site between three and six months and, if needed, could be turned into a vaccination station.

Mr Siviter confirmed the long-term plan for the site remains a new supermarket and housing estate to be built.

Jack Dromey MP for Erdington talking from Orphanage Road COVID-19 mass testing site

For daily updates on COVID-19 from Public Heath England, visit www.coronavirus.data.gov.uk

For the latest or NHS Test and Trace (England) and coronavirus testing (UK), visit www.gov.uk/government/collections/nhs-test-and-trace-statistics-england-weekly-reports