Thursday, 24 December 2009
Wednesday, 23 December 2009
The Markets' Christmas Spirit
Lord Mayor’s Blog 31
The traders in Birmingham’s 850 year old traditional markets have been showing real Christmas Spirit. 
Yesterday I was pleased to receive on behalf of St Basil’s a superb donation of six turkeys of 30lb plus each and all the vegetables to go with them to provide Christmas dinners for over 200 people looked after by St Basil’s who would otherwise be homeless.
Trading conditions have not been great recently but the traders in our Bull Ring markets are the salt of the earth. Later that day we attended a function organised by a trader who raised over £1,000 for the families of soldiers wounded in Afghanistan.
That same day the Lady Mayoress and I judged the contests for the most festively decorated market stalls. There were prizes for each of the three markets (indoor, rag and open).
There
were some really good stalls and the choices were difficult but the job had to be done and I was well supplied with tea from the cafe as we went along!
The markets will still be open tomorrow on Christmas Eve with the usual range of great fruit and veg and plenty of possibilities for last minute gifts at great prices - and always a good chance of meeting the Lord Mayor!
Yesterday I was pleased to receive on behalf of St Basil’s a superb donation of six turkeys of 30lb plus each and all the vegetables to go with them to provide Christmas dinners for over 200 people looked after by St Basil’s who would otherwise be homeless.Trading conditions have not been great recently but the traders in our Bull Ring markets are the salt of the earth. Later that day we attended a function organised by a trader who raised over £1,000 for the families of soldiers wounded in Afghanistan.
That same day the Lady Mayoress and I judged the contests for the most festively decorated market stalls. There were prizes for each of the three markets (indoor, rag and open).
There
were some really good stalls and the choices were difficult but the job had to be done and I was well supplied with tea from the cafe as we went along!The markets will still be open tomorrow on Christmas Eve with the usual range of great fruit and veg and plenty of possibilities for last minute gifts at great prices - and always a good chance of meeting the Lord Mayor!
Tuesday, 22 December 2009
Carols, Choirs and Christmas
Lord Mayor’s Blog 30
We are getting to know our carols very well! We’ve now reached double figures in terms of carol services and concerts with a few more to go. And what a joy they have been and what variety! In the last posting I mentioned the Lucia service at Birmingham Cathedral now one of the highlights of the seasonal calendar with its roots in ancient history but with a timeless message of light and featuring Birmingham’s Ex Cathedra Choir.
Last night we had the pleasure of attending the Ex Cathedra concert at St Paul’s Church. Forgive the use of an overworked word, but what a stunning performance this was, mixing the familiar with the much less known, including the medieval and the modern - good modern - and with distinctive arrangements for favourite words.
How lucky we are to have such an outstanding choir in the city, now celebrating forty years of the highest quality music.
‘Congratulate’ is not a sufficient word for such a deeply impressive performance by the choir under their artistic director and conductor Jeffrey Skidmore, but hopefully it conveys some sense of our appreciation.
There are a couple more concerts to go in this season of good will - including one at Birmingham Prison tomorrow to which I’m looking forward very much. More anon.
Last night we had the pleasure of attending the Ex Cathedra concert at St Paul’s Church. Forgive the use of an overworked word, but what a stunning performance this was, mixing the familiar with the much less known, including the medieval and the modern - good modern - and with distinctive arrangements for favourite words.How lucky we are to have such an outstanding choir in the city, now celebrating forty years of the highest quality music.
‘Congratulate’ is not a sufficient word for such a deeply impressive performance by the choir under their artistic director and conductor Jeffrey Skidmore, but hopefully it conveys some sense of our appreciation.There are a couple more concerts to go in this season of good will - including one at Birmingham Prison tomorrow to which I’m looking forward very much. More anon.
Thursday, 17 December 2009
Variety is the Spice of Life
Lord Mayor’s Blog 29
The absence of a posting for quite some time reflects the hectic nature of the Lord Mayor’s schedule on the approach to Christmas. It’s a seven day a week job and 12-14 hour days are not uncommon - and this does not include preparation for upcoming events early in the morning or late at night!
We’ve recently been getting to learn our carols very well, having been to several concerts and services. A particularly interesting one was the Lucia service at St Philip’s Cathedral celebrated with Birmingham’s Swedish community. Not often you get to hear a biblical reading in a Nordic tongue!
