Community News

Wasps Rugby Football Club is continuing to support schools across the local community by delivering free education programmes, even through this latest lockdown. The Wasps Community team have spent the last few weeks working hard with local schools to adapt the club’s existing educational offerings into a new, easily accessible virtual delivery model.

By working with teachers locally, Wasps have recognised the need to create a bespoke offer that can support the needs of each school individually. The club are now rolling this out across the region. Delivered by Wasps’ trained community team, we are delighted to confirm the offering to schools locally.

Primary schools can currently access three different options:

·         Pre-recorded Tackling Health video classroom lessons with follow up tasks / worksheets.

·         Live (Online) Tackling Health classroom lessons (delivered via schools’ technology of choice) – This can be delivered both to those children still attending school and those learning at home.

·         In-school physical delivery for those children still attending which can be:

- Classroom lessons based on the Tackling Health programme

- Outdoor PE sessions based on Tag Rugby

The above options can then be tailored to the needs of each school, as our Community Team work with teachers to provide them with the resources most suited to the platforms and timetabling in use at those schools.

 “We have already done a large amount of work to raise awareness of the Premiership Rugby Champions app – which offers free online lesson resources for schools and home-schooling parents alike to use whenever they can,” said Ian Isham, Head of Community at Wasps. “But in addition to the fantastic resource that the app provides, our experienced team can still provide an engaging set of lessons for schools and those learning at home.

“We know how challenging the times are currently for teachers, so if we can help take some pressure off, then that would be fantastic. We provide ready-made lessons centred on the Tackling Health programme, in partnership with Greggs Foundation, which encourages children to become more active and eat more healthily. Supporting our local community is central to everything we do at Wasps. To have been able to adapt our programme offering for schools, so we can continue providing access to them through the pandemic, is a testament to the hard work of our team, and the support provided by local teachers in advising that process.” The Wasps Community coaching staff is also still on hand to continue supporting schools with on-the-ground physical education or coaching for vulnerable or key worker students.

In addition, Premiership Rugby Champions Learn with Us lessons will be streamed live, every Wednesday and Friday at 10.00am. These can be accessed for free either to watch live, or on demand. Designed and delivered by Premiership Rugby Champions teachers, the lessons will use rugby to inspire primary school aged children to learn mathematics and PHSE in a short, fun and interactive way.

The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation has won Sweden's Olof Palme human rights prize for 2020.

Organisers said the movement was honoured for promoting "peaceful civil disobedience against police brutality and racial violence" across the globe. They noted that about 20 million people had taken part in Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests in the US alone, along with millions more around the world.

An online prize-giving ceremony was due to take place in Stockholm with the $100,000 (£73,000) annual prize commemorating Olof Palme, the Swedish prime minister and prominent human rights advocate who was assassinated in Stockholm in 1986.

Founded in the United States, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement became an international slogan last year following several more resent high-profile cases of police brutality against, and murders of, African-Americans. Protests that followed the deaths of two latter-day murder victims - George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others - saw chapters of Black Lives Matter spread across the US and around the world.

"This illustrates that racism and racist violence is not just a problem in American society, but a global problem," prize organisers said. They said the foundation had "in a unique way exposed the hardship, pain, and wrath of the African-American minority at not being valued equal to people of a different colour".

A Norwegian MP, Petter Eide, has nominated the BLM foundation for this year's Nobel Peace Prize. In his nomination papers, Mr Eide said the movement had become an "important worldwide movement to fight racial injustice".

Sandwell Council has nominated a local children’s charity to receive this year’s donation from the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM). The scheme donates to charities that focus on bereavement related services or provide support to bereaved families. Every year the ICCM, distribute funds that have been generated from recycling metals recovered following cremations.

Councillor Wasim Ali, cabinet member responsible for bereavement services, said: “We are very proud to be part of the ICCM’s charity scheme. Acorns Children’s Hospice, like all charities, has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. “The donation will go a long way to help Acorns support the children and families of Sandwell and the wider Black Country during what continue to be very difficult times. I would ask all Sandwell residents and businesses to continue to support local charities, including Acorns Children’s Hospice."

