Month: June 2022

A murder inquiry has been launched following the death of Ryan David Harvey from Walsall.

Ryan Harvey has died following an assault in Blackpool.

The 22-year-old was in Blackpool over the weekend with friends when police were called to Central Drive at 5.33pm on Saturday (25 June) following reports of a fight.

Ryan, a huge fan of Walsall FC, was taken to hospital and didn’t recover from his injuries. A post mortem examination confirms that the cause of death was a “blunt head trauma”.

Blackpool police released CCTV images of a man and woman they wanted to question in connection with the incident over the weekend.

As a result of the appeal, two men have been arrested and remanded into custody, while the woman is said to be unconnected. 

Fans of Walsall FC have come together to send messages of condolences to the family and friends of Ryan, while a GoFundMe page has already raised over £3,000 for the family with some players from the club contributing, including Sam Perry and Connor Wilkinson.

A bike ride from the Spotted Cow in Bloxwich has also been arranged to 10am on the 9 July to help to raise money.

In a statement released by the family of Ryan, they said: A family has lost their little boy due to an incident that happened in Blackpool. Our little Ryan was a bubbly lad who would do anything for anyone. Ryan was a lifelong Walsall FC fan who lived and breathed football. We are absolutely heartbroken and would appreciate some privacy at this time to grieve for our loss.”

Anyone who has any further information about the incidicent is encouraged to contact Lancashire police via email: forcecontrolroom@lancashire.police.uk or phone 101, quoting log number 1127.

With the number of bees declining, it’s never been more important to attract pollinators into our gardens and open spaces. It’s why a Walsall beekeeping hobbyist is looking for new sites to house hives. He tells Jayne Howarth about his hopes.

Richard Collins is a man on a mission: a hobby beekeeper for the past six years, he is doing what he can to help increase the number of bees across Walsall.

He started off with just one hive in his Short Heath garden after his wife, Lisa, bought him a course on beekeeping for his birthday, and the number has gradually increased over the years. Now, he looks after 10 hives across Walsall – including in other people’s allotments and gardens – and he is now on the lookout for more gardens, roof spaces of factories, or on farmland to house hives.

“A lot of people connected with us through word of mouth,” said Richard, who runs The Bees Knees Honey Bees with his wife. “I got my second when someone down my road said they had a swarm of bees in their garden and asked if I could do something.

“I want to expand, not just for the honey but because bees are in decline everywhere and it’s important we get them in as many places as we can, so I’m looking for new places for new hives.”

Richard, aged 43, buys Buckfast queens when he is trying to establish new hives because Buckfast is a docile species and is extremely productive for pollinating plants and collecting nectar.

Developed by Brother Adam, a monk who lived at Buckfast Abbey in Devon, in the early 1900s, the Buckfast bee is now one of the most popular bees in the country for keepers.

Not only are they good foragers, they tend not to swarm and do not have a tendency to sting. They are also hardy and overwinter well. 

However, if they naturally requeen – breed a new queen – the second generation can be aggressive, which is why Richard buys queens because they do not have aggressive tendencies.

He stresses that anyone interested in siting a hive on their property does not have to be involved with looking after the bees, although he has spare bee suits if anyone is interested in learning more about how to look after them.

He also said a huge garden is not necessary, but he stressed he needs to access the hive at least once a week so that he can check on the insects’ health and to see how they are breeding.

“Hives don’t tend to cause problems in gardens or for neighbours because the Buckfast breed, if managed correctly, is less likely swarm, so it’s a good one to have,” said Richard, who is a member of the British Beekeepers Association. “A good-sized garden works well, as does roofs on factories or empty land, but as long as the site is secure and I can get to it easily, I’ll be happy to look at placing one there.”

Hives can house anything up to 60,000 bees at peak summer season, although not all leave the confines of their home because some are worker bees, while others are guard bees and nurses. Only the foragers leave to collect nectar and pollen. In the winter, their number can reduce to as few as 10,000.

While Richard does sell jars of honey – a hive can produce between 50lbs and 60lbs in a good year, although not all is taken as the bees need it to maintain their health – he says this is secondary to ensuring the bee population can thrive.

“I tend to sell to people locally but it’s not my main reason for keeping bees,” he said. “In fact, I can be out of pocket after buying new jars and labels because you’re not allowed to reuse jars for health and hygiene reasons. The hives themselves are also expensive to set up and maintain.

“For me, it’s more important to get the bees out there and pollinating the plants – they are essential for us to produce our food – the honey is just a bonus.”

If anyone has a piece of land, garden or allotment that Richard could site at least one hive, contact him at: bythebeesknees@gmail.com 

How can you attract more pollinators into your garden?

Here are five simple things you can do help attract pollinators, including bees, into your garden:

• Have a wild area – even a small area is valuable
• Grow more flowers, shrubs and trees
• Don’t cut your grass so often
• Try not to use pesticides
• Do not disturb insect nest and hibernation areas

Written by Jayne Howarth

An on-street carnival is taking place this Friday 1 July outside Walsall Art Gallery.

Students from 14 Walsall schools will be entertaining the public with visual art pieces and music and dance performances.

Two performances will take place outside the New Art Gallery between 11am and noon and 1.30-2.30pm before the students head down Park Street with a samba band complete with carnival costumes and props.

