Community News

The Black Country Chamber Awards, headline partnered by Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, are being held at Wolverhampton Racecourse on Friday 15 November and promises to be an exciting event which this year, is being hosted by Aaron James who is starring in the Grand Theatre’s Christmas panto.

Vicky Price, Associate Director, Development and Communications at the Grand Theatre said, “We are thrilled to be the headline partner for The Black Country Chamber Awards 2019 and introduce the latest edition to our pantomime cast, comedian Aaron James as the host.

“Aaron, who has worked closely with local legend and Grand Theatre Ambassador, Steve Bull for many years, won the hearts and tickled the funny bones of Wolverhampton as the host of the theatre’s 125th Anniversary Gala Dinner in February. We are delighted that he will host this year’s award ceremony which will be a fantastic introduction before taking on the role of Idle Jack in this year’s Pantomime, Dick Whittington.”

Alongside the award presentations, there will be further entertainment on the evening itself, which will be announced very soon. Tickets vary in price depending on where the table is located within the room, and they are available on a first come, first served basis.

• Platinum Tables are £110+VAT per seat
• Gold Tables are £105+VAT per seat
• Silver Tables are £90+VAT per seat
• Bronze Tables are £80+VAT per seat

There are 13 categories in the Awards -chosen because they are representative of the vibrant and diverse business community in the Black Country. These are:

1. Community Champion – still available to sponsor
2. Large Business of the Year – still available to sponsor
3. Small Business of the Year – sponsored by Walsall College
4. Export Business of the Year – sponsored by Wolverhampton Racecourse
5. Education & Business Partnership - still available to sponsor
6. Customer Commitment Award- still available to sponsor
7. Black Country Business Person of the Year- still available to sponsor
8. Professional Services Award- still available to sponsor
9. Excellence in Manufacturing and Engineering – sponsored by Crowe
10. High-growth Business of the Year- still available to sponsor
11. Family Business of the Year- still available to sponsor
12. Start-Up Business of the Year Award – sponsored by MSV consulting
13. Young Person or Apprentice of the Year - sponsored by Dudley College

Now that the awards have closed to entries, the judging process has begun, and the finalists in each category will be revealed in a special announcement event at Casino 36 on Wednesday 11 September.

Corin Crane, chief executive of the Black Country Chamber said, “I am delighted to see there have been loads of entries this year. With all the fantastic businesses in the Black Country I am sure the judges are really going to have their work cut out for them – which is in essence, a very nice problem to have! I am looking forward to the finalists’ announcement on 11 September.

“There are still some great opportunities for businesses to gain some additional exposure through supporting the Awards. Not only would you enjoy some outstanding networking opportunities, you’d be getting your brand in front of some 19 million people!”

Sponsorship packages are still available to suit every budget. The following organisations having already signed up: Wolverhampton Grand Theatre (Headline and Table Gift Sponsor); Wolverhampton Racecourse (Export Business of the Year); Walsall College (Small Business of the Year); MSV Consultancy (Start-Up Business of the Year & Social Media Sponsor); Crowe UK (Excellence in Manufacturing & Engineering); Dudley College (Young Person or Apprentice of the Year);  DY5 (Black Country Business of the Year); Casino 36 (After-Show Partner); Klick Business Solutions (Brochure Sponsor).

Leading audit, tax, advisory and risk firm, Crowe, is sponsoring the Excellence in Manufacturing category. Partner, Rob Gunn, said, “Crowe is delighted to support the Black Country Business Awards for a second year running. Situated in the heart of the Black Country we work with a wide range of innovative and industry leading local businesses. The Black Country Business Awards is a fantastic way to celebrate and showcase what the region has to offer.”

Tickets to the gala dinner are on sale on: www.bcccawards.co.uk

More than 1,400 young people between the ages of 16 and 29 in Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands, have been helped into education, employment, apprenticeships or training by Black Country Impact.

The project, run in conjunction with the Department for Work and Pensions and European Social Fund, aims to support young adults not in education, employment, or training (NEETs) break down the barriers that may be holding them back from finding work, improving skills or gaining qualifications.

It has now been running for almost three years and a celebratory event at Molineux Stadium last week was attended by Mayor of Wolverhampton, Councillor Claire Darke, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, Councillor Mike Hardacre, Director of Education, Meredith Teasdale, young people and their families, training providers and City of Wolverhampton Council’s Impact team.

Tariq Taylor, Customer Service Officer at City of Wolverhampton Council, Gloria Campbell who is completing an assessor award with TOPPS training, and Chloe Evans, web designer apprentice at Learn Play Foundation, all spoke about how Impact had supported them to get a job or apprenticeship.

Councillor Hardacre said: “I am extremely proud of everyone who is involved in this project. Hearing from and meeting young people from different backgrounds who have changed their lives through working hard and not giving up has been incredibly inspiring.

“The Impact programme has already changed the lives of over 1,400 young people and I’m looking forward to seeing that number increase. This is great news for the city and very important in contributing to our city priorities for reducing youth unemployment and ensuring our young people aspire, achieve and have the best opportunities.”

City of Wolverhampton Council employs seven Impact key workers to provide one-to-one support to young people to move into employment and training across the city. There is also a dedicated progression officer working alongside businesses and training providers.

In Wolverhampton, the Impact team works with partners including Connexions, Wolverhampton Homes, housing providers, Youth Offending Team, Strengthening Families Hubs, Job Centres, Children and Young People’s Services and Wolves at Work, Voluntary Community Sector providers such as YMCA, and Wolves’ health project, to offer a depth of support that cannot be achieved through traditional routes.

The project also receives funding from the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) and match funding from the National Lottery Community Fund.

To celebrate 50 years since the first moon landing, Birmingham Hippodrome and surrounding areas will be transformed into a lunar landscape for the whole weekend. Birmingham Hippodrome’s free two-day family festival ‘Summer in Southside’ will take place on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 July 2019.