Deputy Leader, Councillor Maria Crompton, added: "It's great that we can help a worthy cause and continue to support children across the Black Country who are coping with a bereavement." Claire Snape, Area Fundraiser for Acorns, said: “We’re thrilled to have been nominated to receive this incredible donation. The children and families who use Acorns need us as much as ever during this time of uncertainty as we continue to provide our vital children’s hospice care and lifeline support.

“This very generous donation will help us be there for families who rely on our support, including those who are bereaved. On behalf of everyone at Acorns, we could not be more grateful – thank you.”

Acorns Children’s Hospice provides specialist palliative care for children and young people with life limiting and life threatening conditions across Sandwell and the wider West Midlands, as well as support for their families. Over the past year Acorns has supported around 200 children and their families from its Black Country hospice, including those who are bereaved.

Acorns has been at the forefront in the battle against coronavirus, supporting some of the most vulnerable families in the community as well as the emergency response of the NHS and social care system. It costs £27,000 every day to run Acorns services providing care for children and support for their families.

The charity relies heavily on donations to fund the majority of its activities.

With houses flying off the market, online mortgage comparison and financial informational site Bankrate UK, a group of developers, financial journalists, UX designers and engineers with a really big idea – to make home-buying easy, has delved into official council data to find out where the country’s worst neighbours live based on noise complaints.

Armed with FOI (Freedom of Information) requests from 75 councils across the UK, Bankrate has revealed some of the biggest neighbour grievances and where in the UK these noisy neighbours live.

Looking at the music, DIY and dog noise complaints each council received over the last three years, and working out how many complaints this equates to per 50,000 residents, the mortgage comparison experts have been able to find the top 10 most raucous neighbourhoods in the country, and of course the most harmonious. And the results might surprise you.

The 10 noisiest neighbourhoods:

The 10 most harmonious neighbourhoods:

A full breakdown of the noisy neighbours per complaint can be found at: https://www.bankrate.com/uk/mortgages/neighbour-complaints

Tomorrow’s Holocaust Memorial Day will be commemorated in Sandwell by the laying of wreaths of daffodils in the memorial garden at Highfields Register Office, West Bromwich.

Council buildings – Highfields and Sandwell Council House in Oldbury will be lit purple; the colour adopted by the Holocaust Memorial Trust, from 3.30pm onwards. Those attending the online Full Council will mark Holocaust Memorial Day, with a moment of silent reflection at the start of the meeting, led by the Mayor, Councillor Dr Ann Jaron. The theme for this year is: Be the Light in the Darkness.

Sandwell Mayor, Councillor Dr Ann Jaron, who will be releasing a special video message, urged people to mark the day safely at home. Cllr Jaron, whose own Polish grandfather was murdered in Auschwitz concentration camp, said: "Because of the current COVID-19 restrictions, we are unable to hold our annual commemoration ceremony. 

"A member of staff from Highfields will lay a wreath in memory of those murdered and to stand against prejudice and hate.  We will also be lighting up Highfields and Sandwell Council House to pay tribute to those who lost their lives.” The Mayor also added, "People can mark the day at home by lighting a candle at 8pm, reflecting the theme of this year's Holocaust Memorial Day - Be the Light in the Darkness."

A wreath will also be laid by Highfields staff on behalf of the West Midlands Lieutenancy.

Daffodils represent the yellow stars that Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust and symbolise both remembrance and resilience, and were used in the Daffodil project 2015, commemorating Holocaust Memorial.

The UK Holocaust Memorial Day 2021 ceremony will be streamed online from 7pm- 8pm tomorrow (January 27) and households are urged to light a candle and safely display it in their window at 8pm.

Larry King, giant of US broadcasting who achieved worldwide fame for interviewing political leaders and celebrities, has died.

King conducted an estimated 50,000 interviews in his six-decade career, which included 25 years as host of the popular CNN talk show Larry King Live. He died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles, according to Ora Media, a production company he co-founded.

