Solihull Council's Magazine for Residents Winter 2018
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Solihull Council’s magazine for residents Winter 2018 Your Solihull | Winter 2018 1 Recycling and rubbish Christmas collection arrangements Over Christmas and New Year some There will be no collections on recycling and rubbish collections will Tuesday 25 December, Wednesday be affected. 26 December or Tuesday 1 January. Residents whose collection day is a Normal collections will resume from Thursday or Friday will not Wednesday 2 January. be affected. Details of alternative collection For those who have collections on a arrangements for these days are Tuesday or a Wednesday, the shown below. collections will be affected. Affected collection day – Tuesday Alternative collection arrangements Tuesday 25 December – recycling and rubbish Friday 21 December – recycling Saturday 29 December – rubbish Tuesday 25 December – rubbish Saturday 29 December – rubbish Tuesday 1 January – recycling and rubbish Saturday 29 December – recycling and rubbish Tuesday 1 January – rubbish Saturday 29 December– rubbish Affected collection day – Wednesday Alternative collection arrangements Wednesday 26 December – recycling and rubbish Wednesday 2 January – rubbish (extra will be taken) Wednesday 9 January − recycling and rubbish (extra recycling will be taken) Wednesday 26 December – rubbish Wednesday 2 January – rubbish (extra will be taken) Please make sure that all extra tree suppliers offer take-back For more information including what rubbish is bagged. There is no limit schemes for used Christmas trees can be recycled, extra rubbish on the amount of recycling that so please check with the supplier collections, opening hours for is collected. when purchasing. People can also Bickenhill Household Waste take used trees to Bickenhill Recycling Centre and how to Please ensure that rubbish and Household Waste Recycling Centre. dispose of various Christmas items, recycling is out by 7am on visit www.solihull.gov.uk/ collection day. Please be aware that Bickenhill wasteandrecycling Household Waste Recycling Centre The Council will be unable to collect will close early at 2.30pm on real Christmas trees from the Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. kerbside this year. Some Christmas 2 Your Solihull | Winter 2018 Welcome to the Winter have turned their passion for walking I would like to take this opportunity to Recycling and rubbish edition of Your Solihull along the borough’s footpaths into wish you all a very Merry Christmas making them more accessible and and a healthy and happy New Year. Christmas collection arrangements With the colder weather upon us welcoming for people to use. This time of year does sometimes we’ll be making sure our vulnerable mean that people feel lonely or and older residents keep warm and Elsewhere, on pages 8 and 9 read isolated, especially older people and well. The winter warmth helpline is about our local unsung heroes who those living with health conditions. available once again for people to have been presented with Civic Why not embrace the season of call if they need help with staying Honour Awards in recognition of all good will and call in on them to say warm this winter. Find out more they do within Solihull to make it a hello or stop for a cuppa and chat? about this valuable service on page better place. 7 and how one local resident has I hope that you enjoy this edition of already benefited. As always, there are plenty of events Your Solihull – please let us know to enjoy over the festive season. what you would like Many people across the borough Read more about what’s happening us to feature in volunteer their time to help improve on page 14. You can also find details future editions. our local area which is really of things to do in the borough over pleasing to see. On page 10 the next three months in our ‘What’s Nick Page discover how a group of ramblers On’ section on page 15. Chief Executive Contents 4-7 8-9 10 11 12 13 14 News Civic Solihull Wildlife Falls Fairtrade Events Honours Bramblers Prevention Follow Solihull Council on Facebook Twitter Snapchat Instagram Email [email protected] Cover image: Christmas carol singers Your Solihull | Winter 2018 3 Vélo visits Solihull News The UK’s second biggest closed The event is also an important charity General entries have sold out, but road cycling event returns to the fundraising platform; in 2017 over Vélo Birmingham & Midlands 2019 region on Sunday 12 May 2019. £2 million was raised for charities has reserved places for residents including Cure Leukaemia, NSPCC, to join in. All abilities are welcome... Bigger and better than before, an Alzheimer’s Society and Queen and lycra isn’t compulsory! Please epic new 100 mile route will take Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, email [email protected] for 17,000 