This year the festival will explore the spectacle and wonder of Outer Space, complete with Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon, a stunning seven meter model with detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface. Visitors will have the chance to see Hippodrome Associate Company Motionhouse perform its remarkable dance piece ‘Gravity’ and witness Highly Sprung’s walkabout physical performance featuring an astronaut suspended 20 feet in the air using a flying machine. They can also see an asteroid crash land in Southside and watch as scientific police explore the aftermath.

Other extra-terrestrial guests include alien-like i-Puppets and Ljud’s The Invasion, a roaming performance telling the story of intergalactic immigrants who have accidentally landed on Earth.

Festival-goers can take a seat in the Astronaut’s Caravan, which uses a unique optical illusion to create a gravity defying sensory experience and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s sci-fi tunes will create an astronomical atmosphere.

Elsewhere over the weekend, Birmingham Hippodrome has teamed up with Bullring & Grand Central for Summer in the City as part of Summer in Southside. During Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 July, visitors to the centre will be able to enjoy various performances in Rotunda Square. The Dream Engine’s ‘Heliosphere’ will see a seemingly weightless acrobat suspended beneath a helium balloon spiralling and spinning, while Mind the Gap’s interactive performance ‘Mirror Mirror’ will see two robotic creatures from a far-off land exploring their newly found planet and mirroring their findings.

Meet Silent Rocco’s ‘Lostronaut’ who will bring his stunning low gravity performance to Earth, as seen on the semi-finals of Italy’s Got Talent 2019. Gobbledegook Theatre will transform a space by the Bull into a cloud gazing area, inviting people to look up at the sky while the theatre company perform a creative monologue about space, the clouds, the sky and beyond.

Everyone’s welcome at Birmingham Hippodrome and the theatre aims to make as many of its events and performances easily accessible. For any additional needs, there will be an Access Hub in front of the theatre’s main entrance during the festival and many performances will be audio described and signed.

Recruit your space-crew and blast off into the galaxy this summer at Birmingham Hippodrome’s annual free family festival.

‘Summer in Southside’, a Birmingham Hippodrome Project is supported by Arts Council England, Global Streets, Without Walls and sponsored by Southside BID, The Arcadian and Darwin Escapes.

As the Sales & Customer Service Manager at Orega Birmingham, Caron Salter-Hill is no stranger to hard work, and for the 63 year old who shows no signs of slowing down just yet, hard work and dedication are exactly what got her to where she is today.

Caron is the 4th of 5 children of a Jamaican father, who came to the UK via the RAF during the war, and a Jamaican mother, who joined her father in the UK after living with Caron’s 3 sisters in the USA.

“They met in Jamaica, got married there and had 3 children, then the war happened,” explained Caron, fondly remembering their story. “They settled in Moseley after the war, then I came along, and 5 years later my brother was born, although we lost my middle sister in 2005.”

There was a strong work ethic instilled in the whole family from day one, with Caron’s sisters taking positions abroad; one as a pharmacist in Canada, and one recently retired as a district attorney in the USA.

Her brother ran his own company, and her late sister worked in local government through the School Library Service her whole life.

From the age of 3 until 16, ballet was Caron’s life, and she had aspirations to teach ballet and have her own ballet school, however “things change, and I grew up a little bit.” “I went to Bournville Tech and Matthew Boulton College, and took business studies with secretarial qualifications in shorthand and typing, before taking a position at the council in the Architects department.”

Caron then fell pregnant with her son, and spent a year with him at home before deciding she had to get back into work, but wanted something completely different. Taking a job with Securicor, she started in the Transport division as an Admin Clerk before working her way up to middle management. “They had great training facilities and personal development there, and as my first senior role I was managing a business administration section of 42 people.”

“75% of the employees were female, and the experience I gained from that was phenomenal, working as a manager, mother and dealing with office politics. On Fridays my door was always open if anyone needed help, or to talk, and I never got anything done on a Friday except that!”

After 12 years with Securicor, they split their operations into North and South, and the Midlands was completely knocked out, resulting in redundancy.

“I wanted to stay in the transport industry, and Parceline, now DPD, came knocking.” The director got in touch with Caron directly, and admitted that although he wanted to hire her, he didn’t know where to put her due to her expansive experience and knowledge. He settled on a department that Caron had never worked in before – Sales.

“Instantly I was like no no no, definitely not! I wasn’t trained and my skill was always training and people management. But I needed the job, so I gave it a shot, you never know where things are going to take you!”

Starting in Internal Sales, making appointments for other people, Caron found she quite enjoyed the job, and after a couple of months, she was given a set of car keys to “run in” a new car for the director.

“Every week for nearly a month I kept going back asking him when he wanted the car back and eventually he sat me down and told me that he didn’t want it back, but he gave me a list of people and places, and I was to take the car to go see them all, essentially being field sales.”

After another initial bout of self doubt and worry, Caron took the bull by the horns, and never looked back, doing field sales for 2 years in her own territory, before she was headhunted by TNT, who were huge on personal development, and Caron took full advantage.

Spending 11 years at TNT, working her way up to Sales Manager of the East Midlands team, and eventually taking on Birmingham as well, she was headhunted once again, this time the UK Sales of Marketing Director of TNT took 9 managers with him over to Regus. While at Regus Caron wanted to do more with one of her passions, interior design, and completed a City & Guilds qualification with a high merit with a home study course with an Interior Design Academy.

Headhunted once again while at Regus, by Target Space based at Baskerville House , she spent 4 years there until they redeveloped Baskerville House and sold it. By this time, Orega had approached her.

“Orega is in all major cities around the UK, and the business is growing. It works in partnership with all the landlords. It’s a great business, desire for people who want flexibility with their office space, or if they just want flexible space on a short term basis.”

The team that Caron manages at Orega Birmingham is a young team, and they’re learning a lot, with Caron leading by example. “I want to develop my team so that they can get to a level that they want to stay with Orega and further their careers. It’s great to be able to lead, teach and pass on my experiences.”