Amongst many important and interesting functions just one or two other items that were just that bit different.
We visited Firmin’s - Birmingham’s oldest company - who make all manner of insignia. Of course, they have much modern equipment and some that is just that bit older.
The absence of a posting for quite some time reflects the hectic nature of the Lord Mayor’s schedule on the approach to Christmas. It’s a seven day a week job and 12-14 hour days are not uncommon - and this does not include preparation for upcoming events early in the morning or late at night!
We’ve recently been getting to learn our carols very well, having been to several concerts and services. A particularly interesting one was the Lucia service at St Philip’s Cathedral celebrated with Birmingham’s Swedish community. Not often you get to hear a biblical reading in a Nordic tongue!
Amongst many important and interesting functions just one or two other items that were just that bit different.
We visited Firmin’s - Birmingham’s oldest company - who make all manner of insignia. Of course, they have much modern equipment and some that is just that bit older.One piece is shown in our first photograph. It’s the wooden (elm) base of an anvil that is still used today and was first used in Firmin’s London office. If you look closely you can make out scorch marks. These were from the great fire of London in 1666!
We
unveiled a blue plaque erected by the Civic Society to Birmingham’s 19th Century Philosopher, Poet and Scientist Constance Naden at the house in Edgbaston where she spent most of her short (31 years) but immensely productive life. Just down the road was another blue plaque commemorating Birmingham artist Joseph Southall and just up the road was a third commemorating the origins of the game of Lawn Tennis!
As anyone who knows me will confirm, when it comes to food I’m not much of a gourmet. But simple food I do like. We completed an early morning visit to Birmingham’s wholesale markets by calling in at the legendary market ‘caff’, Happy Dan’s on the recommendation of entrepreneur and impressario Martin Hone.
We
unveiled a blue plaque erected by the Civic Society to Birmingham’s 19th Century Philosopher, Poet and Scientist Constance Naden at the house in Edgbaston where she spent most of her short (31 years) but immensely productive life. Just down the road was another blue plaque commemorating Birmingham artist Joseph Southall and just up the road was a third commemorating the origins of the game of Lawn Tennis!
As anyone who knows me will confirm, when it comes to food I’m not much of a gourmet. But simple food I do like. We completed an early morning visit to Birmingham’s wholesale markets by calling in at the legendary market ‘caff’, Happy Dan’s on the recommendation of entrepreneur and impressario Martin Hone.We can vouch for the superb bacon and sausage sandwiches and we intend to make a return visit to tackle one of Happy Dan’s legendary ‘Full Englishes’. Happy eating!
Thursday, 26 November 2009
The Staffordshire Hoard
Lord Mayor's Blog 28
Also known as the Anglo-Saxon Hoard or the Mercian Hoard - the best name in my view - was recently valued at some £3.285m.
Conservators tell me that there are some 1,800 pieces rather than the 1,600 previously mentioned. The extra pieces were in clods of earth not previously opened.
The even better news is that there almost certainly is an Anglo-Saxon helmet that it is hoped to re-assemble from the pieces. As well as the already identified cheek plate, this can be deduced from the patterns on the pieces (making up a line of marching men amongst other designs). When reconstructed, the helmet should be in better condition than the famous Sutton Hoo helmet (which had been degraded by being deposited alongside iron).
Now the money must be raised to keep the find in Mercia. By the letter of the regulations there could be only four months in which to do this but it is likely that some latitude will be given. A similar sum will be needed to provide for further conservation work, analysis and proper display, so fund raising will go on for some time.
Birmingham will take the fund raising lead in partnership with Stoke. While nothing is determined as yet, one school of thought is that five museums will be involved in the display which will also include museums in Lichfield, Tamworth and Stafford. The five display elements could be themed - for example with Birmingham concentrating on the European dimension of Anglo-Saxon culture, Stoke concentrating on a Mercian focus, Stafford on the excavation, Tamworth on the royal aspect and Lichfield on the religious dimension. This seems very reasonable.
The Hoard itself could be back in the Midlands quite early in the New Year and elements will be on display at locations including Birmingham as focal points for fundraising. There is likely to be a fundraising launch in the near future although the main big push is likely to be early in the New Year.
