Month: April 2023

Walsall’s population grew by 5.5% in 10 years, according to the data from the last Census.

In 2011, the number of people living in the borough was 269,300 and in 2021, when the last Census was completed, it was 284,100.

The population rise was similar to the overall population of the West Midlands, which was 6.2%, but smaller when compared to the 6.6% increase in the overall population of England.

Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the area was among the top 25% most densely populated English local authority areas, with about 19.5 people per football pitch-sized piece of land, compared with 18.5 in 2011.

Walsall also has a slightly lower age population: the average age of Walsall decreased by one year, from 39 to 38 years of age compared to the last Census. This is compared to the average age of 40 years in both the West Midlands and England as a whole.

The Census data also showed the number of people aged 50 to 64 years rose by about 6,300 (13.5%), while the number of residents in the borough between 35 and 49 years fell by just over 1,800 (3.3%).

The borough saw the West Midlands’ second-largest percentage-point rise in the proportion of people aged 16 years and over who had never been married or in a civil partnership, up from 32.9% in 2011 to 37.5% in 2021. This was second only to Dudley, which saw the proportion increase from 31.2% to 35.9%.

The figures include same-sex marriages and opposite-sex civil partnerships in 2021, neither of which was legally recognised in England and Wales in 2011.

In Walsall, the percentage of people who did not identify with at least one UK national identity increased from 4.5% in 2011 to 8.1% in 2021. During the same period, the percentage in nearby Lichfield increased from 2.0% to 2.6%.

The percentage of people who identified with a UK and non-UK national identity in Walsall increased from 0.5% to 1.2%, while the percentage of people who identified as “British only” increased from 18.3% to 56.5%. Those identifying as “English” and “British” rose to 15.1% in the last Census compared to 7.7% in the 2011 one, while those identifying as “English only” fell to 18.5% compared to 68.2% in the 2011 Census.

The ONS says in the last Census, “British” was moved to the top response option, which could have influenced how people described their national identity.

Other data from the 2021 Census:

• The number of people renting homes privately rose to 16.3% from 11.7% in 2011.
• 4% of people described themselves as “white British”, down from 78.9% in 2011.
• 7% of Walsall residents described their ethnic group as “Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh”, up from 15.2% in 2011, while 4.6% identified their ethnic group within the “Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African” category, up from 2.4% in the previous Census.
• The percentage of people who identified their ethnic group within the “Mixed or Multiple” category increased from 2.7% in 2011 to 3.3% in 2021.
• 4% (about 239,700) Walsall residents said they were born in England, down from about 89% of the local population in 2011.
• 4% (just over 9,600) said they were born in India – up from 2.8% in 2011, while about 2.4% (6,900) were born in Pakistan, an increase from 2.0% in 2011.
• The number of people born in Poland stood at 1.3% in 2021, up from 0.6% in 2011, while residents born in Bangladesh rose slightly from 0.7% to 0.9% between the two Censuses.

To find out more information about the Census data, visit: https://www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/censusareachanges/E08000030/

Written by Jayne Howarth

Following a dismal run of form, with one win in 20 games, Walsall F.C. Head Coach Michael Flynn has been sacked.

He started off as Walsall Manager in February 2022, arriving shortly before brand new owners in the form of the Trivela Group. With a huge clear-out of players last summer and renewed hope, the Saddlers got off to an impressive start with a 4-0 home win against Hartlepool, followed by a 1-0 away win at Flynn’s former club, Newport.

With Danny Johnson firing in 15 goals in 30 games things seemed to be going well for the club until Johnson returned back to his loan club Mansfield. Since then, the Saddlers have struggled to find the back of the net.

Despite reaching the fourth round of the FA Cup, and losing 1-0 in a tightly-fought contest to Leicester, results haven’t gone their way since.

Michael Flynn’s last match in charge was a 3-0 defeat against Harrogate Town last night. He was sacked this morning alongside his assistant Wayne Hatswell.

Mat Sadler will take control of the first team until the end of the season.

With street parties and celebrations planned for the coronation of Kings Charles III, the government has launched a new website allowing people to see what events are planned in their area, including Walsall.

To make the event map work, it also relies on anyone hosting a public party to submit their Coronation event online.

Some local King’s Coronation events currently planned in Walsall include:

• The Coronation Big Lunch in Streetly
• St. Matthew’s Big Coronation Lunch
• St. Martin’s Fun Day

To submit your King’s Coronation party so that others know what’s happening, simply head to https://coronation.gov.uk/events/

The Qbar Snooker Club in Walsall Wood has been making huge waves over the last couple of years after creating a junior academy to rival the best in the UK.

Set up by Faye Tapper and her sister Kerri Bradley approximately 18 months ago, the junior academy started off with just eight children and now boasts 70 kids who are trained by WPBSA coaches Dan Buskin and Andrew Highfield.

The Qbar Academy prides itself on its community feel by offering a safe, fun and welcoming place to children of all abilities.

“We wanted to create a platform to give children the opportunity, whether they’re a beginner or have already played the sport, to enjoy the benefits of professional coaching at an affordable cost in a fun and supportive environment,” Faye told Pioneer Magazines. “Also, just to give kids a chance to see what snooker is all about. Our free trials have been very popular with a lot of the children coming back for more.”

As well as providing snooker training, the young students have also benefitted from trips to snooker events and have met some of the stars, including Judd Trump and Qbar regular, Nigel Bond.

“We’re delighted so many children have joined the academy and we’ve had to adapt quickly by setting up more sessions,” said Faye. “We have classes for beginners right through to our junior elite players and split them up into smaller groups so that they all have quality time with our coaches and feel like they are progressing.”

The hard work has been recognised after the Qbar was shortlisted as a finalist in the National Community Sport and Recreation Awards and played host to an international snooker camp earlier this year, which saw talented players from Poland enjoy a one-week residency at the club to work with the WPBSA coaches and snooker professional Nigel Bond.

In addition to the regular academy, the Qbar also runs holiday clubs during the Easter, Summer and October half-term holidays. “As well as enjoying technical coaching, we have packed days of snooker loopy fun with plenty of tournaments, prizes and exciting challenges for seven to 17-year-olds.”

Additionally, the Qbar has been raising its profile with a series of VIP events for adults and kids. This has included a recent sold-out Steve Davis VIP experience and a VIP Nigel Bond and Andrew Highfield Coaching Session.

There are various sessions available throughout the week and weekends. To get in touch, please email: qbarevents@hotmail.com. You can also follow QBar on Facebook.

“We’ve tried to make our prices as affordable as possible,” said Faye. “Our Young Stars group, for example, is just £20 a month for four hourly sessions with some top coaches.”

The Qbar is situated at 146 Walsall Road in Walsall Wood and features 12 full-sized snooker tables, Pro Star tables, American pool and pool tables. There is also a bar serving drinks and food and a room to hire for parties.