Although she has been successful throughout her career, Caron said that thankfully she has only really had 2 experiences of racism during her time in business. “One man wouldn’t shake my hand because he was racist, and told me as much, and another was sacked the same day for how she had treated me after I visited the company on an appointment.”

“I was brought up with very strong family beliefs, and a strong work ethic through a long line of strong black women, but it has never been easy. These are things that I’ve instilled in my own son, my son has instilled in my grandchildren, and my great-grandson who is only 3 months old now will have instilled in him too.”

“Fight for what you want, it’s important to fight for your dreams,” says Caron, “It’s not been easy pushing through those barriers, and there are people who will continually knock you down, but you need to get back up every time, it’ll make you stronger.” Caron truly is an inspiration, both to her family and her team, and after reading her story, we’re sure she’ll be an inspiration to many of our readers too.

Birmingham braced itself as the vibrancy, fun and flavour of Mexican restaurant Chilango arrived in the city this month, as its latest restaurant threw open its doors.

With an unrivaled menu made up of burritos, tacos, nachos and salads, all made with the very best quality, fresh ingredients, Chilango is on a mission to raise the bar for Mexican food in the UK.

And to celebrate the opening of its latest restaurant, Brummies took the chance to grab a free burrito.

With an unmistakably Mexican Mariachi band to welcome the new restaurant’s first visitors, there was certainly a party atmosphere on opening day - made even better by the free Chicken Burrito, Veggie and Vegan Burrito for every customer through the door on July 4.

Visitors needed to sign up at bit.ly/chilangobirmingham and show their email to claim their free burrito as the celebrations continued into the evening with more Mariachi music, games and the chance to enjoy a burrito and a beer in the evening athe the new venue on Colmore Row.

Voted No.1 Mexican Restaurant in London by Zagat, and London’s Best Burritos by Time Out and Harden’s Survey, Chilango’s vibrant menu is inspired by its founders’ passion for Mexican flavours and cuisine, with a few extra tasty twists thrown into the mix.

On offer there are the Chilango, a burrito filled with chicken marinated in secret recipe spices, lime coriander rice, black beans, asada (their famous medium salsa made in-house every morning, as with all the salsas) along with sour cream and cheese, or the Surf and Turf, a meeting of land and sea, steak and prawns alongside your choice of toppings and salsas. Other favourites the chicken protein box, low carb box and vegan box feature as fewer than 500 calorie options.

Dan Houghton, co-founder and CEO, said: “We are very excited to open our second restaurant outside of London.

Birmingham has a great food scene which we are delighted to be a part of and has a fantastic buzz and vibrancy which perfectly aligns with why we started Chilango.

We hope to welcome all Birmingham’s Mexican food fans for vibrant food, flavours and experience.”

In just over two weeks a major junction on the West Coast main line will close for 16 days for vital engineering work in Warrington, train passengers were warned.

Between 20 July and 4 August, Network Rail will be upgrading track, cabling, overhead lines and signalling on the busy Acton Grange junction, which is used by more than 260 trains every day.

Acton Grange is a key section of the West Coast main line between Crewe and Preston.

While the £27 million Great North Rail Project scheme takes place, many train services will be diverted via alternative routes.

Train operators and Network Rail have agreed a plan to keep passengers moving throughout the work.

The plan may mean passengers have to change onto different trains or buses for sections of their journeys.

Passengers are being urged to check www.nationalrail.co.uk before travelling so they know exactly what to expect.

They are also advised to allow more time for their journeys as services are likely to be busier than usual.

David Golding, acting route managing director, said:“The West Coast main line is Europe’s busiest mixed-use railway. It is the economic backbone of Britain.

“With more than 260 trains using this junction every day, it is vital to keep it in good condition. We need to replace it and upgrade it to ensure a reliable railway for passengers for many years to come.

“To deliver work of this scale and magnitude, we must close the junction for 16 days this summer. The alternative would be many weekends of disruption to passengers and much higher cost.

“We have worked closely with our train and freight operator colleagues to minimise the disruption and to keep as many trains moving as possible. I would urge passengers to plan ahead and check before they travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk.”

Robert Nisbet, regional director for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents the railway, said:“This vital engineering work is part of the rail industry’s plan to improve punctuality and make journeys better while keeping disruption to a minimum as much as we can.

“We encourage people who are planning to take the train during these weeks to check before they travel by visiting www.nationalrail.co.uk or speaking to their train operator.”

This section of the West Coast main line helps connect Chester and Warrington to

Manchester in the east and Wigan, Preston, the Lake District and Scotland to the West Midlands and London.

The vital upgrade this summer will bring the outdated track and equipment up to modern standards and further improve the reliability of the economically important West Coast main line.

Sir Ian McKellen’s recent visit to Birmingham Repertory Theatre raised an incredible £140,000 giving the theatre’s REP First £1 million campaign a significant boost.

He brought his one-man show; ‘Ian McKellen On Stage’ to The REP last month, playing to three packed houses as part of his 80^th birthday celebrations visiting 80 venues around the country raising vital funds for each theatre in the process.

Over 2400 bought a ticket to see ‘Ian McKellen On Stage’ at The REP. Tickets sold out within 48 hours and due to popular demand an extra performance was added with all profits going to The REP, which as a registered charity, is currently aiming to raise £1 million pounds.

Rachael Thomas, Executive Director at The REP said: “Ian McKellen’s visit to The REP was not only an incredible spine-tingling demonstration of the power of live performance but a powerful awareness raising opportunity of the charitable case for the arts. We are extremely grateful to Ian for his wonderful generosity and support – the event and its impact on The REP will be remembered for many, many years to come.  We are also extremely grateful to everyone who bought a ticket and by doing so played a vital part in supporting our REP First £1 million campaign”

Ahead of his visit to The REP Sir Ian said: “The legacy of Birmingham Repertory Theatre is recognised by actors everywhere, which is why I wanted to present my new solo show here to celebrate my 80th birthday. All profits will benefit the REP First Campaign, nurturing new talent.”