Earlier this month, he was treated in hospital for Covid-19, US media say. The talk show host, famous for his braces and rolled-up sleeves, had faced several health problems in recent years, including heart attacks.

King was married eight times to seven women and had five children. Two of them died last year within weeks of each other - daughter Chaia died from lung cancer and son Andy of a heart attack. He carried out interviews with every sitting US president from Gerald Ford to Barack Obama and a number of world leaders. His other high-profile guests included Dr Martin Luther King, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Lady Gaga.

"For 63 years and across the platforms of radio, television and digital media, Larry's many thousands of interviews, awards, and global acclaim stand as a testament to his unique and lasting talent as a broadcaster," Ora Media said in a statement, without giving the cause of death.

Born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger in Brooklyn, New York, in 1933, King rose to fame in the 1970s with his radio programme The Larry King Show, on the commercial network Mutual Broadcasting System. In 1985 he launched Larry King Live on the fledgling CNN, and became one of the network's biggest stars. The programme, broadcast around the world, was a success with audiences, with King answering thousands of phone calls from viewers.

He earned a number of honours, including two Peabody awards, but was also criticised for his non-confrontational approach and open-ended questions. King boasted of not doing much research for the interviews so, he said, he could learn along with viewers.

By 2010 his ratings had dropped significantly, with critics saying King's approach felt out-dated in an era of more aggressive interviewing styles. King then announced his retirement, saying: "It's time to hang up my nightly suspenders." In his final programme on CNN, he told his viewers: "I don't know what to say, except to you, my audience, thank you. Instead of goodbye, how about so long?" CNN replaced him with British journalist and broadcaster Piers Morgan, whose programme King criticised for being "too much about him".

Morgan, whose programme was cancelled three years later, said on Twitter on Saturday: "Larry King was a hero of mine until we fell out after I replaced him at CNN & he said my show was 'like watching your mother-in-law go over a cliff in your new Bentley.' (He married 8 times so a mother-in-law expert)." But, Morgan added, King "was a brilliant broadcaster & masterful TV interviewer."

In a statement, CNN president Jeff Zucker said: "The scrappy young man from Brooklyn had a history-making career spanning radio and television. His curiosity about the world propelled his award-winning career in broadcasting, but it was his generosity of spirit that drew the world to him."

Most recently, King hosted another programme, Larry King Now, broadcast on Hulu and RT, Russia's state-controlled international broadcaster. A Kremlin spokesman was quoted as saying by state RIA Novosti news agency: "King repeatedly interviewed Putin. The president has always appreciated his great professionalism and unquestioned journalistic authority."

Outside broadcasting, King founded the Larry King Cardiac Foundation in 1988, a charity which helps to fund heart treatment for those with limited financial means or no medical insurance.

He was 87

Former The Only Way Is Essex star Mick Norcross has died. The businessman and father of Kirk Norcross, who also starred in the ITV show, was found dead at his home in Bulphan.

Essex Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious. In tributes on social media, fellow Towie stars past and present, including Gemma Collins and James Argent, called him "one of the good guys" and a "true gentleman".

Norcross first appeared in the reality show in 2011 in his position as owner of Sugar Hut, a Brentwood nightclub which was often attended by the cast. He left the show two years later, stating that the venue's prominent place in Towie had damaged its brand.

The star posted a tweet to his 505,000 followers saying: "At the end remind yourself that you did the best you could. And that's good enough." The club tweeted that "Mr Sugarhut" had been a "very talented, friendly and fun guy" and a "true Essex legend, who will be sorely missed".

Collins, who briefly dated Norcross during their time on the show, shared a photo of them together on Instagram and said he had been "one of the good guys", while Argent tweeted that he had been "a true gentleman and a very kind man".

Tributes were also shared by Towie stars Lauren Goodger and Mario Falcone, with the latter tweeting that he was "thankful I got the privilege of having you in my life". TV chef James Martin, Loose Women's Denise Welch, presenter Denise Van Outen and film producer Jonathan Sothcott also paid tribute to him online.