It is likely that Birmingham’s close connection with JRR Tolkien will be most advantageous. Tolkien described himself as a Birmingham man and was Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford for many years. In The Lord of the Rings, the land of Rohan is an Anglo-Saxon culture with horses (Rohan itself may be based on the plain between the Malvern Hills and Bredon Hill). The Hoard is just what the Riders of Rohan would have been kitted out with. References in Beowulf to buried treasure are also sig
nificant.
As Lord Mayor of Birmingham I hope to be fully involved in the fund raising endeavours and hopefully the enormous two handed sword kept in the Lord Mayor’s Parlour will come in handy in this connection - for promotional rather than warlike purposes I hasten to add! Watch this space!
Conservators tell me that there are some 1,800 pieces rather than the 1,600 previously mentioned. The extra pieces were in clods of earth not previously opened.The even better news is that there almost certainly is an Anglo-Saxon helmet that it is hoped to re-assemble from the pieces. As well as the already identified cheek plate, this can be deduced from the patterns on the pieces (making up a line of marching men amongst other designs). When reconstructed, the helmet should be in better condition than the famous Sutton Hoo helmet (which had been degraded by being deposited alongside iron).
Now the money must be raised to keep the find in Mercia. By the letter of the regulations there could be only four months in which to do this but it is likely that some latitude will be given. A similar sum will be needed to provide for further conservation work, analysis and proper display, so fund raising will go on for some time.
Birmingham will take the fund raising lead in partnership with Stoke. While nothing is determined as yet, one school of thought is that five museums will be involved in the display which will also include museums in Lichfield, Tamworth and Stafford. The five display elements could be themed - for example with Birmingham concentrating on the European dimension of Anglo-Saxon culture, Stoke concentrating on a Mercian focus, Stafford on the excavation, Tamworth on the royal aspect and Lichfield on the religious dimension. This seems very reasonable.
The Hoard itself could be back in the Midlands quite early in the New Year and elements will be on display at locations including Birmingham as focal points for fundraising. There is likely to be a fundraising launch in the near future although the main big push is likely to be early in the New Year.
It is likely that Birmingham’s close connection with JRR Tolkien will be most advantageous. Tolkien described himself as a Birmingham man and was Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford for many years. In The Lord of the Rings, the land of Rohan is an Anglo-Saxon culture with horses (Rohan itself may be based on the plain between the Malvern Hills and Bredon Hill). The Hoard is just what the Riders of Rohan would have been kitted out with. References in Beowulf to buried treasure are also sig
nificant.As Lord Mayor of Birmingham I hope to be fully involved in the fund raising endeavours and hopefully the enormous two handed sword kept in the Lord Mayor’s Parlour will come in handy in this connection - for promotional rather than warlike purposes I hasten to add! Watch this space!
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
Panto Horse Grand National!
Lord Mayor’s Blog 27
The fiercely contested Pantomime Horse Grand National, one of Birmingham’s most entertaining free events, took place on Sunday.
There were separate races for fillies (ladies) and colts (men), each racing along a gruelling twelve jump course on Broad Street. Thousands of excited spectators lined the route to cheer the competitors along.
The winner of the hotly contested colts race was James Bamber, a very fit 36 year-old from Devon, on his horse ‘Hoof Hearted’.
The fillies’ race was won by several lengths by 28 year-old Nicki Mills from Wolverhampton on her horse ‘Spank The Donkey’.
Our first picture shows Nicki with myself and the Lady Mayoress.
Our second picture shows two of the competitors in the colts race and the third shows the competitors in the fillies' race lining up - much m
ore orderly than the argy bargy at the start of the colts race!
The event raises money for the Lord Mayor’s charities and we estimate that the total raised this year is a heart-warming £3,000.
I would like to thank all those who took part in the race and the council officers, Thomas Vale employees and volunteers who made it a reality.
I would also like to thank our generous sponsors. Tony Hyde, the Managing Director of Thomas Vale, commented: “As a Birmingham based construction business, we are delighted to be working with the council for the fourth year to put on this great event. It brings people together and helps to support good causes.”
This event is one of many organised by the City Council over the Christmas season, including the Frankfurt Christmas Market and Aston Hall by Candlelight.