REP First is a 3 year campaign, which aims to raise £1miilion in order to ensure that The REP can continue to nurture the region's talented young artists, commission exciting new works, welcome new audiences and reach out to the communities of Birmingham and beyond. Now in its third and final year, the REP First campaign has raised £830, 685. The £140,000 raised through the Ian McKellen events will support the nurturing talent strand of REP First. Supporting the next generation of theatre makers and performers is extremely important to Ian and is part of The REP’s DNA. For over 100 years, The REP has been a beacon of excellence, discovering and nurturing young talent.

In addition to the three performances by Ian McKellen, and to boost the amount of money raised, The REP hosted two gala events transforming its studio theatre into an enchanted forest for the occasion. These fundraising galas were attended by 530 members of the local business community, sponsors and individuals. Fundraising efforts were also furthered by Sir Ian McKellen who took part in a bucket collection after each performance in an attempt to help The REP raise as much as possible.

The additional matinee performance meant that because of Ian’s willingness and generosity 100 people from The REP’s participatory projects - Shifting the Dial, REP Foundry, Young REP and Furnace – were welcomed to the see ‘Ian McKellen On Stage’.

To date ‘Ian McKellen On Stage’ has raised in excess of £1.5 million for theatre across the country, with the grand total predicted to reach £2 million.

A local hospice is hoping to turn Birmingham pink this July as part of its 40^thanniversary celebrations.

Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice is calling on the local community to Go Pink! on Wednesday 10 July to celebrate the day it was officially opened by Princess Alexandra in 1979.

The much-loved charity is calling on Brummies to “wear it pink, bake it pink, quiz it pink or make it pink” in a bid to raise vital funds for local people living with life-limiting illness.

Lucy Watkins, head of fundraising at Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice, said: “Whether it’s wearing a pink fancy dress outfit, baking pink cakes for the office or hosting your own pink-themed party, Go Pink! is a really simple but fun way of supporting Birmingham St Mary’s during our 40^th anniversary.

“It will cost £8.3 million this year to keep the Hospice’s crucial services running, most of which needs to be raised through the generosity of local people and businesses. By turning the city pink this July, we hope to make our communities more aware of what hospice care is and help raise the money needed to continue to provide it.”

Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice opened its doors in 1979, after it was founded by former NHS matron Monica Pearce. At the time, it was the first independent hospice in the Midlands and only the seventh nationwide.

40 years on and Birmingham St Mary’s remains the city’s largest hospice. It is caring for more people than ever before – over 400 people every day – and it can provide support in people’s homes, in the community and at the Hospice.

One of those people is Merdella, who is currently receiving care from the Hospice’s ‘Support at Home’ service – a volunteer-led initiative which provides practical, social and emotional support in individual’s homes. Merdella is backing the Go Pink! campaign as a way of showing her support for the charity.

She said: “Happy isn’t a word I thought I would use to describe my time at a hospice but that’s how I always feel, happy. The nurses and volunteers are so kind and empathetic – they understand what I’m going through and help me to be as comfortable as I can be. They remind you that life is about living and always encourage you to live as well as you can.”

Lucy added: “Whilst Go Pink! is a really fun way for people to support the Hospice, it’s also an opportunity to highlight how vital our care is for people just like Merdella. Demand for palliative and end of life care is growing at a significant pace – well beyond the £8.3 million needed to meet current needs – so funds raised from campaigns like this ensure that we can continue to provide our care to people now and for another 40 years to come.”

Go Pink! is taking place on Wednesday 10 July across the city. To find out more about the campaign and to pledge your support, visit: www.birminghamhospice.org.uk/go-pink

Leading up to their participation in the forthcoming Vitality Netball World Cup the much-fancied Jamaica ‘Sunshine Girls’ national team was in Birmingham to meet and greet fans and also to be on hand for the Sunshine Netball Tournament at the University of Birmingham Sports & Fitness Centre.

With teams from around the country on hand, it was an unforgettable day for all there, who were able to take part in, and witness, the day-long competition indorsed by the world No.3 ranked team.

It was the perfect prelude to the upcoming Vitality World Cup, taking place in Liverpool, for fans to be ‘up close and personal’ with the ever-engaging Sunshine Girls, who were never afraid of connecting with the mass number of supporters, and those following the teams which took part in the competition, plus those who just wanted to rub shoulders with the legendary ‘Girls.

Following a Q&A and open training sessions, and with a Sunshine Girl designated to coach each of the teams that took part, it was the Redditch, in Worcestershire-based Panthers Netball Club who beat the Swanley team from Kent, in a conclusion to a day of fast-paced sporting endeavour, great family fun and an unforgettable chance to mingle freely with some sporting legends.

An overwhelmed Zena Wooldridge, Director of Sport at the University of Birmingham Sport and Fitness Club said: “We have a great relationship with Jamaica following the track and field team using here as their training camp leading up to the  2012 Olympic Games in London.

“For today, a big ‘Thank You’ goes out to Paulette Simpson, Executive, Corporate Affairs and Public Policy at The Jamaica National Group and Voice Newspaper for being at the heart of all this”.

Finishing off, she said: “We’ll be supporting England and Jamaica during the World Cup”.

“It’s a great privilege to shake the hands of legends”, said visiting Special Guest, Jamaica High Commissioner in London, His Excellence Seth George Ramocan, CD. “The University has great facilities and are fantastic supporters of Jamaica in every way.

“When you compare the budgets of the leading teams in the world, it just puts into perspective just how great our team is.

I am truly proud”.

The other teams who took part in the Sunshine Netball Tournament include; Ashanti, Malcolm X Ladies, Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer, Stockland Belles and City Treasurers.

Following England’s Gold Medal-winning performance in the Commonwealth Games, in the Gold Coast, in Australia, netball has taken-off massively, with more women and girls taking-up the sport at many levels.

With Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls fully behind a successful ‘Sunshine Netball Tournament’, the game has never been so engaging.

The Vitality Netball World Cup takes place in Liverpool, July 12- 21.

