Copy deadline is 9 April for May 2021 printed editions.
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People read our magazines from cover to cover and keep them for an average of two months.
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See our Bounce Back leaflet below or follow this link to see where we deliver. You can advertise with us from as little as £25 plus VAT.
Instructors Simon Muller and Claire Llewellyn with Andrew Marlow (11), Lewis & Esme Weavill (10) and Hollie Cleveley (12)
A popular swimming club has taken the plunge and re-opened its doors after months of uncertainty.
Oak Park Lifesavers, based at Oak Park Active Living Centre in Walsall Wood, has taught scores of young people the basics of water safety. With a current membership of around forty people aged between six and eighteen, the club temporarily suspended its activities in March last year.
As well as developing skills in the water, members learn and practise basic first aid including CPR, the recovery position and how to treat bleeding, choking and shock. The dangers of open water are made clear and stamina is developed as well as rescue techniques both in water and on land. Members have the opportunity to challenge their skills and knowledge in local competitions.
Although lifesaving activities were put online for those wishing to partake, the members were keen to return to the pool. To comply with current safety guidelines the 1 ½ hour sessions have been split into two 45-minute sessions with members split into two bubbles accordingly.
Organised booking and changing systems ensure safety and spectators are no longer allowed. Coloured bands are placed on bottles so rescuers and casualties know which end to use, all equipment is sanitized before use, and rescues take place at a 2m distance.
Claire Llewellyn, Senior Instructor, said: “The lifesavers are all very glad to be back and the parents are happy with the new process as well. Membership has many benefits including developing new skills and learning to stay safe near open water. It’s a huge boost to the health and wellbeing of all lifesavers.”
The information in this article was received before the current lockdown. Please contact Oak Park Active Living Centre for details of when they are re-opening.
Volunteer litter busters have been working hard to keep Walsall’s streets free of rubbish – even during lockdown.
Walsall Community Litter Watch organises a couple of picks a month – one around the town centre and one in another part of the borough – while community groups also organise their own.
Lockdown hasn’t deterred them and it now organises “virtual” picks called Shine A Light Sunday, where individuals or households can set out to remove rubbish from their own neighbourhood.
And in the November event alone, 31 individuals took part in 20 litter picks, covering most of the borough, including Willenhall, Bloxwich, Caldmore, Birchills, Aldridge, Streetly, Walsall Wood, Pelsall, Darlaston and Alumwell, and collected 147 bags of rubbish.
Beth Deeley, one of the volunteer co-ordinators at Walsall Council’s Clean and Green department, said: “The first Shine a Light Sunday came about back in July. Volunteers were concerned about the amount of litter that could be generated by Super Saturday, the day the pubs reopened.
“So in response we created a targeted virtual pick called Shine a Light Sunday where we would shine a light on litter. After the success of the first one we thought we would bring it back again this November as our group picks have had to be cancelled again due to lockdown.
“We have a list of all of our planned picks on our Facebook group, then the virtual picks happen wherever each volunteer chooses to pick on Shine a light Sunday but we usually get a good spread.”
It’s easy to get involved in a virtual pick: all you need is a picker, a bag, an area to tidy and a camera phone. On the designated Shine a Light Sunday, you take a before photograph of the area you plan to tidy and afterwards when the work is complete, then upload it to the Facebook page.
“Our aim was to fill social media with these posts to help show the extent of the littering issue we are facing while reinforcing the anti-litter and supportive messages via our poster,” said Beth.
“In the current situation, we have also found that it helps people feel more included in the group pick even though we are picking alone.”
Councillor Oliver Butler, Cabinet Member for Clean and Green, said: “Last year Walsall Council spent £1.5m tackling the problem of litter that has been dropped by inconsiderate individuals who have no respect for their environment.
“Fortunately local volunteers do a great job giving their support to us in our fight against litter as a part of all our efforts to make Walsall a cleaner and greener place. Litter picking events are a great way to promote volunteering, spreading the anti-litter messages and highlighting the fantastic effort these individuals do for our communities.
“Events like these are also important in the current climate as they help people to feel connected and promote both physical and mental health.”
Among the army of volunteers, Vicky Atkins said: “Litter is damaging to nature, the environment, and it breeds a ‘don’t care’ attitude. If an area has litter, then others aren’t so concerned about dumping their litter there too.”
Elizabeth Worley, who attended her first virtual pick in November, added: “It’s the first time I’ve done a litter picking event as a part of a virtual group. I felt really included despite seeing no-one.”
