Month: January 2023

A Grade II listed Victorian church in the centre of Walsall is up for sale.

The church on Hatherton Road near to the Gala Baths was first built in 1881 as a Presbyterian church, and since 1972 has served as the United Reformed Church.

It’s currently on sale on RightMove for a minimum guide price of £175,000 where it lists features as:

‘Numerous rooms, including a main church hall, meeting rooms, kitchen, prayer room and mezzanine. There are a few dedicated parking spaces, together with a small external area which may be utilised as amenity space. The property offers a development opportunity subject to securing statutory consents and could be used for residential apartments, offices, children’s nursery, educational purposes, etc.’

The church closed in early 2022 due to costs and its dwindling congregation.

Speaking to the Express & Star, Walsall Council leader Mike Bird said: “Like all real estate – church buildings are not exempt from the cost of living crisis, and so all buildings and owners, whatever their purpose are all seeking provision of their use.

“Whilst yes it is sad when this happens, seeing a church close, but sadly religion, especially Christianity sadly seems to be on the wane in many areas.

“It is a building that has been used for many years as a church but now costs have to be looked at, and so it is also not surprising.”

The Aldridge Musical Comedy Society (AMCS) is on the hunt to recruit new members that have a passion for the stage.

Rehearsals take place on Wednesday evenings between 7.30pm—10pm at the Keeling School of Dance in Aldridge. Regardless of experience or skill, all are welcome to join in!

As well as concerts and pantomimes, AMCS has made a name for itself with some show-stopping productions at the Prince of Wales theatre over many years, including Sister Act, Me and My Girl and West Side Story.

The group is currently rehearsing for Godspell, which hits the Prince of Wales theatre between 11-13 May, 2023.

To find out more, email aldridgemcs@gmail.com or message AMCS on Facebook.

The Holocaust Memorial Day service in Sandwell will feature a speech by the granddaughter of an Auschwitz victim.

Taking place in the Memorial Grounds at Highfields House this Friday, 27 January, former Sandwell mayor, Dr Ann Jaron, will be a keynote speaker.

Dr. Jaron’s Polish grandfather, Professor Marian Gieszczykiewicz, was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp in 1942, aged 53. He was shot by a Nazi officer, leaving his wife and two children behind.

Hundreds of services are taking place across the country on Friday as a remembrance to those who were scarred by the genocide. This particular day coincides with the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.

The current Mayor of Sandwell, Councillor Richard Jones, said: “It is important for us to remember horrific atrocities of the Holocaust and other genocides that have followed since. Remembering them inspires us to commit ourselves to standing up against discrimination and hatred and to speak out against identity-based persecution. Dr Jaron’s family was directly affected by the tragic reality of the Holocaust, and she has over the course of her life worked to ensure that such terrible tragedies are not a part of our future. We are honoured to have her as the keynote speaker at the memorial service, which everyone is welcome to attend.”

The service starts at 10.45am, with anyone wishing to attend requested to arrive 15 minutes earlier.

British screenwriter and film and television director Steven Knight is on the search for skinheads in the Black Country to take part in the upcoming BBC series, This Town.

Filming for the show has been taking place across the Black Country, including Wolverhampton and Walsall, and a new casting call from Mad Dog Casting, calls for people “in and around West Bromwich” to apply.

The Peaky Blinders creator has confirmed that This Town is a drama set in the 1980s that feature “an extended family and four young people who are drawn into the world of ska and two-tone music”.

With filming still underway, it’s not expected to release until at least late 2023.

Some of the local filming locations include Skinner Street in Wolverhampton and the former Black Swan pub in Walsall.

To apply, check out the details in the advertisement above.

Though Walsall is still the scene of some great pubs, many have fallen by the wayside over the years, including the iconic Wetherspoon’s pub, The Imperial.

However, the fond memories of these once-buzzing boozers remain, with fun nights with friends and strangers etched on the brains of those who passed through their walls.