Good afternoon. I feel particularly honoured to be in the company of so many outstanding women, at this VMBS UK Women of Purpose Luncheon. I am humbled and inspired as I look around this room. I consider the achievements and the impact you have made in different sectors including healthcare, politics, education, religion, the arts, among others – and I am filled with pride and admiration.

Congratulations, ladies for the immense contribution you have made to your professions, your communities and to Jamaica. You are examples of Jamaican excellence and I encourage you to continue to be tireless and unyielding in your efforts to make a positive impact on this world.

In the words of the young and fast rising female reggae star, Koffee, we toast you:

Toast, yeah Say we a come in wid a force (yeah) Blessings we a reap pon we course ina hand full We nuh rise and boast Yeah we give thanks like we need it the most We haffi give thanks like we really supposed to, be thankful!

Blessings all pon mi life and Mi thank God for di journey di earnings a jus fi di plus (yeah) Gratitude is a must (yeah) Mi see blessings fall by mi right hand Buss a toast fi di friends weh tek off heavy load

It is significant that we are gathered in June – which this year will be recognised here in the UK as Windrush Month. Many of the brave, pioneering individuals who came over from Jamaica as part of the ‘Windrush Generation’ were women and they and their families went on to be trailblazers. These women were instrumental in the creation of many institutions that exist today, including the National Health Service (NHS). I mention the NHS specifically because, as you know, it was born out of the ideal that good healthcare should be available to all regardless of social class or background – which in some ways mirrors the founding principle of Victoria Mutual.

In 1878, a group of clergymen founded Victoria Mutual with the aim to help hardworking but economically marginalised Jamaicans own homes. The idea was that nobody should be condemned to a life of poverty, but instead everybody who is willing to work hard should have access to financial independence. We’ve grown significantly since our founding. Today we are a strong integrated financial group which offers savings, loans and mortgage facilities, wealth management and financial advisory services, real estate and commercial property management services, money transfer, pension administration and investment management services as well as property, casualty and liability insurance. Our reach extends across oceans and seas – with representative offices not just here in the UK, but also in Florida and as of November last year – in New York as well. We also have a very vibrant brand presence in Canada. Even with this growth, our core mission remains unchanged. We exist to help our Members own homes and achieve financial independence – because the dream of home ownership and the freedom of being financially independent should be equally available to all.

Victoria Mutual has very bold ambitions. We know we must have the best people on our team to realise these ambitions. We are the happy beneficiaries of the hard work and dedication of several outstanding women who serve the VM Team at every level - from the board of directors to senior executives, senior managers and managers. We therefore understand very clearly the sacrifice made by the women being recognised today and the magnitude of the contribution you make every day in your respective fields.

May I encourage you, ladies, to ensure that you share the vast knowledge you have attained over the years with the next generation of women – and men - through either formal or informal mentorship arrangements. We must equip the next generation to take the baton and continue the race.

I’m happy to say that Victoria Mutual will soon be launching our own mentorship programme aimed at creating and sustaining linkages among generations of Jamaicans. We know that Jamaicans are ultra-talented, however, the younger generation needs the help of those who came before them, so that they can reach their full potential. If anyone here today is interested in being part of the VM Mentorship Programme, our team is happy to talk with you after the luncheon.

Friends, mentorship is important because as times change, even more will be required in the workplace. A McKinsey Institute study titled ‘The future of women at work: Transitions in the age of automation’, revealed that, while the age of automation and artificial intelligence offers new job opportunities, women in particular face new challenges in the workforce. Globally, between 40 and 160 million women may actually need to transition between occupations by 2030, often into higher-skilled roles that require higher educational attainments - because net labour demand will only grow for jobs that require a college or advanced degree.

So, how are we going to handle this? That is a question to be considered not only by leaders at London’s Westminster Palace or Gordon House in Kingston. It is an issue for us all to interrogate with the dedicated focus it deserves.

As our women and men face a period of disruptive change, it will be vital for them to develop:

1. The skills that will be in demand
2. The flexibility and mobility needed to negotiate labour-market transitions successfully
3. The access to and knowledge of technology necessary to work with automated systems, including participating in its creation.

We need to encourage young people – especially our young men - to stay in school! Across developed economies including the UK, and in Jamaica, more women than men graduate with at least secondary-level education. And, even while staying in school, both young men and women need to match their skills as closely as possible to where the most job opportunities will be – professional, scientific and technical services.

The private sector can invest more in training and reskilling employees within their organisations or in partnership with academic and other institutions. For example, VM Group is partnering with MSBM to deliver management training to our middle management cadre. The private sector can also invest in digital learning platforms – such as the Harvard ManagementMentor programme used by VM Group.

FLEXIBILITY AND MOBILITY:

This is important so that persons can move across employers, occupations, sectors and geographies as needed in order to respond to the needs of an evolving labour market. However, women tend to face more structural challenges here than men. Women are less mobile and flexible because they spend so much more time than men on unpaid care work – three times as much. They must take advantage of technology such as teleworking. Also, more employers need to start offering flexible or remote working options. I’m happy to say that VM Group does this.

ACCESS:

Women don’t have access to the same extent as men to networks that help them develop their skills, achieve career progression and transition into new jobs. Some companies are moving ahead on this front, but more needs to be done to create opportunities for women.  VM Group offers formal coaching and mentorship and encourages our women to join service clubs and personal development groups like Toastmaster International.

Women also need to be more engaged in technology – they need greater access, to acquire more technology skills and be stronger participants in the creation of technology to thrive in this new world. Technology has the capacity to breakdown many barriers, opening up new economic opportunities, helping previously marginalised groups to participate in the workforce and navigate transitions in the automation age.

We are constantly seeking new ways to help develop our team, because we all need to be prepared to take on the demands of this fast-changing world – a world which Military leaders describe as The VUCA World.

V - Volatile

U - Uncertain

C - Complex

A -Ambiguous

Volatile – rapid rate of change in politics, economics, society, environment – with markets leaders being regularly disrupted. Average life span of largest companies in the world now is 18 years versus 75 years in 1937. This volatility can throw you off track.