Teresa Webb said she is proud to be a volunteer litter picker.
“Litter picking for me is making the place I live a better place for me and nice to see for others who appreciate it,” she said. “I have met so many lovely people and like to think I have helped a few with the positive effect you get from being out in nature making an impact on the environment, too.”
We’ve responded to requests for help from two people looking to complete their family trees. One looking for help with Aldridge connections, the other Walsall.
Looking for information on Sgt Thomas Wilkes
Hilary Wilkes is looking for information about her grandfather – can you help?
Sgt Thomas Wilkes
Sergeant Thomas Wilkes, who served in the Staffordshire Regiment, was killed in the Battle of the Somme.
Hilary knows little about him, other than he lived in Bloxwich Road, in Walsall, and was married to Helen Pearman. Before he enlisted, she believes he worked in a brass foundry and served in the Territorials.
During the First World War, Thomas’s battalion held out for two days at Delville Wood, after being shelled from three directions, but he was killed on 29 July, 1916. She understands his body was not discovered until 1931.
“According to the Staffordshire Regiment archivist, he was mentioned twice in the ‘Walsall Pioneer’ of the time,” she said.
“The references I have been given are: 27 Date 3/6/1916 and 93 or 43 date 15/9/1917. These may refer to him being in hospital and/or being gazetted with the Military Medal, which was announced in the London Gazette on 19 February, 1917.
“Unfortunately, his record card at The National Archives was destroyed in the Second World War, so I’d be thrilled if you could shed some light. To see a photograph of him would be amazing!”
Anyone who thinks they have any family information about him can contact Hilary at: hilarywilkes@virginmedia.com
Are you related to the Harvey family?
Sam Harvey
Could you be related to Sam Harvey? Sam, who lives in Kilnhurst, near Rotherham in South Yorkshire, has traced her family tree back to the 1830s, where the Harvey family lived in Aldridge.
Now she’s appealing to readers of The Pioneer to see if she has any relatives still living in the area.
She said: “I’ve been doing my family tree on and off for about 30 years, but when I was furloughed earlier this year, I had time to get back to it. Some of the family I’ve traced back to the 1500s in Alton in Staffordshire but I found quite a bit of information about the Harveys who lived in Aldridge.
“When all the restrictions are lifted, I’d love to come down and have a look round and visit the archives to find more birth, marriage and death certificates relating to my family, but in the meantime, I wondered if there are still any family in the area.”
So far, 51-year-old Sam has found Joseph Harvey, who was born in 1835 in Aldridge to John and Sarah Jane Harvey, and was followed by brother William in 1838. They had three sisters, Diana, born 1841, and Hannah, born 1843, and Emma, born in 1852.
In 1869, William, who is Sam’s great, great grandfather, married in Spalding, Lincolnshire, before settling in Kilnhurst, where family remains today.
Her searches have also found that Joseph moved to Lancashire before emigrating to Canada, where he died in 1922.
However, Sam believes that either William or Sam left behind three children – John (born 1858), William (1860) and Sarah (1864) – because these children were living with their grandparents in the 1861 and 1871 censuses.
Other searches show that William and Joseph’s sister Diana married a William Edwards in 1841 and she lived in the Pool Green area of Aldridge, while Hannah married James Meeks in 1843. Emma married Thomas Connolly in 1852 and lived in Keepers’ Cottage in Barr Lane West before moving to Handsworth, Birmingham.
The younger William, who stayed in Aldridge also lived in Dumblederry Lane, according to the 1871 census.
Sam also discovered that her great-grandfather Joseph, son of William senior, died in November 1916, in the battle of the Somme, while he served in the medical corps. A few months later, in April 1917, Charles Herbert, who was the Canadian son of Joseph senior, died in Vimy Ridge while serving in the Canadian Army.
If anyone believes they are related to Sam – or have more information about the Harvey family – please contact the editor at gill@pioneermagazines.co.uk and the information will be forwarded.
(L-R) Knight & Doyle Partners Steve Winkles and Richard Doyle with St Giles Head of Fundraising Chloe Herbert
Aldridge based Knight & Doyle Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning has teamed up with St Giles Hospice to help fund its vital care services for local families.
Knight & Doyle are now corporate supporters of St Giles pledging to donate more than £2,500 to the hospice each year.
The business is also offering St Giles Hospice lottery players a 10% discount through the charity’s Promise Card scheme.