An Essex Police spokesman said officers "were called to an address in Brentwood Road, Bulphan" and "sadly, a man inside was pronounced dead". The police spokesman said the death was "not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner".

He was 57.

Four charities based in the West Midlands have won a £1,000 Christmas gift thanks to nominations from the public. The charities were nominated to win a share of £120,000 as part of specialist insurer Ecclesiastical's annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign.

University Hospitals Birmingham Charity, which provides anything that is ‘over and above’ what the NHS offers; whether that be equipment, facilities, research or welfare for staff and patients, and the Birmingham Dogs Home, which focuses on animal welfare in the Midlands (see notes for full list¹), are among the local charities set to benefit from the money following overwhelming public support in the area.

10,005 West Midlands residents nominated a cause close to their hearts, with 102 charitable causes in the area receiving votes. The 120 winning charities across the UK were picked at random from those nominated. The full list of the 120 charity winners is available to view online at: www.movementforgood.com/12days

Thanking supporters in the West Midlands, Mark Hews, Group CEO at Ecclesiastical, said: “Owned by a charity, here at Ecclesiastical our core purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society, so charitable giving is at the heart of our business. We know that £1,000 can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do, and we’re looking forward to seeing how this financial boost will change lives for the better.

“We hope these donations can bring a positive end to a difficult year and a promising start to 2021.”

A representative from University Hospitals Birmingham Charity said: “The donation went towards our Christmas Appeal to fund hampers for staff and patients, trees around our hospitals, toys for children and activities for elderly patients. Last year was especially difficult in our hospitals. Staff have been working tremendously hard throughout the new and unfamiliar conditions and ultimately they are scared to go to work.

“There were approximately 1000 patients who spent Christmas in hospital and over 20,000 members of staff who worked over Christmas period. The donation helped us make Christmas in our hospitals that little bit more special!”

Last year, Ecclesiastical launched its latest Impact Report to celebrate some of the many good causes it has helped.

Sandwell’s Deputy Council Leader has paid a heartfelt tribute to Tipton Twin, Doris Hobday, following an announcement by her family that she has passed away after losing her battle with Covid-19.

Doris, aged 96, along with her twin and soul mate Lil, had gained a huge national following on radio, television and social media. Her family posted a tribute on Facebook stating Doris had passed away on Tuesday 5 January, after a short stay in hospital. Sister Lil, who was also admitted to hospital, with Covid-19, has been discharged and is now recovering at home.

Known as the Tipton Twins, the pair gained national recognition with their cheeky and humorous appearances on radio and television, as well as starring on the front of the Sandwell Herald. The family thanked staff at Sandwell Hospital and urged people to take the Covid-19 vaccine when it was offered to them.

Deputy Council Leader, Councillor Maria Crompton, said: “Our hearts go out to Lil and all the family. Doris has been such a huge part of their lives and a much-loved iconic character in Sandwell, alongside Lil.

“We will be remembering her and sending all our love to the family. How wonderful – and how typical of this family - that even at this time of loss, they find time to think of other people and take this opportunity to encourage everyone to get vaccinated as soon as they get the chance. 

“Please do take the advice.”

Donations can be made to the Beacon Centre for the Blind, who helped Doris’s husband, Ray, and people are also invited to post their own tributes.

A major incident has been declared as Storm Christoph is set to bring widespread flooding to parts of England. The Met Office issued an amber weather warning for rain in Yorkshire and the Humber, the North West, East Midlands and the east of England. The Environment Agency said the combination of heavy rain and snowmelt created a "volatile situation".

Sandbags were laid in at-risk areas, with up to 70mm (2.75in) of rain due. In isolated spots, particularly in the northern Peak District and parts of the southern Pennines, 200mm (7.87in) could be possible.

In the amber warning area, the Met Office said there was a "danger to life" due to fast-flowing or deep floodwater, and told some communities they could be "cut off" by flooded roads. It also predicted delays and cancellations to public transport, with the amber warning in place until 12:00 GMT on Thursday.