Uncertain – lack of predictability; things change at the drop of a hat. We have more and more surprises in new products from competitors, and new competitors.

Complex - in terms of the issues and chaos with which we have to cope. The business environment is ever-changing, situation is nuanced and has many interconnecting components. For example, there are generational shifts in the workplace, including VM Group. We have to understand how other generations access and use information.

Ambiguous – there is a haziness of reality. Due to automation and globalisation, it is increasingly difficult to distinguish between virtual world and reality. Some traits that may have been strengths before are now seen as weaknesses. We face unknowns daily and we don’t have any textbooks to guide us on how to respond.

What type of mindset do we need to succeed in a VUCA world? The experts share 12 critical competencies, but I will only cover four of them today. Let’s call this - ‘My VUCA.’ These competencies, I’m sure, can be of value to you – and to anyone you choose to mentor.

1. Vision and Values – Vision is a powerful force. It is both an anchor and a moral compass that drives everyday attitudes, decisions and actions. In fact, a compelling vision is an important pre-requisite for any individual, school, community or nation to succeed.

“A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more.” Rosabeth Moss Kanter

This purpose-driven vision is the type that stirs your blood every time you think of it; it is the mark that you hope to leave on the world or on those around you. Daniel Hudson Burnham once said: “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.”

Once you have clarified your vision, you must be resolute in keeping focused and not moving away from your mission.

Your values must guide all your actions.  Every time you make a decision, you are showing your hidden values - what you stand for. It is important to clarify your values.

It is clear from today’s gathering that a key value for you all here is excellence. Victoria Mutual’s core values of integrity and excellence have guided the business for 140 years.  Many competitors have come and gone but we have been getting bigger and better. Why?  Every time a crucial or small decision is to be made, we are guided by our values.

What kind of values are we teaching our young people? The world’s economy is doing well as measured by the IMF and international banks, but when we think of the growing inequality and the many acts of corruption in the halls of power across nations, are we promoting commerce without morality and supporting politics without principle? When we think of the acceleration in cyber-crime and activities like scamming in Jamaica, are we encouraging our young people to acquire knowledge without character? Our young people are doing better in school than they used to, but the statistics still show that they are underachieving when compared with other ethnic groups in the UK.

Speaking of Vision, can we as parents and caring seniors inspire our young people to develop more robust visions for themselves and to be more ambitious and driven? In 2013, 53.3 per cent of Black Caribbean pupils in England achieved five or more GCSEs or equivalent at grades A to C including English and Mathematics, compared with 60.5 per cent of White British pupils and 60.6 per cent of all pupils regardless of ethnicity. Among pupils eligible for free school meals (used as a measure of low family incomes), Black Caribbean pupils outnumbered White British pupils by 36.9 to 27.9 per cent for boys and 47.7 to 36.8 per cent for girls in 2013. Perhaps we should teach them to sing what I read is Rev. Hudson-Wilkin’s favourite song by Labi Siffre “Something inside so strong, I know that I can make it. Though you're doing me wrong, so wrong You thought that my pride was gone, oh no There's something inside so strong.”

What about family life? We need to be more intentional in teaching our young people about the value of a stable family and that fathers must be present and active in the lives of their children.

Having settled on the values that will guide you, keep moving toward your goals. Develop some realistic goals. Do something regularly — even if it seems like a small accomplishment — that enables you to move toward your goals. Instead of focusing on tasks that seem unachievable, ask yourself, "What's one thing I know I can accomplish today that helps me move in the direction I want to go?" As Gandhi said “Your actions become your habits, you habits become your values, you values become your destiny.”

2. Understanding yourself – In this VUCA world, you have to understand yourself – your strengths and limitations so that you can take advantage of opportunities that present themselves, close gaps and manage risks. Understanding yourself means that you know how you learn best, how you do your best work. To know yourself, take feedback from everyone – family, friends, those who are not even close to you – the more the better.

Self-awareness and preparation also include spiritual health – for me, that means daily Bible reading and prayer. This keeps me connected to the source of power, reminds me who rules all creation and keeps me grounded, humble and focused. It ensures that I continue to grow. I have found that when I do this, my mind is always being renewed.

3. We need courage to anticipate and create change – How much do you read and keep abreast of what is happening? In this world, it is best for us to accept that change and disruption are inevitable. This will lead us to not only seek positive outcomes from change but to use change and disruption to our advantage. Those of us who have leadership responsibilities need to constantly ask ourselves, how can we use our strategic foresight to create change before external change forces us to react? You can be the ones to create and lead change! We also need to remember to involve all stakeholders in the change process. One aspect of coping with change is remaining optimistic. Avoid seeing crises as insurmountable problems. You can't change the fact that highly stressful events happen, but you can change how you interpret and respond to these events. Being Optimistic is key. You may be down but not knocked out. Pick yourself up and try again. German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”
4. Agility - Be an agile learner. Open yourself to change and be eager to learn new things. When thrown into unfamiliar situations, embrace the change so that you can learn from the experience. Get comfortable with unclear situations because this is the new normal. Remain determined to succeed in spite of the uncertainty. So, even as we embrace new technology, we also need to be comfortable using alternative methods. This way, we execute regardless of the tools available to us. Agile learning also involves learning from mistakes and using that learning to shape future decisions. Sometimes, this means changing things about yourself when required – your attitudes, your disciplines, your biases, your problem-solving techniques. All of us need to constantly ask ourselves: ‘What am I learning here?’

Ladies and gentlemen, I wish to again offer my sincere congratulations to you for your outstanding contribution to nation-building both here in the UK and back home in Jamaica. We have some special gifts for you tonight which will be presented to you at your tables, including some very special awards for a group of exceptional women among us whose purposeful lives are an inspiration to us all.

Thank you for being with us today and I wish you God’s richest blessings.

This is a one day conference - Theme: Transformative Power of Love and Kindness

What is involved?