Pubs like The Victoria, The Pretty Bricks and The Black Country Arms still provide spaces where the community comes together to unwind, while numerous great micro-pubs, including The Jigger’s Whistle, The Turtles Head and the New Invention Brewery, have helped plug the gap that has been left by many larger establishments closing.

• Raise A Glass: 50 Years of CAMRA

This quiz is really about celebrating some of those pubs that are unlikely to (and definitely won’t in some cases) ever open their doors again. 

Play the Walsall Old Pubs Quiz

We’ve gathered together 12 photos of Walsall pubs that are either closed or no longer standing. Can you name them all?

Give it a try and have a go at our Walsall Old Pubs Quiz.

To enter, answer all questions below and then press submit. The results don’t take into account spelling mistakes, so make sure you’re spelling pub names correctly!

Note: We have used Google Forms to put the quiz together. However, you DO NOT need to be signed into Google to enter. If you do happen to be signed into your Google account, please be assured that we do not collect your email address. Signing in purely means that data about the results are sent to us, including the number of responses.

If you enjoy this quiz, why not check out our Walsall Listed Buildings Quiz and Businesses Of Walsall That No Longer Exist – Interactive Picture Quiz

 

One of the largest job fairs in the West Midlands is taking place at Walsall College on Thursday 16 March, 2023.

The Hub at Walsall College

The Walsall Works Expo 2023 will feature over 60 employers from across the West Midlands offering part-time and full-time jobs.

The event will feature employers from a variety of industries – including logistics, digital, customer service and many more.

Career advice and support will also be available from a team of experts.

All you need to do to find new opportunities is register in advance via EventBrite and head down to The Hub at Walsall College on Littleton Street between 9am-3pm on the 16 March with your C.V. in hand.

Related News

• Walsall College Plans Extension Of Green Lane Campus
• West Midlands Predicted To Create Up to 52,000 Jobs in Tech Industry By 2025
• More than 8,000 Walsall Residents Share Ambitions For Future Of The Town

Walsall Football Club could set a new record when Premier League Leicester City come to the Poundland Bescot Stadium on January 28.

Earlier this week, it was confirmed that all tickets have sold out for the fourth round FA Cup clash at the 11,300 seated stadium, with 2,192 travelling fans set to attend.

Depending on whether some seats are unused due to segregation of fans and how many are no-shows on the day, it means the club could reach its highest-ever attendance at the current ground.

The biggest attendance so far at the Poundland Bescot Stadium was 11,049 against Rotherham in 2004 when Paul Merson was the manager in League Division One.

Other attendances over 10,000 include Walsall vs Preston (10,038) in the second leg of the Johnstone Paint Trophy Northern Area semi-final in 2015 when the Saddlers secured their place at Wembley. The same year also saw 10,525 attend the ground for the third-round League Cup defeat by Chelsea.

The biggest-ever attendance at a Walsall ground was at Fellow’s Park in 1961 where 25.453 crammed into the ground to see the Saddlers beat Newcastle United.

Walsall FC is currently experiencing a turn in fortune on the pitch. Following a rocky start to the season after the arrival of new owners Trivela Group and new manager Michael Flynn, the Saddlers have seen a resurgence and have now lost just two matches out of their last 14.

Members of the National Education Union (NEU) are planning strike action in February and March, which will affect numerous school across the Walsall borough.

In a row over pay, teaching and support staff across England and Wales will strike for seven days over a two-month period in a bid to force the Department of Education (DfE) to offer a pay-

The seven days of strikes will take place nationally on 1 February, 15/16 March, while regional strikes will take place on 14/28 February and 1/2 of March.

Consequently, teachers in Walsall who are part of the union and have agreed to strike will do so for four days in total.

The DfE have offered teachers and support staff a 5% rise, but the National Education Union says it is not enough with claims that teachers have lost 23% since 2010.

“The average 5% pay rise for teachers this year is some 7% behind inflation. In the midst of a cost of living crisis, that is an unsustainable situation,” said Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, joint general secretaries of the NEU.

It’s expected that some Walsall schools will completely close, while others will partially shut on the planned strike days. Some will also remain open and rely on agency staff.