Tragic news from Frankley

It was very sad to hear the news of a nine year old girl finding the body of her mother and a man at her flat. Our thoughts are with her at this time and would urge anyone with any information to contact the police.

An update

We have suffered some reverses over the past few years. Sue lost her seat at the General Election Campaign although over 3000 people voted for her. Keith followed in 2010 and Ken in 2011. We always knew that a Conservative government had to make some unpopular decisions following Labour's disastrous handling of the economy and this would make it very difficult to hold on to the seats in what was always a Labour stronghold.
 We were proud to have served the people of Longbridge following many years of complacent and neglectful Labour rule and will always have the satisfaction of knowing that we left the ward in a much better condition than we found it. We were able to bring organisations into the mainstream that had been ignored for years. For instance Keith remembers the first time he walked into a meeting of the Housing Liaison Board and announced that he was the new Councillor. The members were shocked, they had seen only one Councillor about 10 years previously.
 Our great fear is that the same thing will happen all over again, the Councillors prioritising affairs other than in the ward and Longbridge degenerating into a state not seen since 2004.
 Although Keith and Sue have now retired to Scotland they still take a keen interest in the ward and Ken is still active. Recently he and Derek Johnson distributed a letter about the possible redevelopment of the North Worcestershire Golf Course which has again reared it's head. This despite the local Labour party accusing us of scaremongering the last time your Longbridge Conservatives fought, successfully, against it.
 Good luck to you all and remember: We are still here to help you.

The New Bournville College Longbridge

Below is a view of the new college taken from the Bristol Road.
Included is the gold coloured Conference Centre which some people had mistakenly thought was a "mosque" or prayer room. This colour scheme seems to divide opinion a bit like Marmite, you either love it or hate it.

The New Bournville College Longbridge

New Bournville College

Keith recently had a guided tour of the new building courtesy of the former Vice Principle. This was most welcome as Keith had worked for many years in supporting the proposal to bring the new building to Longbridge.
The new building is really impressive but it is not the bricks and mortar that is so important, it is the students working there and, foremost, the outcomes of those years of study they undertake. Keith was really impressed with the attitude of the College staff and the way they understand that the future of a lot of the students is tied up in the future of the new Neighbourhood Centre and the businesses which will bring new jobs to Longbridge.
One of the facilities Keith saw was the restaurant. This is an area which welcomes the public in to enjoy great food, at a cheaper price, cooked and served by students as part of their studies. There is also a hairdressing and beauty salon where the same applies, even a barber shop for us men. Also opening soon is a sports area with up to date equipment which local people will be welcome to use.
Details of prices and booking details will follow shortly.
Meanwhile thanks to the college and best wishes for the future.

Vaisakhi at Handsworth Park.

A great weekend with marvellous weather.On Saturday we dropped in to the St. George's Day celebrations at St. Stephen's Church in Edgewood Rd. We sat out in the garden and although only yards from a busy road it took on the atmosphere of an English country garden.
Then we called in to a birthday celebration for Vi Cannadine in Wolverton Rd. Vi is a stalwart of Longbridge Conservatives with over 50 years in the party. This was in honour of her 84th birthday and the house was packed with wellwishers.
On Sunday we were invited to the Vaisakhi celebrations in Handsworth Park. It was a great event and what a pleasure it was to walk among so many thousands of friends.

Vaisakhi

Pride of Longbridge at Cofton Park

It was a beautiful day on Saturday and Cofton Park was at it's finest for the annual Pride of Longbridge rally.
This event goes from strength to strength and this year saw increased crowds and what looked like more entrants than ever. Long may it continue.
There was a chance to see the new MG6 and a lot of interest to the latest car to roll out of the plant.

New

Old

Extended gym at Frankley leisure centre

Last week Keith and Sue enrolled at the newly extended gym at Frankley Community High School. This was housed in the former Lyttleton Suite but had become a victim of it's own success and needed a larger room.
Last year we decided to donate some Community Chest in order to fund the refurbishment of the room and the gym is now up and running.
Keith and Sue will be taking advantage of their leisure cards in order to maintain the high levels of fitness we busy Councillors need.

Trying out the equipment

Cleaning up Great Park

This morning Keith and Sue have been out with Violia's Social Responsibility Team, all volunteers, to carry out a clear up to a well used path on The Great Park.
This is close to the rear entrance to Morrison's, which generates a lot of rubbish, and goes up towards Green's fitness centre.
Many thanks to Green's for allowing us to use their car park but their customers do seem to think it is OK to throw away their empty hi-energy drink bottles over the fence.
We also removed 3 trolleys from the river as well as a lot of rubbish and leaves which Keith can be seen clearing.