Registration at opens at 0800 hours with coffee or tea

0900 Conference opens

Key Themes to be discussed:

• Positive workplace culture
• Courage to be your best
• Living Peacefully from Love to Action
• Promoting a culture of peace and non-violence through education
• Moving from Conflict to Connection
• Paths to deeper connection with the true self
• Transformation and Healing
• Confidence and Authenticity
• Love for all – the power of kindness

Home Page: http://birmingham-westmidlandswef.com/

Facebook Page: https://www.2343ec78a04c6ea9d80806345d31fd78-gdprlock/BWMWEF/

For more information visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/transformative-power-of-love-and-kindness-tickets-63976678969

Cost of the conference £69.95

Organiser: Dr neslyn Watson-Druée, CBE

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

As a nod to International Women in Engineering Day this week, Severn Trent is showcasing its flagship £300M Birmingham Resilience Project.  There is a female engineer at every level of the project, from project engineer, right up through programme director and the Head of Capital Delivery, to the Capital Delivery and Commercial Director and even right up to the CEO.

Jane Simpson, Head of Capital Delivery, said: “I am the head of capital delivery for Severn Trent, delivering £3 billion of capital schemes. The Birmingham Resilience Project is an amazing piece of work, and my largest, in terms of both what we’re trying to deliver, and to the women in particular who’re delivering it.  This is our flagship programme, where we’re investing around £300M to make sure water supplies to Birmingham are more secure.  It involves work on the existing Elan Valley Aqueduct, to keep the water flowing, and also building a brand new pipe, 26km from the River Severn into a brand new water treatment works in Birmingham.  When the work is done, Birmingham will have a second back up water supply, making everything much more resilient.

“I love working on large infrastructure projects, you leave a legacy behind which I don't think cares if you are male or female.  As much as people say that engineering is still a “man’s job”, it doesn't feel like that at Severn Trent.  When you have senior women in organisations, it hopefully encourages more women to join and see the opportunity.  However, outside Severn Trent it is still very male - the supply chain senior leaders are all male, as are the majority of their workforce.  I have seen things change, but there still needs to be more women in engineering.

“I became an apprentice at the age of 16, not really because I wanted to be an engineer, but because I liked physics and maths, so my dad encouraged me to apply for apprenticeships.  And I’d love it if more young women felt like this could be a career for them.”

Hayley Gladstone, Programme Director adds: “When I started my career, I went from an all-girls school to an apprenticeship, which being predominantly male was an uncomfortable transition.  However, during my working life I’ve always gained the respect from my colleagues. Things have moved on massively in recent years, and it’s much easier interacting with the younger generation as they don’t see any difference between male and female, you’re just doing your job.

“I found it strange moving to Severn Trent to work on this project.  I’d never had a female boss before and now the whole hierarchy is female!  I do think it’s different in engineering these days, although it’s still predominantly male.  But now that I’m working with a number of females, in senior positions on the project – I don’t see people as male or female I just admire people who do a good job.

“It’s definitely different working on a project where so many of the lead roles are taken up by women. But surprisingly the less emotional members of the team are the females!”

Jane finishes by saying: “I think that it’s amazing that we have so many women on this project.  I’m really proud of the whole team for what they have delivered so far and how they are delivering the last bits of the project so that everything is ready for next year when it comes to an end and Birmingham’s water supplies will be much more secure.”

Local community housing projects and charities are being urged to put their case forward as Nationwide, the world’s largest building society, makes £500,000 available to help make a difference to communities across the region.

The Society is inviting applications for grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 for housing projects that will support the most vulnerable in local communities.

Gareth Franks, Nationwide’s Regional Director of the West region, said: “In 2007, our members voted for us to donate at least one percent of our pre-tax profits to good causes and asked that we focus on tackling housing issues.  We recognise there is a housing crisis, resulting in many people living in unsuitable, insecure or unaffordable accommodation. So, to help make a real and lasting difference, we are aiming to make £5.5 million available in grant funding for housing-related charities and organisations across the UK per year.

“We are delighted to open the local application process and encourage housing related charities and organisations to apply so that they can collectively benefit from the £500,000 award that is available to communities across the West.”

A Community Board, which is comprised of Nationwide members and employees, will review all the grant applications and award grants of up to a £50,000. The Board and Nationwide branches within the region will also be providing time and expertise to these charities.

So far Nationwide has awarded £4 million in grants to more than 100 projects and will be investing £5.5 million in housing projects across the UK per year. The programme is being delivered with support from the UK Community Foundations programme, the national network for all accredited Community Foundations across the UK.

Nationwide is now inviting applications for housing community projects in the West until 5 July 2019.

Full details can be found at: www.nationwide.co.uk/communityfunding or in local Nationwide branches in this region.

Dr Joshua Johnson has been instructing the traditional martial artwork since 1978 when he first opened the JJ Karate Academy.

The varsity, positioned on the Graiseley Centre in Pool Avenue, Blakenhall, has seen numerous champions come by way of the ranks, having their expertise nurtured by Dr Johnson.

The 68-year-old was awarded his MBE by Prince William at a “as soon as in a lifetime” ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

He mentioned: “It was an extended day and I am very drained, but it surely was so thrilling for me and my household, an unimaginable event.

“It was as soon as in a lifetime, it was a really proud second for me.

“Assembly Prince William was very thrilling and touching, it appears so unreal, I cannot imagine it occurred to me, it was a second to treasure.

“There are a lot of individuals who do good work within the Wolverhampton neighborhood so it is an honour for me to be recognised.

“My father, Radcliffe Ellis Johnson got here to Stafford in 1944, in the course of the Second World Warfare, aged 22, so this has been an enormous journey for my household from the place we had been to me now receiving an MBE.

“He handed away 10 years in the past now and I do know he’ll be wanting down smiling on me and saying ‘that is my boy’.

“I have not obtained another celebrations deliberate however I need to do one thing with the scholars, they made all this potential.

“The scholars come to me for one hour from their households and for the remainder of our lives we’re a household collectively.”

