Visiting the set of Doctors

Afterwards Sue and Keith went deep into the forest to take a look at the BBC shooting a scene from Doctors. We had to be careful about taking photos and it was very gloomy so the pics have been brightened up on the pc.

A "Rocky" moment.

You won't get me up in one of those things.

Scaling the heights!

The Grand Opening

The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress meet pupils from Colmers Jnr School including the young man whose design was used for the Play Boulder.

The Lord Mayor meets Cllr Roger Hollingworth, Leader of Bromsgrove District Council, Joe Hayden, Constituency Parks Manager and Sue.

Play Boulder

Last Friday the Lord Mayor, Cllr Mick Wilkes, and the Lady Mayoress graced us with their presence at the Lickey Hills Visitor Centre for the opening of Birmingham's first Play Boulder. You may remember a post some months ago which showed Sue and Keely up in Stoke taking a look at one of these. Thanks to a Big Lottery Fund grant children from Colmer's Junior school designed the new installation. It is made from polystyrene blocks, shaped like rocks, then when it is in place it is covered in 4 inches of concrete and all the foot and hand-holds are worked into it while it is still workable.
The Lickey Hills Country Park is owned by Birmingham although it is in Bromsgrove. This is one project that youngsters from both places can enjoy.

Paul Dale strikes again

In Friday's Iron Angle Paul Dale devoted almost the entire column to Keith, describing him as "The archetypal working class Brummie Tory" and like "Terry Scott with attitude". Priceless, so impressed is Keith that he intends to use it in his 2011 re-election campaign. To read the entire column go to the Birmingham Post & Mail website and click on Blogs & Comments.

Far & Wide

That evening we all went our different ways. Keith was at the AGM of  "West Heath Aware". This is a group of local church leaders, police and local residents who found themselves with a large sum of money from Children in Need but with no means of spending it. Over the year they have brought in an organisation called Worth Unlimited who have done some marvellous work with local youngsters by way of outreach and drop-ins to help get them off the streets.
Sue was at a marathon Finance Committee meeting, of which she is the chairman, at Colmers Junior School. More about the school later.
Ken was off to London for an awards ceremony which saw BCC Housing Dept again worthy winners.

Keely, Grant and Adrian with Jim Roach, CEO of BVT

Bournville Village Trust new build in Black Haynes Road.

The next leg of the visit was to the new Eco homes being built by BVT. The are to a very high standard and are transforming what was a sink estate into a brand new high quality estate. There to meet Grant and Keely were the Chairman of BVT, Peter Cadbury and Jim Roach, it's CEO. Councillor Adrian Delaney in whose ward the new estate lies rushed hotfoot from the Planning Committee in order to greet Grant.

Innovation Centre

The next visit was to the Innovation Centre on the former MG/Rover site to meet Mike Murray who manages the site. There Mike explained to Keely and Grant some of the problems he faces trying to develop the site.

Walkabout

Grant Shapps MP hands over an award to Carol Lowe

Grant Shapps visit

Another busy week saw a visit from Grant Shapps MP, Shadow Minister for Housing. In a jam packed day he had talks with Council Leader Mike Whitby and then arrived at Oddingley Hall with Keely Huxtable to have a look around the new Wychall Estate. Also there were Kings Norton Councillor Barbara Wood, Margaret Dutton, Chairman of Kings Norton Conservatives, Ann & Elaine from Bromford Housing who built the estate and Sue from the Wychall Family Trust. In the first shot Grant is handing over an award to Carole Lowe of South West Birmingham Community Association which is the organisation that runs Oddingley Hall. Further shot are of the walkabout.

Great expectations

There is some fevered speculation that we may get a new film studio on the MG/Rover site. We have been watching this closely and if there is a possibility of it happening we would grab it with all 6 hands. However, and there is always an however, things are at a very early stage and it would be unfair if not downright cruel to raise people's hopes only for them to be dashed.
Pinewood Studios put in a planning application which was rejected. We all know from bitter experience that this is only the start. The appeals process allows them to go over the heads of local people and their representatives and impose a solution from above. We will watch with interest.
It has now been announced that Trinity Mirror Newspapers are to turn the Birmingham Post into a weekly edition with a multi-media profile, that's a website to you and me. The Birmingham Mail will cease to be a evening paper and become a morning paper, competing with papers like The Sun, Daily Mail etc. Yes well..... The Post Editor is to leave at the end of the year. Keith has met Marc Reeve and admired his efforts to save a fine old Birmingham institution which had fallen into the hands of the owners of the Mirror. We see Paul Dale has kept his job. Steve (I want a mayor) Dyson, editor of the Mail is also leaving.

And his closing speech.

David Cameron's first appearrance

Keith & Sue meet Madame Fu Ying the Chinese Ambassador.

With the Indian High Commissioner, why so serious?

Ken enjoys a joke with Jas Singh at the Indian High Commissioners reception

Ken, Sue and Barbara with Gaynor Whitby

John Hammond MP

Paul Kehoe of Birmingham International Airport

Mike Whitby addresses the Birmingham Event

Conference 09

Last week we were at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester. All three of us that is plus Ken's wife Barbara who is a Councillor in Kings Norton. There were quite a few Councillors and activists from other parts of the city too.
Highlight of the week was David Cameron's closing speech but the rest of the week was packed full of policy statements, speeches on policy and discussions about policy. Don't let anyone tell you that we are light on policy, nothing could be further from the truth.
The form at conference is that we all start off together listening to the speeches in the main hall and then everyone shoots of to the fringe meetings that they are most interested in, meeting up again later. Ken, being a PPC, was kept busy with early morning photo opportunities and training sessions all through the week. It is an exhausting few days but well worth it.
We have a few photos, the first one is especially for Paul Dale........