Ros Jones, mayor of Doncaster, said key risk areas had been inspected over the past 36 hours, with the delivery of sandbags continuing on Tuesday.

"I do not want people to panic, but flooding is possible so please be prepared," she said.

The Environment Agency issued 16 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected and immediate action required, covering parts of Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Merseyside, Staffordshire and Northamptonshire as of yesterday. A further 110 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, were issued across northern England, the Midlands and the east.

Catherine Wright, acting executive director for flood and coastal risk management at the Environment Agency, said: "That rain is falling on very wet ground and so we are very concerned that it's a very volatile situation and we are expecting significant flooding to occur on the back of that weather."

She said the agency would be working with local authorities to help with evacuation efforts should a severe flood warning be issued, adding: "If you do need to evacuate then that is allowed within the Covid rules the government has."

Discussing the different levels of flood warnings, she said: "If you receive a flood alert, please pack valuables like medicines and insurance documents in a bag ready to go.

“If you receive a flood warning, please move valuables and precious possessions upstairs and be ready to turn off gas, electricity and water. If you receive a severe flood warning, which means you will be evacuated, please listen out and take heed of the advice from the local emergency services."

A yellow rain alert is also in place for Wales, Northern Ireland, central and northern England and southern Scotland. This yellow warning extends to the rest of England from Wednesday, with a yellow alert for snow and ice in north east Scotland.

Highways England advised drivers to take extra care on motorways and major A roads, while the RAC breakdown service said motorists should only drive if absolutely necessary.

Sunrise: 8 August 1952 Sunset: 17 January 2021

Sheldon Barnett (aka Steven/Shelly) was born in Clarendon, Jamaica - a talented sportsman who was a prolific member of the Oaklands Football Club in the 1970’s.
Sheldon also loved to play cricket and joined a regional Cricket team touring the country in the 1980’s.
Later, Sheldon joined the BCA Birmingham, actively participating in regional and overseas tournaments as a lively member of the Dominoes team.
Sheldon was a social butterfly, one of life’s characters who was well known by many.
In recent years, Sheldon fought bravely against illness but sadly lost his fight for life and passed away on 17 January 2021. He leaves behind his wife Karen, 6 adult children – Claire, Nickola, Talisa, Andrae, Leon and Annmarie, 4 stepchildren, 15 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. Also his mother Nan Doris, brothers Derek, Jonah and Richard; sisters Jean, Angie, Joyce, Joan, Jennifer and nieces/nephews/great nieces
Sheldon – forever loved and missed. May his soul rest in eternal peace.

Words by Butterfly1965

The government is planning new laws to protect statues in England from being removed "on a whim or at the behest of a baying mob", Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has said. He said generations-old monuments should be "considered thoughtfully". The legislation would require planning permission for any changes and a minister would be given the final veto. It is due to be revealed in Parliament today.

The plans follow the toppling of a statue of slave trader Edward Colston last year and a wider discussion on the removal of controversial monuments. Four people were later charged with criminal damage over the removal of the Colston statue, and six people accepted conditional cautions over their involvement.

The communities secretary said Britain should not try to edit or censor its past. He said any decision to remove heritage assets in England would require planning permission and a consultation with local communities, adding that he wanted to see a "considered approach".

He wrote: "Our view will be set out in law, that such monuments are almost always best explained and contextualised, not taken and hidden away." Mr Jenrick added that he had noticed an attempt to set a narrative which seeks to erase part of the nation's history, saying this was "at the hand of the flash mob, or by the decree of a 'cultural committee' of town hall militants and woke worthies". He said: "We live in a country that believes in the rule of law, but when it comes to protecting our heritage, due process has been overridden. That can't be right.

"Local people should have the chance to be consulted whether a monument should stand or not. What has stood for generations should be considered thoughtfully, not removed on a whim or at the behest of a baying mob."

The death of George Floyd while in the custody of police in Minneapolis sparked anti-racism protests across the world. During largely peaceful demonstrations in the UK, the controversial Colston statue was dumped into Bristol Harbour and a memorial to Sir Winston Churchill was vandalised with the words "was a racist".