Dr Johnson, who lives in Whitmore Reans, first got here to Wolverhampton when he moved from Jamaica as a 16-year-old and shortly turned his hand to the game.

He fell in love with Wolverhampton and has known as it house ever since.

He added: “It is town that I like and I need to give again, I’ve achieved a lot in my time – I need to thank the individuals of Wolverhampton for making this all potential.

“The honest heat of the individuals of Wolverhampton is what makes me love town a lot

“I used to be 16 once I arrived in England and the 1960’s was powerful, we needed to educate ourselves on the streets and take care of ourselves after which I obtained into karate.

“I began to take care of myself after which I ended up taking care of different individuals and passing my expertise onto them.”

The well-established membership remains to be operating to today with Dr Johnson on the forefront of coaching and instructing and he is exhibiting no indicators of slowing down.

He mentioned: “We have had native, nationwide and worldwide champions come from our academy and we’re doing our greatest to proceed producing them – I am very happy with what we have achieved with native individuals.

“The membership remains to be operating and I am nonetheless coaching now at my age.”

No matter how prestigious, literary awards are far from perfect. It is no secret that white men reign supreme when it comes to winning prizes like the Pulitzer (no woman has won a Pulitzer since 2014 and only three women of colour have won) and the Nobel (only 14 women have been awarded a Nobel Prize in Literature). All too often, women — particularly women of colour — go overlooked.

But Elizabeth Acevedo, author of National Book Award winning YA novel ‘The Poet X’, has made history in a big way - by becaming the first writer of colour to receive the Carnegie Medal in the prizes' 83-year history.

The Carnegie Medal is an annual British literary award that recognizes one outstanding new English-language book for children or young adults. Voted upon by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, it is called "the UK's oldest and most prestigious children's book awards."

Acevedo, the daughter of Dominican immigrants, won the Carnegie just two years after the prestigious award came under fire in March 2017 for releasing a 20-book long list of nominees, all by white writers. According to an article in the Guardian, the organizers instigated an independent review and concluded "that the UK’s overwhelmingly white librarian workforce, who nominate books for the medal, were mostly unaware of titles by writers of colour."

Organizers of the Carnegie Medal promised to restructure to account for its lack of diverse winners, which makes Acevedo's win even more meaningful: Not only is she the first writer of colour to win, but she won for a debut ‘Own Voices’ release, written in verse, about an Afro-Latina teen.

‘The Poet X’ follows Xiomara Batista, a teen from Harlem who struggles with body image, her first experience with love, her religious mother's strict rules, and her changing relationship with her twin brother. Desperate to find an outlet for all of her emotions, Xiomara turns to her leather notebook, where she writes poems and verses. When she's asked the join her school's slam poetry club, she knows it could change everything. In addition to the Carnegie Prize, ‘The Poet X’ is the recipient of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the Michael L. Printz Award, and the Pura Belpré Award.

Acevedo has been busy in recent months — and not just accepting awards. In May 2019, she released her second book, ‘With the Fire on High’. The novel follows Latina teen Emoni Santiago, a teen mom who feels magic in the kitchen when she cooks, but knows that her responsibilities at home come first. But when a cooking club at school presents her with a huge opportunity, Emoni might have no choice but to embrace her passion.

Hard Rock Hotel London and the UK’s largest independent music therapy charity, Nordoff Robbins, have unveiled the victor of their nationwide search to discover Britain’s next big DJ star.

As part of their commitment to support budding talent and champion health and wellbeing through the power of music, Nordoff Robbins and Hard Rock Hotel London launched a national competition to encourage aspiring DJs to make beats behind bedroom doors and upload their own music mix to the Bedroom 2 Dancefloor website - Bedroom2Dancefloor.com. The most popular musical pieces were then judged by an expert panel of electronic aficionados, who then selected the top five finalists to be put forward for the people’s choice.

Winning the competition after going head-to-head with five finalists in a public vote, Connor Scott from Birmingham spoke about the inspiration behind their mix.

“Winning the bedroom to dancefloor competition has opened up so many opportunities for me. I’ve always wanted to work in big music events - seeing how a DJ can change the hype of a crowd and the whole experience of an event or even a night out, made realise that is what I wanted to be. Playing to different crowds, meeting new people, travelling and being able to work with and make music is what I love most.

Music is very important to me, and Nordoff Robbins are a charity that I think is doing amazing work. Music has had a massive benefit on my own mental health and I’ve seen how it can give someone who maybe can’t speak or communicate easily, an outlet”

The winner was crowned champion from the five finalists who were judged and selected by an expert panel of electronic dance music’s (EDM) best in the business. The judges included world-famous DJs and industry experts across club land, labels, music schools, equipment and media. The esteemed panel of experts included:

• Sister Blissfrom Faithless
• Happy Days for Everyone, Brandon Block
• BBC 6 Music, Chris Hawkins
• Ministry of Sound, George Thomas
• DJ Mag, Carl Loben
• Point Blank Music School, Rob Cowan
• Sentric, Mark Lawrence
• Toolroom, Stuart Knight
• Native Instruments, David Eserin

• A two-night stay at Hard Rock Hotel London in a Rock Royalty Suite
• The chance to perform live at one of Nordoff Robbins events
• A slot on Soho Radio
• S4 DJ controller by Native Instruments
• Online DJ course with Point Blank Music School

Founded in 1959, Nordoff Robbins offers those with life-limiting illnesses, physical disabilities or emotional challenges life-changing music therapy through its dedicated open access centres and over 200 partner organisations. With the announcement of this new partnership, Hard Rock Hotel London will join musical royalty such as Sir Paul McCartney, Sting, Barry Gibb and Dame Shirley Bassey, who have supported the charity over the years.

With approximately 900 stylish suites and rooms, Hard Rock Hotel London will serve as a landmark within the London landscape, as well as a permanent home to celebrate the heritage of the musical and cultural legends that have previously stayed at the iconic Marble Arch location, including Bob Dylan, Madonna, Jimi Hendrix and Diana Ross.