For more information visit: http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/christmas
Saturday, 21 November 2009
My Charities for the Year
Lord Mayor’s Blog 26
These are my charities for my mayoral year year 2009/2010. If you would like to support them you can do this in various ways: By cheque made out to ‘The Lord Mayor’s Charity Appeal’ and sent to The Lord Mayor’s Parlour, The Council House, Victoria Square, Birmingham B1 1BB or online at
http://www.justgiving.com/lordmayorbirmingham
Further information can be obtained from the Lord Mayor’s Parlour on 0121-303-2040 or by email to lordmayor@birmingham.gov.uk
The Birmingham Fund for Pancreatic Cancer Research: The objective is to establish a new charity that outlasts the current Mayoralty - and indeed runs until that dread affliction is mastered. While there’s been steady progress with several forms of cancer, for pancreatic cancer the five-year survival rate following diagnosis forty years ago stood at just 3%. Today that rate is - well, just 3%. Yet the disease is treatable on those occasions where the cancer is detected early enough, and the primary focus of the fund will be on research, conducted in Birmingham, into improved diagnostic methods.
The Lord Mayor’s Engineering Scholarships: A fund to support the study and practice of Engineering in Birmingham - at various levels and in a range of forms. As a Council we recognise the unmatched contribution that engineering has made to the City, and I am sure we would all agree that it is vital that Birmingham remains prominent in this important field in the future. So, alongside other initiatives, we will encourage and enable young people from Birmingham to take up engineering both as a course of study and as a fulfilling future career. Encouragement will also be offered to progress developments in vital newer areas such as Clinical Engineering.
St. Basil’s: The inestimable work of this charity with young people providing them with support services, advice, mediation and guidance and tackling and preventing homelessness and its consequences has helped to transform very many young lives here in Birmingham. However, in today’s society there is no let-up in the need for the very wide range of services so ably provided by St. Basil’s, and we will be making a big effort during the year to support this most worthy cause.
WAITS - Women Acting In Today’s Society - is a very important charity in a diverse city such as Birmingham, and WAITS is doing outstanding work enabling women to address issues and overcome barriers, combating isolation and providing help to increase the involvement of women in the public life and business of communities throughout the city - from which all of us will benefit. Here again, we know that there is a continuing need for the extensive range of activities carried out by WAITS, and that there are many who are yet to benefit, and a great deal more work still to be done.
These are my charities for my mayoral year year 2009/2010. If you would like to support them you can do this in various ways: By cheque made out to ‘The Lord Mayor’s Charity Appeal’ and sent to The Lord Mayor’s Parlour, The Council House, Victoria Square, Birmingham B1 1BB or online at
http://www.justgiving.com/lordmayorbirmingham
Further information can be obtained from the Lord Mayor’s Parlour on 0121-303-2040 or by email to lordmayor@birmingham.gov.uk
The Birmingham Fund for Pancreatic Cancer Research: The objective is to establish a new charity that outlasts the current Mayoralty - and indeed runs until that dread affliction is mastered. While there’s been steady progress with several forms of cancer, for pancreatic cancer the five-year survival rate following diagnosis forty years ago stood at just 3%. Today that rate is - well, just 3%. Yet the disease is treatable on those occasions where the cancer is detected early enough, and the primary focus of the fund will be on research, conducted in Birmingham, into improved diagnostic methods.
The Lord Mayor’s Engineering Scholarships: A fund to support the study and practice of Engineering in Birmingham - at various levels and in a range of forms. As a Council we recognise the unmatched contribution that engineering has made to the City, and I am sure we would all agree that it is vital that Birmingham remains prominent in this important field in the future. So, alongside other initiatives, we will encourage and enable young people from Birmingham to take up engineering both as a course of study and as a fulfilling future career. Encouragement will also be offered to progress developments in vital newer areas such as Clinical Engineering.
St. Basil’s: The inestimable work of this charity with young people providing them with support services, advice, mediation and guidance and tackling and preventing homelessness and its consequences has helped to transform very many young lives here in Birmingham. However, in today’s society there is no let-up in the need for the very wide range of services so ably provided by St. Basil’s, and we will be making a big effort during the year to support this most worthy cause.
WAITS - Women Acting In Today’s Society - is a very important charity in a diverse city such as Birmingham, and WAITS is doing outstanding work enabling women to address issues and overcome barriers, combating isolation and providing help to increase the involvement of women in the public life and business of communities throughout the city - from which all of us will benefit. Here again, we know that there is a continuing need for the extensive range of activities carried out by WAITS, and that there are many who are yet to benefit, and a great deal more work still to be done.
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