Speaking in June, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "The statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square is a permanent reminder of his achievement in saving this country - and the whole of Europe - from a fascist and racist tyranny. It is absurd and shameful that this national monument should ... be at risk of attack by violent protesters.

"Yes, he sometimes expressed opinions that were and are unacceptable to us today, but he was a hero, and he fully deserves his memorial." Colston made his fortune in the slave trade and bequeathed his money to charities in Bristol, which led to many venues, streets and landmarks bearing his name.

The Society of Merchant Venturers, the Bristol charity which runs institutions named after Edward Colston, said it was right that the statue was removed, along with other memorials to "a man who benefited from trading in human lives". They said it was part of acknowledging Bristol's "dark past" and building "a city where racism and inequality no longer exist".

Following the toppling of the statue, Colston's Girls School changed its name to Montpelier High School and the city's Colston Hall music venue is now known as the Bristol Beacon. A statue of a Black Lives Matter protester was placed on the empty plinth without permission in July and was removed shortly afterwards.

Birmingham City Council will be launching Our Future City Plan: Central Birmingham 2040, Shaping our City Together, which sets out its plans to help create a greener, more prosperous and fairer future for all across the city, on 26 January 2021. This will be officially launched in partnership with Estates Gazette, who will facilitate an online panel discussion with stakeholder representatives from Birmingham Museums Trust, Moda Living, Savills and EVORA alongside members of the council’s planning team to help give further context around the plan’s aims and ambitions. 

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and wider societal changes have prompted the launch of this project, which will replace the Big City Plan, launched in 2010, while taking recent challenges into account. Using the council’s recent climate emergency declaration as a launchpad, the initial outline plan focuses on creating people-centred environments, opportunities for growth in emerging green industries, improving health and wellbeing through access to green spaces and making cycling and walking easier and safer.

The bold vision for Central Birmingham seeks to strengthen the links with the city centre and its integration with the surrounding inner city areas. Councillor Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “As the main centre of development activity in our city over the last 30 years, investment in the city centre has provided jobs, homes, improvements to sustainable transport, new cultural destinations and educational opportunities.

“With the opportunities of HS2, expansion of the Midland Metro and the Commonwealth Games on the horizon, the city will continue to be a major regional, national hub and centre for international investment.   

“This plan marks a major change from previous approaches to the city centre, with a clear intention to spread the benefits of development and investment into inner city areas, supporting access to infrastructure, jobs and improved public spaces.

“The release of an early engagement document such as this is intended to seek feedback from a wide spectrum of voices ranging from the individuals, organizations and communities to ensure all of Birmingham’s communities are shaping the city together.” The launch event will be streamed via LinkedIn (EG) and Twitter (@EstatesGazette) and Estates Gazette website - www.egi.co.uk - on the 26 January at 9:30am.

The Our Future City Plan: Central Birmingham 2040 Shaping our City Together consultation document, details of consultation events and activities that will be taking place can be found on Birmingham BeHeard from 26 January to 26 March 2021. Feedback received will go on to inform the Our Future City Plan: Central Birmingham 2040 Draft Framework to be released in summer 2021 for further consultation.

Following an initial consultation on a potential new name for ‘Black Boy’ Lane in 2020, Haringey Council, in London, is now moving to a second phase of the consultation – asking residents their views on whether or not to rename ‘Black Boy Lane’ to ‘La Rose Lane’. The council believes that the names of our monuments, buildings, places and streets must reflect the values and diversity that we are so proud of in the borough. Meanings change over time, and the term ‘Black Boy’ is now most commonly used as a derogatory name for men of African heritage.

The consultation to rename Black Boy Lane is part of the council’s wider Review on Monuments, Building, Place and Street Names in Haringey, which seeks to represent and celebrate the rich culture and diversity that we are so proud of in our borough. In phase one of the renaming consultation, residents showed a strong preference for the name ‘La Rose Lane’, as such, residents will now be asked whether they feel the street name should remain as ‘Black Boy Lane’ or be changed to ‘La Rose Lane’ - in celebration of John La Rose, a former Haringey resident, publisher, essayist and poet. Phase two of the consultation is still open - to Friday 19 February.