The performances are part of the Walsall Arts for All Programme, which uses arts and culture as a way to share and celebrate Walsall’s many different communities and cultures.

Programme Manager Baz Chapman said: ‘it’s been a challenging few years for these schools, but despite the ever-shifting sands of Covid, they’ve stuck with Walsall Arts for All and created some extraordinary artworks which celebrate what a vibrant and exciting place Walsall is. Arts & culture play a unique role in developing creativity, building aspiration and celebrating and improving communities. If these students’ creativity is anything to go by, Walsall has a bright future!’

The popular Lakeside Live event, which takes place at the Walsall Arboretum Bandstand is back this August bank holiday.

Photo from Lakeside Live 21

Taking place on Monday 29 August between 12.30pm-5.30pm, the free live music event is hosted by Hunkypunk Promotions in partnership with Walsall Council and features live music across a variety of genres.

Alongside a licensed bar and food being available, there’s also something brand new for 22 with the Visitor Centre playing host to live acoustic acts and poetry.

Though the full line-up of acts has yet to be confirmed, last year’s event played host to numerous local musicians, including indie band Dinky, Martian Social Club and the soulful sounds of Kiana.

No need to book, just turn up and enjoy some great live music against the stunning backdrop off the Arboretum lake!

The annual Walsall Arboretum Carnival is back for 2022 with a host of free entertainment.

Alongside live bands, wrestling and the Pat Collins Funfair, carnival goers can expect plenty of new acts.

Creating caveman chaos, the Pree Hee Men will be pulling some prehistoric pranks to entertain the audience, while the main stage will play host to the worlds’ first cookery and DJ show – a mixture of healthy cooking lessons and classic beats from DJ Ernie Cartwright.

Children will have the opportunity to meet some creepy crawlies, while local artist Tess Radcliffe will be running some unique fairground workshops.

Alongside other acts, The Brightsides will also be taking to the main stage on Saturday and Sunday, giving you the chance to bop along to tunes from the 90s and noughties.

The Walsall Arboretum Carnival takes place between Friday 15 July at 3pm-10pm and Sunday 17 July, 12pm-10pm.

Though the carnival is free to enter, you can buy fairground tokens in advance from Ticket Source.

A huge gas explosion has destroyed a house and left a woman dead and a man suffering life-threatening injuries in Kingstanding, Birmingham on Sunday evening.

House destroyed from gas explosion

The bang from the explosion could be heard around the area with concerned neighbours taking to social media to try and find more information.

West Midlands Ambulance Service confirmed that the explosion happened at approximately 8.40pm on Sunday night in Dulwich Road, Kingstanding.

Three ambulances, five paramedic officers, the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART), the MERIT trauma doctor and critical care paramedic, West Midlands CARE team, and an emergency planner were sent to the scene.

West Midlands Fire Service confirmed that one woman was found dead at the scene, while a man was sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital with serious injuries.

Four other men are reported to have suffered minor injuries from the blast.

The property was completely destroyed and three other properties nearby also suffered damaged as surrounding roads were closed.

A statement from the WMAS reads:

“A man was helped from the property by people at the scene but had suffered very serious injuries.  After assessment and treatment at the scene, he was taken on blue lights to the major trauma centre at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham with the MERIT team travelling with the ambulance.  His condition on arrival at hospital was described as life threatening.

“Four further men have been assessed by ambulance crews for minor conditions but have been discharged at the scene.

“Members of the Hazardous Area Response Team continue to work with specialist firefighters at the scene.”

A former Walsall nightclub and listed building, which has been left in a poor state since being empty over the last four years, is getting renovated.

The building on Lichfield Street has played host to the Equator Nightclub, Chicago Rock Café and a number of buffet restaurants, including Fiesta Buffet.

The Grade II listed building has fell into disrepair since the nightclub closed with a heritage condition report by Node stating it is deteriorating after vandalism, rot and water damage.

Inside the derelict nightclub on Lichfield Street, Walsall. Credit: Node

The report stated that “132 Lichfield Street is in a parlous condition. The building is derelict and is not watertight. Traditional structural elements and fittings are deteriorating rapidly, principally through extensive water ingress, brown rot, and vandalism.

Without urgent investment, the designated heritage asset will be at risk of further, substantial loss of fabric, leading to considerable adverse impacts to both its individual, significance, and its contributions to the conservation area. There are three distinct structural elements within the site. Of these, only the early-to-mid eighteenth century building that fronts Lichfield Street contains features of heritage interest.”

In a Walsall Council meeting on June 20, plans were approved for K5unner Properties to convert the building into 28 apartments, providing that show an “evidence-led approach to intervention and repair” and preserve some of its most prominent features.

A new restaurant has opened in Bloxwich this week offering gourmet burgers, steaks, grills and milkshakes.

The Bloxwich branch of Chikaros is the fourth restaurant to open in West Midlands with branches already located in Aldridge, Wolverhampton and Birmingham.

You’ll find Chickaros next to Wilkinson’s in the Market Pace on Elmore Row.

The restaturant is available for dine-in or takeaway and opens from 4pm-11pm daily.

A selection of the Chickaros’ menu can be found below: