September 2020 - Pioneer Magazines

Great Barr Comp – The Largest In The Country, The Fondest Memories …

Great Barr Comp was, until 2009, the largest single-site comprehensive school in the country with over 2,400 pupils on roll. We spoke with John Slatford, a pupil at the Comp (now an academy) in its early days, and here he shares his memories. His time there helped him forge an exciting science-based career that took him all over the world so, now aged 74 and still living locally, he recalls why it was ‘such a great school’.

“My first knowledge of the existence of Great Barr Comprehensive School was in 1957. I’d passed part one of the 11-plus at my junior school in Turfpits Lane. That brought with it a choice for my Secondary education.

“I dismissed the idea of Grammar school with what I considered its narrow arts-based curriculum as my interest was the sciences. Luckily a teacher at my junior school was aware of a ‘new type of school’ that had just been built locally. He thought it would be ‘ideal for me’

“So I sat and passed part two of the 11-plus at Great Barr Comp itself – a school which was otherwise just outside my ‘catchment area’. Prior to sitting the exam, we were given a tour of the school which was mind-blowing as I’d never seen anything like it before!

“I started in September 1958 in class 1.2 with Pat Tullet as my Form Teacher. All the pupils were assigned a House. Mine was Priestly. The other Houses were Boulton, Fry and Nightingale. The curriculum was varied, and for the first time I had to listen to the teacher and write down what she said or copy it from the blackboard.

“Once I moved to the second year we were put in a form and a ‘set’ for various subjects. Internal exams in all subjects were taken three times a year. This meant every pupil had a bespoke timetable of lessons depending on ability. My interest was science which was so well catered for – eleven specialist laboratories!

“Very special about the school was the after-school activities. I joined the Photographic Club, Film Club, History Society, Rambling Club and Visual Aids Society. This meant staying on at school until about 9:30 every evening. We were allowed two hours to do our homework in one of the science laboratories, which suited me. I was also in the Cross Country Running Team and ran for the school at weekends. Luckily there was a disused quarry across the road from the Comp used for cross country running practice. The Rambling Club took place each month on a Sunday and we were only allowed to ramble if we had the proper equipment.

“As one of three pupils recruited for the Visual Aids Society I was taught how to use and maintain the school’s projectors and to show films to the various clubs. We had an active Drama Department and we’d put on Gilbert and Sullivan Operas – giving me a lifelong love of their music and comedy.

“During the six-week holiday a group of boys would be taken Youth Hostelling in Britain and Switzerland. I was lucky enough to go on holidays to the Lake District, Devon and Cornwall.

“Two of the pupils at Great Barr Comp during my time are now world famous. Steve Winwood the musician and Martin Shaw the actor. All in all, it was a fantastic school. I hope today’s pupils appreciate what it offers and that it is still as good as when I was a pupil, back in the 1950s.”

** Great Barr Academy say they will be ‘welcoming students to its brand-new 6^th Form Centre in September’.

Read the article in our online edition of Great Barr Gazette here.

The Unintended Consequences Of Covid-19

I know I am not alone in wondering what the collateral damage of Covid-19 will be. Especially when we assess the damage to our high streets, local economy and to our overall health and wellbeing.

In our September/October issue we have an article from Dr Ron Daniels an intensive care doctor working in our local NHS hospitals. I share his concerns about people not seeking medical attention and as a community publisher The Pioneer is doing all we can to spread the word that the NHS is open and don’t leave it too late to go and get help!

The whole of Dr Daniels’ article is below but to summarise. The NHS is reporting that people are leaving it too late to seek help for heart attacks, cancer, pneumonia, and sepsis. Dr Daniels describes it as “…seeing severe pathology.” In layman’s terms the NHS is seeing people who are in a very bad way.

The over-riding message from Dr Daniels is ‘please seek medical help early’. Don’t be put off by news headlines because the reality is that there are few people in hospital with Covid now. And, you are not being a bad person, putting the NHS under pressure, if you seek help because right now they do have the capacity to help you.

In fact, if you don’t seek help and leave it too late you may well end up costing the NHS more. Not to mention suffering unnecessarily.

Dr Daniels is also Founder and Executive Director of The UK Sepsis Trust. He says in his article that in adults the symptoms of sepsis can be mistaken for Covid-19, flu, gastroenteritis or a chest infection. He is seeing young, healthy people who have developed sepsis as a consequence of pneumonia. Sepsis can be fatal if not identified and treated early with at least 48,000 people losing their lives every year. To put that into perspective it’s more people than are reported to have died from Covid-19.