The council has written directly to residents of Black Boy Lane who have been asked to consider ‘La Rose Lane’ as an alternative name. Councillor Joseph Ejiofor, Leader of Haringey Council, said: “Words matter. Language can be a powerful tool for inspiration and change, as well as for oppression and ignorance. It should be used wisely and respectfully, if we were naming the street now, we would not be calling it ‘Black Boy’ Lane.

“It simply does not reflect the diversity, and social cohesion that defines the Haringey of the 2020s. The journey to completely eradicating racism, prejudice and discrimination is a long one. But whilst I am sure that we all want to get to this destination, we need to accept that a journey of a million miles, starts with just a single step. Changing the name of this road is that first step. While we appreciate this is a difficult time for everyone, and responding to consultations such as this may be more challenging, we believe that now, more than ever we should seek to send out a clear message in support of the diversity in our borough.

"I encourage Haringey residents to have their voices heard in this consultation. As a community, as a society, we have to ask ourselves whether Black Boy Lanes remains an appropriate street name today, or whether now is the time for change. I’ll be supporting the change to La Rose Lane.” Residents and organisations can respond to the consultation using one of the following methods:

·         Online using the survey (external link).

·         Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

·         Telephone: 020 8489 3797

·         By post: Consultation Co-ordinator, The Communications Team, River Park House, 225 High Road, Wood Green, London, N22 8HQ

The council will also be hosting an online meeting for residents / organisations to attend and ask council officers any questions. For details on this and how to join, please visit our website. The consideration of whether a street name should be changed is a formal process, as such the council has also published the ‘notice of our intention’ to make an order to rename Black Boy Lane to La Rose Lane. This is a statutory requirement under Part II Section 6 of the London Buildings Acts (Amendment) Act 1939.

Councils in the Black Country will return to the High Court on Wednesday 27 January to seek the renewal of a ground-breaking injunction banning car cruising in the region for a further three years. They will request an extension of the existing injunction, as well as a variation to it so that it applies not only to people organising and participating in a car cruise, but to spectators as well.

In light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the hearing will take place remotely, and therefore people are invited to submit comments and observations regarding the car cruising injunction, and the application to extend and vary the terms of the injunction, by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 4pm on Thursday January 21. Comments received will be presented as evidence to the High Court. The injunction has proved hugely successful, dramatically reducing incidents of car cruising across the Black Country since its introduction nearly six years ago. It prohibits people from taking part in a car cruise anywhere within Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell or Walsall, or from promoting, organising or publicising any such event in the same area.

The current injunction is due to expire next month, and the City of Wolverhampton Council, Walsall Council, Sandwell Council, Dudley Council and West Midlands Police are working together to secure its extension until 2024. Their application on 27 January will also ask the High Court to vary the injunction so that those actively spectating at a car cruise are in future deemed to be participating in the event and therefore in breach of the injunction.

Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: "The car cruising injunction has been incredibly effective since its introduction in February 2015, and we are naturally keen to ensure that it remains in effect for another three years. It has significantly reduced instances of car cruising across the region, though the problem still persists in some areas and so it's important that the injunction stays in place in order to crack down on the issue as and when it occurs.

"We also want to extend the scope of the injunction so that it covers spectators for the first time. As well as encouraging car cruisers to show off in the first place, we've also seen multiple cases of spectators getting injured at car cruises around the country. And they are not only putting themselves at risk, they are putting members of the public in harm’s way by standing in the road or blocking pavements. Spectators are covered by a similar car cruising injunction in force in Birmingham and Solihull, and so it makes perfect sense to vary the terms of our injunction and bring the Black Country injunction in line with that of our neighbours."

She added: “This month's hearing will be held remotely, so we are inviting people who wish to submit comments and observations for consideration by the court to do so electronically by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 4pm on Thursday 21 January.”

