Footballing legend Allan Clarke, who played for Walsall between 1963 and 1966, is helping to launch a new initiative in partnership with Rushall Olympic and the Children’s Football Alliance.
Allan will be guest of honour at the friendly at Dales Lane against Aston Villa XI on Tuesday, 1 August, when the stadium will become a UEFA-recognised Peace Field, named in honour of the British and Allied troops who called a truce on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 1914.
Dales Lane will become one of 65 Peace Fields worldwide, offering schools, clubs and groups the opportunity to play on the club’s pitch.
As well as playing for Walsall, Allan played for Leicester Leeds, Barnsley and Lincoln and represented his country, scoring 10 goals in 19 appearances.
“It is always an honour to come back home to the Black Country,” said Allan. “I was only too happy to accept the invitation from Rushall Olympic chairman John Allen, and vice-chairman Nick Allen to launch the Allan Clarke Peace Field at Dales Lane Stadium.
“This project will do much to bring football to all youngsters within the local community regardless of their circumstances, so they too can have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful game.”
The Peace Field project site will be unveiled prior to kick-off at 6.30 pm on Tuesday, 1 August. The match kicks off at 7.45 pm.
A Bloxwich man who climbed over 19,000 feet to the top of Africa’s tallest mountain celebrated his achievement by flying the town’s flag at the summit.
The flag of Bloxwich appears at Africa’s highest peak.
Andrew Field, aged 44, who took on the challenge to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Cancer Research UK, spent seven days making his way up the mountain and finally arrived after a gruelling journey at approximately 8 am on 25 June.
“It was hot and humid,” said Andy. “It’s physically, mentally and emotionally, the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
Andy walked for eight hours a day over 10km to reach various bases on Kilimanjaro, where he and his group took the opportunity to rest and eat before setting off in the dark of night, when the weather was cooler, to continue the ascent.
“The hardest thing to adapt to was the altitude,” he said. “You have to walk slowly to adapt to the changes in altitude, which gives you headaches, breathing difficulties, tingly fingers and a general feeling of not feeling well.”
A slow ascent is required due to major changes in altitude
“Getting to the top was such a huge achievement for me. I was running on adrenaline and absolutely over the moon. The view was spectacular, but I was quicly ushered back down the mountain due to altitude sickness, so I only got to spend five minutes at the top.”
With oxygen levels at the summit at 50%, Andrew ambled back down on a four-hour journey to base camp, where he had time to reflect on such a momentous achievement, and admits that he found it hard returning to the normality of work and daily life.
“The adrenaline you feel when you make it is unbelievable, and I’m keen to do something similar again,” he enthused.
“I would like to tackle one of the other seven major summits. For anyone thinking of doing something like this, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s tough but worth it. I organised it through Ultra Adventures, and there were 20 guides and 140 porters helping and encouraging us along the way.”
A team effort saw 36 out of the 40 climbers reach the summit.
His efforts were worth it, with over £9,000 raised for Cancer Research UK, a cause close to his heart.
“I wanted to raise the money in memory of my mum and my stepmother, who both passed away after battling cancer,” he said. “I’m incredibly grateful for the generosity of family and friends and having the opportunity to support such a fantastic charity.”
Donations are still open until the end of September via Just Giving.
Residents in Great Barr can now access the library outside of usual hours thanks to Sandwell Council’s Library+ service.
Great Barr library, located on the Birmingham Road
Eager bookworms can access library facilities with a library card and a special PIN number when staff aren’t present, prior to its usual opening hours, during lunchtime, and when the library closes, as well as Sundays when it’s usually shut.
Councillor Syeda Khatun, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Communities (with responsibility for libraries), said: “I would encourage all Great Barr residents to enjoy this new flexibility, by visiting the library, registering and attending a brief induction
Library+ hours are confirmed as:
Monday: 8am-9.30am, 1pm-2pm, 5pm-8pm
Tuesday: 8am-9.30am, 1pm-2pm, 5pm-8pm
Wednesday: 1pm-8pm
Thursday: 8am-9.30am, 1pm-2pm, 4pm-8pm
Friday: 8am-9.30am, 1pm-2pm, 4pm-8pm
Saturday: 8am-9.30am, 4pm-8pm
Sunday: 8am-8pm
A parent of two children said: “We’re really looking forward to be able to come to the library in the evenings as a family! The current opening hours are not convenient for us.”
Support worker Nicolle Mcintosh said: “It’s fantastic I pick up clients at 8.30am and have to wait in the car until the library opens at 9.30am. I also have to leave when the library closes during lunchtime. It’s going to make things so much easier for me.”
For more information, visit sandwell.gov.uk/libraries
Patients will receive treatment for skin problems quicker thanks to the launch of a new service across the Black Country.
The new service, which is one of the largest Teledermatology projects in the NHS, has been launched and aims to triage patients within 24 hours, excluding weekends.
Run by clinicians across the Black Country Provider Collaborative (BCPC) – which consists of Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT), Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust and Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust – the new Teledermatology service allows patients to book a consultation through their GP and receive feedback from specialists.
Their GP will take images of skin conditions using dermatoscopes attached to a smartphone or tablet, which will be sent to the Dermatology department at their chosen hospital.
A Dermatologist then reviews and responds to the GP, within 24 hours, providing guidance on how to care for the patient and whether further investigation or hospital care is needed.
More than 250 GP practices have signed up for the scheme – covering 1.5 million population across Walsall, Wolverhampton, Dudley and Sandwell.
As of late May, 2023, there were already 10 sites live in Walsall Healthcare, and a further 23 in the process of onboarding, at RWT the same scenario is 13 sites live and 34 pending, in Sandwell it’s three and 42 respectively and in Dudley it’s 16 and 19.