If you are feeling unwell, please seek medical help.

Yours locally

Feeling Ill? Seek Medical Attention

A West Midlands NHS doctor is urging people to seek medical attention straight away if they are feeling unwell, following growing evidence that people are going to GPs and doctors too late.

Dr Ron Daniels BEM, an intensive care doctor at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, working at Heartlands and Good Hope Hospitals, said it was imperative that people laid aside their fears of “catching Covid-19” at GP surgeries and other healthcare facilities.

“We are now in a position of unintended consequences and after effects on mental health as a result of lockdown, which means people are not presenting with symptoms early,” he said.

“We’re not seeing a holistic approach to these conditions, perhaps because we’re focusing unilaterally on Covid-19. In making decisions around reopening or restricting society, we need to look at PCR tests <which test for viruses and viral fragments> in the context of case fatality rates, ICU occupancy and how many tests are being done.

“There is a perceived fear around Covid-19 but this has to be balanced by issues caused by other health problems. We’re seeing people come into hospital who are severely ill who would’ve presented earlier, were it not for Covid-19 and this is a massive problem because we’re seeing some severe pathology.

“There’s huge anxiety among the population at the moment even when there are very few patients in hospital with Covid-19.”

“Of course, we have to be mindful of Covid and follow the guidelines but the NHS has capacity and it is open for business – we are urging anyone who is unwell to seek medical attention.”

Dr Daniels, who is also Founder and Executive Director of The UK Sepsis Trust, said clinicians are seeing late cancer, sepsis, pneumonia, and heart attack presentations.

“We are also seeing young, healthy people who have developed sepsis as a consequence of pneumonia,” he said.

Dr Daniels also warned that there is potential for as many as 20% of Covid-19 survivors to be at risk of sepsis within 12 months of being discharged from hospital.

The UK Sepsis Trust has launched its Blurred Lines campaign to raise awareness of the problem, which could save the Government millions of pounds and save lives.

Dr Daniels said a £1 million investment in awareness of the symptoms of sepsis, made right now, could save as much as £200 million in treatment and benefits.

About 245,000 people are affected by sepsis in the UK with at least 48,000 people losing their lives every year.

The UK Sepsis Trust and the York Health Economics Consortium have calculated that for every patient who is diagnosed early there is a cash saving to the NHS of more than £5,500, which means that 20,000 sepsis patients could cost society more than £1 billion in patient care and benefits.

Dr Daniels said: “Covid-19 is a disease caused by the immune system over-reacting to infection, which is exactly what sepsis is. The question to ask is: if I feel ill, could it be sepsis?”

In adults, sepsis may feel like ‘flu, gastroenteritis, or a chest infection at first, with early symptoms including fever, chills and shivering, a fast heartbeat and quick breathing.

Other symptoms of sepsis or septic shock include feeling dizzy or faint, confusion or disorientation, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea and cold, clammy, and pale or mottled skin.

For details about The UK Sepsis Trust, visit www.sepsistrust.org

HOW TO SPOT SEPSIS IN ADULTS

Slurred speech or confusion

Extreme shivering or muscle pain

Passing no urine (in a day)

Severe breathlessness

It feels like you’re going to die

Skin mottled or discoloured

It is vital to seek medical attention immediately if you or another adult has these symptoms.

Brother And Sister Stream Concerts To Entertain Care Homes Residents

Streetly Advertising Magazine — Priya and Arun

Walsall siblings Arun and Priya Saini have spent the spring and summer entertaining elderly and vulnerable people living in care homes by staging online concerts.

The duo, from Streetly, have picked up their violins and streamed dozens of recitals to keep care home residents entertained while they were in lockdown, unable to receive visits from their own family and friends.

The idea came after their mother Jyoti, a clinical pharmacist, had to visit homes as part of swabbing teams at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Everyone was in full PPE, which is disconcerting for residents when they can’t see anyone’s faces,” she said. “When I suggested playing for them online, the children were keen to do it and I contacted care homes to see if they were interested.”

The duo – Arun, aged 13, a student at Hydesville Tower School, and 10-year-old Priya, who attends Mayfield School – have played short concerts on Zoom, Skype and Whatsapp to residents as far away as Sunderland.