Knight & Doyle, which offers residential and commercial carpet cleaning services across Lichfield, Aldridge and Walsall has rebranded its vans to promote their support of St Giles and will feature its logo in marketing materials to further raise awareness of the hospice.
Rich Doyle, partner in Knight & Doyle, said: “We wanted to support a local charity and when we looked at St Giles Hospice and the work that it does, we knew we had found the right cause. When we heard about the support patients get in the community and bereavement services on offer to patients’ families, we realised that St Giles is not just a place where people go to die – it’s so much more than that. By helping a vital local charity like St Giles, we can give a little back to support local people.”
Chloe Herbert, Head of Fundraising at St Giles, said “In a tough year which has been so hard for everyone, it’s absolutely wonderful to receive this support from Knight & Doyle, businesses and charities alike have been challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic so their generosity is particularly welcome and inspiring right now, and our message to all of our supporters is that we’ve never needed you more than we need you today.”
An apprentice social worker at Walsall Council has been recognised for her talents after picking up an award at the BAME Apprenticeship Awards 2020.
Pal Kaur, who is in her second year of a Level 6 social work degree apprenticeship while working full-time at the local authority, picked up the prize in the health, medical and social care category.
She said she was particularly pleased to receive recognition because she began her apprenticeship at the age of 45. She had already clocked up 20 years at the council, where she is now working as an assistant manager in the social care department, supporting practitioners who work with care leavers in the borough.
“I feel really lucky to be getting paid to do a job I love and to be studying for a degree I’ve wanted to do for some years but would never have had the opportunity if I hadn’t gone down the apprenticeship route,” she said.
“To be offered the apprenticeship is an amazing opportunity to progress in my career and then I was shocked to find out I’d be nominated for this award and then a finalist. I was working on the night of the online awards ceremony, so was blown away to find out I’d won the health, medical and social care category.
“I’m so fortunate to work with a really great team, who are all passionate about making the lives of children and young people in Walsall better.”
Pal, who is married with two children, said once she qualifies as a social worker, she will continue to focus on young people leaving care.
“Walsall is the town I was born and bred in and I want to stay working here, helping young people leaving care as they are some of the most vulnerable groups in the community. That’s the work I love doing.”
Councillor Bal Chattha, Portfolio Holder for Personnel and Business Support said, “I am delighted and proud that Pal has won the BAME Apprenticeship Awards 2020 and has been recognised for her hard work and determination.”
“The BAME awards are a golden opportunity to promote Apprenticeships across the wider community and represent the diverse community that we serve.”
“Endless Possibilities won the Employer Award back in 2018 and are delighted with having three of our apprentices as finalists this year, Kiran Bibi from Children’s Services and Zara Khan from the Equalities Team as well as Pal.”
“With over 400 entries to the BAME Awards the competition was extremely tough this year and all those involved should be very proud of their achievements.”
“The Council is delighted to be able to support our existing workforce on higher and degree-level apprenticeships and wish them all every success in fulfilling their goals.”
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street with West Bromwich East MP Nicola Richards
By Craig Winyard
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street is urging Great Barr residents to sign a petition which aims to protect local Green Belt and open spaces from being developed.
Mr Street, who leads the West Midlands Combined Authority, is campaigning to ensure that derelict and disused ‘brownfield’ sites are targeted for development before cherished Green Belt.
“We all understand that we need more houses, but I passionately believe we need to be careful where we allow them to be built,” he said.
“Meeting the needs of local people and families in Great Barr and the wider region is a major challenge, but progress is being made with record regional housebuilding and 784 being built in Sandwell last year.
“However, this should not be at the expense of our open spaces, and we are now seeing planning applications targeting the beauty spots that are so important to us. That’s why I am campaigning with local MP Nicola Richards to protect the Green Belt and promote ‘brownfield first’.”
Mr Street has championed the region’s “brownfield first” approach to housing and is making it happen, winning £350 million of Government funding to clean up derelict sites – funding topped up with another £84 million this Summer to keep up the pace.
He said: “The fact is there are enough of these old brownfield sites in Sandwell and the wider Black Country to ensure we don’t have to build on the Green Belt between now and 2031.
“I would urge local people to sign this petition, to add their voice to the campaign to protect our open spaces.”
Mr Street has also pressed to see 20% of new homes built as affordable and changed the definition of “affordable” locally to be linked to local pay – bringing new homes within reach of more people.