The existing injunction defines car cruising as:

·         Two or more motor vehicles (including motorbikes) between the hours of 3pm and 7am being on a highway or in a publicly accessible place within the Black Country at which any such vehicle or occupant of a vehicle performs any of the prohibited activities listed below which causes, or is capable of causing, any of the prohibited consequences set out below. Participating in car cruising means being the driver of, or being carried in (or on), a motor vehicle (including motorbikes) in circumstances in which the above applies.

The prohibited activities referred to above are:

·         Speeding; driving in convoy; racing; performing stunts; sounding horns or playing music as to cause a significant public nuisance; using foul or abusive language; using threatening, intimidating behaviour towards another person; causing obstruction on a public highway, whether moving or stationary.

The prohibited consequences referred to above are:

·         Excessive noise; danger or risk of injury to road users, including pedestrians; damage or significant risk of damage to property; significant risk of harm; significant public nuisance; significant annoyance to the public.

More than 50 individuals have been subject to committal proceedings for breaching the injunction since 2015. One defendant received an immediate custodial sentence of three months; over a dozen were given suspended sentences of up to six months while others received fines of up to £2,000 and were ordered to pay costs. More than a dozen respondents have given undertakings to the court.

In addition, over 100 warning letters have been issued, and in all but one instance no future offending behaviour has been reported. Meanwhile, police continue to undertake regular car cruise operations, supported by technology including drones which has enabled the authorities to secure high quality video evidence of gatherings.

Volunteers are being recruited across the city to crochet coasters and macramé mats to include in gift packages to residents in Care Homes and isolated people within Birmingham’s communities in a new drive to connect people and reduce loneliness through craft activity.

The ‘We Care Coasters’ campaign includes working with primary schools and young people through Birmingham Scouts and Guides who will be designing and writing cards for the gift boxes, and starting ‘conversations’ with people who are different from them.

The Hive Café & Bakery was voted the country’s most ethical, responsible and sustainable venue in the country at last year’s VisitEngland awards. Whilst the exhibition and workshop spaces remain closed due to the new lockdown restrictions, staff are inviting volunteer crafters to connect with them and to support a new social action project which can be done safely from people’s homes.

Naomi Clarke, who is leading the craft campaign for The Hive, encourages people to get involved; “We are looking for people who already crochet or macramé to get involved and use their creative skills and a few spare hours to contribute to this craft campaign, but we are also really keen to hear from people who are completely new to craft and would like to learn some new skills. We have prepared starter packs with tools, yarn, written instructions and video tutorials to create basic coasters.

“We know that crafting has fantastic therapeutic qualities and hope this project will be a positive activity which helps people during this latest lockdown. The Hive is in a former industrial building in the Jewellery Quarter and volunteers will help us continue the long tradition of making from the building since 1879 – although this winter it will be from their own homes.” The Birmingham More In Common group is part of a growing national network of volunteers who run Great Get Together events which bring people together to celebrate what they have in common, inspired by the work of the late Jo Cox MP.

Suzanne Carter from Birmingham More In Common said; “The message behind the Jo Cox Foundation’s Great Winter Get Together Campaign this year is to reduce loneliness and reduce stigma by building connection. Winter is often difficult for so many people, this year the effects of lock down, shielding and social distancing will be felt by many more across Birmingham. We are so delighted to be working with team at The Hive who can make this social action initiative happen.

“We will be safely delivering gift packs to Care Homes and to people who could do with a little boost. They will include the handmade drinks coaster, cards and personalised messages from their makers, and a few treats to have with a cuppa! We are involving children and young people as well as adult crafters to show how as active citizens their actions have the power to brighten someone’s day. Anyone can experience loneliness in their lifetime. It is often small acts of kindness that make a difference.”

Anyone interested in joining the volunteer craft team (aged 18+) or teachers interested in involving their schools email Naomi and Suzanne at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The project is being run with strict covid-19 secure procedures, to keep all volunteers and gift recipients safe.