“Residents have been isolated for so long that we felt it was really important to do something to lift their spirits,” said Jyoti. “It’s not only ensured the children do their violin practise, but also helped elderly people enjoy something a little different, as well as support the hard working carers who look after them whilst sometimes being away from their families.”

They are also raising money for The Care Workers’ Charity and have already raised £645. To help them raise more, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jyoti-saini

The People’s Design Studio Aims To Be The Town’s Creative Heart

Walsall Design Studio — Image: Andre Donovan-Reid

A dedicated space for creatives is to open in Walsall this autumn, with members of the community having their say on how it should be designed.

The People’s Design Studio is the brainchild of Andre-Donovan Reid, the founding director of KIONDO, a black-led design research studio that connects organisations and local authorities with people.

Based in a listed, 6000 sq ft building – the former Hogs Head pub in Leicester Street – the centre has three aims: to be a community hub and venue; to host KIONDO’s design-research lab, where individuals or groups can experiment with citizen science, design and placemaking; and to provide creative studios, with open access workspace and facilities for creative practitioners, academics and social enterprises.

“What I’ve found is that there is a strong arts and creative sector in the town, but people don’t profile themselves as coming from Walsall; they’ll say they’re from the West Midlands instead,” he said.

“The town is home to visionaries, innovators and creative thinkers and doers who are itching to build Walsall up and I want people to be proud of the town. The aim is to use this space as a place where we can help to transform the town into a place of creativity and innovation.

“I want to help make a place where existing communities and groups continue to work towards a better Walsall, and are resourced to serve the locality in deeper and more connected ways.

“By opening this space to the creative community, we can ensure it is used for social benefit. “The space will be co-designed by those who will use it. It has to be a collaboration.”

Andre, an architectural designer who lives in Walsall, said he had “an epiphany” last year after realising his work on improving the experiences of underserved communities through design was mainly centred on short-term contracts that brought about short-term impact. Instead, he wanted to focus on a large-scale programme that would bring about deep and meaningful long-term change.

“I’ve been living in Walsall for four years and decided I wanted to stay here, but build on the roots I’ve already developed,” he said. “I can see the value of the creative community here and want to harness it, but it has to be right for the town. It’s not a case of bringing a blueprint from elsewhere and expecting it to work – and that was what the creative groups I’ve worked with said, too.

“We’re at an exciting part of what I hope will be a long-term project with local groups, colleges, organisations and local authority. We really want to transform Walsall.”

KIONDO, the leading organisation that is applying for charity status, is to launch The People’s Design Studio at the end of September, with an event, called Blank Canvas, to kick-start the season.

Working in partnership with Walsall for All, Creative Black Country and Walsall Council, Blank Canvas will take place on September 26, starting from The People’s Design Studio, up to Park Street and to The Walsall New Art Gallery.

The launch event will involve the creation of three large murals that will focus on: live, work, and play. Locals will be asked what their dreams and ambitions are for the town and artists will fill in the canvasses to create a “manifesto” that will help to guide KIONDO’s work to support communities in the town.

At the same time there will be an online event, where locals can also contribute to the manifesto, and from the September 25-27, The People’s Design Studio will feature an exhibition by UKBFTOG (UK Black Female Photographers), as its first creative pop-up.

Work has already begun on the creation of a comprehensive online Walsall Arts Map named ‘Abundance’, which will culminate in a detailed digital resource highlighting arts, culture and leisure groups and activities in the borough.

KIONDO is also inviting the public to join the Walsall Placemakers Community, to bring together a diversity of local voices as to help shape Walsall’s future for the better.

Anyone interested in accessing The People’s Design Studio can apply to the trustees, who will review the applications. To support the project please donate to the Transforming Walsall Fund. For more details, email: Walsall@kiondo.co.uk

September Editions Now Available

Our September editions are dropping through letterboxes throughout the local area. If you have not yet received yours don’t miss out. You can read all three of our local editions right here.

Find out what happened to the Streetly Phone Box in our Villages edition. We’ve introduced a new Social Media Diary page. It sums up what’s been going on on our Facebook and Twitter pages over the past few weeks. See if you got a mention!

Each edition is full of local news and community initiatives. This month Dr Ron Daniels an intensive care doctor at Heartlands and Good Hope offers encouraging and balanced advice on the current Coronavirus situation.

Happy reading and thank you for helping us to do our bit to help our local community.