riders on an unforgettable which all remain as headline charity information. More info at journey through the West Midlands. partners in 2019. www.velobirmingham.com Starting in the heart of Birmingham City Centre, the new and improved route will travel through the heart of the 2021 Capital of Culture, Coventry, over the cobbled roads surrounding the historic Coventry Cathedral. Riders will then travel through Solihull and Warwickshire’s stunning countryside, panoramic views, picturesque villages and iconic climbs, cheered on by tens of thousands of residents lining the streets, before heading off back to Birmingham via Quinton. As well as growing the event, organisers are aiming to make it one of the UK’s most female friendly sporting events by increasing the number of women taking part to 50% by the time Birmingham hosts the Commonwealth Games in 2022. Andy gears up for the race Apply now for a school place Temporary pool closure Extended access to GPs Parents of children living in The swimming pools at Tudor Evening and weekend appointments Solihull, who were born between Grange Leisure Centre are at GP surgeries are now available for 1 September 2014 and 31 August temporarily closed until March 2019. all registered patients across Solihull. 2015, can now apply for a reception school place. This is for an essential maintenance GP, nurse, and healthcare assistant project to resolve an ongoing appointments can now be accessed Applications are also open for issue with the poolside tiling. Other on weekdays until 8pm, weekends, children transferring from an infant to upgrade work will also be carried and bank holidays, from extended a junior school. out – giving users a much improved access hubs. experience when the pools reopen. Apply online at To book an evening or weekend www.solihull.gov.uk/pp before the All other areas of the centre will appointment, contact your closing date on 15 January 2019. remain open as normal – including GP practice. the newly-refurbished gym. Find out more about this new For more information, see Everyone service here. Active’s FAQs page here. 4 Your Solihull | Winter 2018 Help reduce suicides News People are being encouraged to sign the ‘Solihull Zero Suicide Pledge’ as part of the Council’s action plan to reduce suicides in the borough. Natalie Duxbury explains why she has signed the Pledge: “I lost my best friend to suicide in 2015; in circumstances still to this day none of us understand or will ever get over. “I was so naive with regards to suicide, until that day rocked our Natalie encourages others to sign the pledge world forever. The ripple that suicide casts is devastating not just for The Pledge has a link to online “Mental health is fixable; suicide families, work colleagues and friends training and support to help people isn’t. I encourage people to take but for everyone that knows spot the warning signs in others and the Pledge and training so they are that individual.” signpost them to help. aware of the warning signs.” The Pledge is all about looking Natalie added: “We need to Individuals and organisations can after family, friends and colleagues, normalise the subject of mental sign up to the Solihull Zero Suicide becoming more aware of any health and in particular suicide, so Pledge at concerning changes and asking that people aren’t afraid to speak solihull.mylifeportal.co.uk/zerosuicide if they are ok. Quite often a simple openly about how they truly feel on conversation and signposting those the inside rather than the day-to-day in need to local services can make a facade they project and get very real difference. good at. Report crime online Residents can now report all non- A Live Chat facility is now available It is managed by the same highly emergency crime and incidents on the force’s website, meaning that trained contact handlers so the online for the first time – thanks to instead of calling 101 people can public can be confident they will a new service launched by West receive exactly the same service by receive the help they need – only Midlands Police. visiting WMP Online. quicker. The average Live Chat is being answered in just a few minutes. Live Chat also brings huge benefits to the deaf community and for vulnerable users who feel uncomfortable reporting crimes over the phone. And it offers real time language translation, enabling visitors to chat in their own language. Access the Live Chat facility at www.west-midlands.police.uk Log on to live chat Your Solihull | Winter 2018 5 Solihull remembers News To commemorate the centenary of In tribute to those who gave their legacy left by those who fought the end of the First World War this lives in WW1 and other conflicts and died. year, many events and exhibitions since, a series of ‘There but not have taken place across there’ Tommy statues have been The Council has installed permanent the borough.