James Halpern, Consultant Dermatologist and Clinical Lead for Skin for the BCPC, said: “Since the pandemic we have seen a large increase in the number of skin cancer referrals.
“The new Teledermatology service allows large numbers of referrals to be triaged more quickly and will help us address the backlog. It will allow a single point of access and quicker care, closer to home.
“Instead of waiting for an appointment after seeing your GP, a treatment decision can be made within 24 hours. This will help with scarce clinic capacity.
“We will be providing training to GPs and they will also be provided with the equipment.
“There will also be a super-user for each Trust who can add locums onto the system quickly. We also have a 24-7 support hotline to help us with technology.”
Diane Wake, Senior Responsible Officer for the BCPC, said: “This is one of several impressive initiatives that have been cultivated as a result of the collaboration between the four Trusts and I’m delighted we are now able to offer this service to our patients.
“This is tremendous news for dermatology patients in the Black Country and the wider area who will benefit from improved outcomes as a result of this.”
There are currently 3,800 new Dermatology referrals every month, with the number of two-week wait appointments having doubled.
By launching Teledermatology services in the Black Country, clinicians hope to reduce unnecessary hospital appointments and speed up access to diagnosis and treatments, including two week wait skin cancer referrals.
There will still be capacity for face-to-face appointments if needed.
In the heart of Sutton Park, you can find 14 remarkable individuals who specialise in helping people improve their well-being and build new skills and confidence. The individuals being referred to are the four-legged residents of the Donkey Sanctuary who are key to the success of a charity that has been based in the much-loved beauty spot for many years.
Cisco playing with Monte
Cate McMurray, The Donkey Sanctuary Birmingham’s Equine Coach, said: “Sometimes I think we’re the best-kept secret around here. We have visitors every week who say they’ve lived here for decades and had no idea we were here!”
The Donkey Sanctuary relies entirely on donations, and the Birmingham sanctuary is one of six regional Centre’s across the UK that provide support through its Donkey Assisted Activity Programmes. Central to the Sanctuary’s work is the remarkable ability of donkeys to reflect the experience of the humans that they meet.
Cate explained: “Donkeys are incredible teachers. Their limbic system, which is the part of the brain that deals with feelings and emotions, is a similar size to a human, meaning that they have a very large capacity for inner emotional depth.
Cate McMurray
Research has shown that that an equine’s heart rhythm can synchronise with, and even influence those of a human when they interact.
“Because physiological effects, such as a raised heart rate, can be ruled by how we’re feeling, a donkey’s calming mood can reduce a person’s anxiety. The donkeys react to the subtle body language given off by humans and react accordingly. They are great mirrors and their ability to sense what people need is astonishing.”
This ability helps those who need support through a variety of programmes run by The Donkey Sanctuary. Cate explained: “The sessions we offer are open to anyone from young people to adults and can be referred for a multitude of reasons from school engagement support, poor mental health to simple respite care.”
Muldoon playing with a welly
“We are the last stop though – we’re not therapists. Our role is not to be a counsellor, but to offer guidance as bridge at the end of other interventions, so that the individual can look and move forward with their life.”
The Sanctuary runs a few different programmes offering support to those who access their services. One of which is Wellbeing with Donkeys, which is a programme where people attend up to three sessions spending quality time interacting with the donkeys in a calm and peaceful environment.
Cate said: “This programme offers people some space and reflection time that they might need, by spending time with the donkeys in their natural environment.
“We also have an offering that is popular with younger clients called the Donkey Management Programme which gives the client the opportunity to transfer any understanding they gain from the donkeys care and welfare to their own circumstances and improve their wellbeing.”
Shocks at The Donkey Sanctuary
For 10yrs and up, the Sanctuary runs a Donkey Facilitated Learning programme, where clients work with the donkeys to improve life skills. Cate said: “The aim of these sessions is to create a space for individuals to discover their own capabilities, offering opportunities to develop wellbeing and life skills, through observations of, and interactions with the donkeys.”
Outside of the programmes, the Sanctuary also welcomes visitors every Saturday and on the first Sunday of each month, between 10-12 in morning or 1-3pm. Visits are free but must be booked in advance on The Donkey Sanctuary’s website.
Cate said: “We like to welcome visitors and give them the opportunity to meet the donkeys and gain a better understanding of the impact we are hoping to make for donkeys worldwide. Many people visit to see their adopted donkeys, and this is a great way of supporting our work. At the Birmingham sanctuary, we have four Adoption Donkeys – Cisco, Jasper, Jimmy, and Shocks.”
Cate continued: “We are a charitable organisation, and currently there is no charge for our services and that’s all down to our wonderful supporters. Without their donations, we would not be able to do the work we do.”
Jimmy at The Donkey Sanctuary
“Many of our donkeys have been relinquished into our care because their owners simply couldn’t carry on looking after them, for a number of reasons,” Cate said, “We have a couple of what you might call ‘rescue’ donkeys, but it’s usually a case of people not being able to afford them anymore.
The donkeys at the Centre not only provide Donkey Assisted Activities to members of the community, but many are also being trained to join The Donkey Sanctuary’s Rehoming Scheme. And, of course, the Centre also provides a happy and peaceful home for donkeys, right in the Centre of beautiful Sutton Park.
Cate added: “Every donkey has a different character. We have donkeys who are like teenagers, always getting involved in things that they think are interesting, and then we have quieter curious donkeys, we have loud donkeys that like to lead – they’re just like human beings.”
It’s that similarity to people – and their ability to emote with the humans they encounter – that make the residents of The Donkey Sanctuary so remarkable.