In Sandwell, Mr Street is working with Nicola Richards and fellow MPs Shaun Bailey and James Morris to promote ‘brownfield first’ – with regional funding to enable 750 homes to be built on the former Friar Park sewage works and also to bring housing into town centres like West Bromwich – reducing the pressure on prized green spaces.
Tracing family histories is a fun hobby but for some people it becomes a passion. Maybe its because learning about our family helps us understand our place in the world. In the digital age there has never been so much information available to the public. This has resulted in the birth of a new industry devoted to helping us find the old records we need. I’m sure you will have seen the ads on TV. But rather than get lost in data, why not just ask people. Whether that’s family members or local history groups. For example, talk to older relatives. They will know family names and previous addresses. They will also know family stories, which will give you the first clues in your search.
Sam Harvey posted on the Aldridge History Group Facebook page because she needed local information. She lives in South Yorkshire and had found that her family was living in Aldridge in the 1830s. Following a phone call we featured her in our magazines. Hilary Wilkes was also looking for information on her family history. Regarding her grandfather Sgt Thomas Wikes (pictured) who had lived in Walsall. We also featured her story in our January magazines.
How We Help Trace Family Histories
We will be having a regular feature in our printed magazines to help people tracing family histories. So if you would like to tell your story and get some local help, email editor@pioneermagazines.co.uk. Please let us have your phone number and a brief overview of who you are looking to trace. We can also share your Facebook posts.
Top Tips For Tracing Your Family Tree
Ask Family Members
There are online tools, census and registers
Use other people’s research
Use the free online Births, Marriages & Deaths directories
Search parish records and visit churchyards
Ask for information on social media
Get in touch with Pioneer Magazines & Great Barr Gazette
Below we have listed some websites and social media groups to get you started. We would love to hear from you if we can help you trace your family tree.
Correction: This article was updated on 29 March, 2021 to clarify that much of the area of Great Barr Hall is privately-owned and cannot be accessed by the public.
As the New Year kicks in, resolutions for a healthier year begin. How about burning off your Christmas treats and starting 2021 walking around some fabulous local, hidden gems.
We at SmallHouseBigTrips have you covered with some of our personal favourites. But sshhh – remember, it’s a secret!
Great Barr Hall, Sutton’s Drive, B43 7BA
A hidden gem that even we didn’t know about until lockdown in March 2020. Much of the grounds of the Great Barr Hall estate is privately-owned with no public right of way. However, Sutton Drive and the land situated to the East of Sutton Drive are beautiful, public open spaces.
Holly Wood Nature Reserve, Whitecrest, B43 6EA
Enter the nature reserve through a magical gate where you will be greeted with 5 hectares of mixed broadleaf woodland and wet meadow. Trees to climb, a stream to paddle in and the largest blanket of bluebells in spring.
Park Lime Pits Nature Reserve, Rushall, WS4 2HH
A former limestone quarry in the woods, this woodland walk has a rope swing over one of the two clear pools, horses, walking trails and plenty of streams for little ones to paddle in.
For nature lovers, there are over 300 species of plants and it is the home to over 100 species of birds.
Cuckoo’s Nook and The Dingle, Walsall, WS9 0PQ
Cuckoo’s Nook is an ancient woodland over 400 years old full of acidic loving trees like holly, oak, birch and alder, winding picturesque paths and a sea of bluebells during spring. Step into The Dingle part of the walk and you enter an area surrounded by hawthorn, ash, beech and elder trees.
It is the perfect place to learn about geology as you enjoy your walk,through the woodland flowers, by the babbling Longwood Brook running next to the path.
There’s a rope swing and little bridges for children and keep your eyes out for the wishing tree which is decorated beautifully throughout the year. Recently it had Christmas lights, tinsel and other decorations.
Sot’s Hole Nature Reserve, B71 4DE
A fabulous circular route starting at Sot’s Hole Nature Reserve, walking through the ancient woodland, looking at wooden statues and various species of plants, leading through to Sandwell Valley Farm seeing cows and horses, before following the path all the way round back to the car. Fields, woodland and kissing gates. Make for some perfect exploring.
To all our lovely readers and advertisers we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the team at the Pioneer Magazines and Great Barr Gazette.
We will be closing our office for the festive break at 5pm on Thursday 17th December, and re-opening on Monday 4th January 2021.
This has been a very difficult year for everyone and we thank our readers, advertisers and community groups for your support.
Volunteer litter busters have been working hard to keep Walsall’s streets free of rubbish – even during lockdown.
To all our lovely readers and advertisers we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the team at the Pioneer Magazines and Great Barr Gazette.