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B13 MAGAZINE

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MARCH 2022 ISSUE 527

C O V D N A L A CE C LO IN 3

M SELEY

LIGHT UP MOSELEY

BRIGHTENING B13 COW AT THE MAC REVIEW

A VEGAN’S LIFE IN MOSELEY

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2022

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

SHADES MUSIC

CHOIR AND ROCK SCHOOL

WORLD OF STRANGE

THE BILLESLEY BEATLE

MOSELEY B13 MAGAZINE

MAR22

EDITOR Mark Baxter (editor@moseleymagazine.co.uk) THE TEAM Ian Cook, David Isgrove, Stephanie Silk, Maria Arroja Ferreira, Tipton, Debbie Aldous, Max Jalil, Martin Jeffers, Jobe Baker-Sullivan, Izzy Knowles, Alex Jenkins, Jenny Gwynne, DESIGN Andy Wickett (andywickett@gmail.com) CONTRIBUTORS Moseley Society History Group/Janet Berry, Judith Fleetwood-Walker, Ceol Agency, Max Smith, Katerina Chamberlain BUSINESS MANAGER Martin Jeffers PROOF READER Jane Barry SOCIAL MEDIA Maria Arroja Ferreira TREASURER Leanne Holloway (accounts@moseleyb13.com) ADVERTISING Yonatan Yon DISTRIBUTION Izzy Knowles,Martin Jeffers BOARD David Isgrove (Chair) Stephanie Silk (Editorial) PHOTOGRAPHER Position Vacant MAIL Moseley Publishing House Ltd. Moseley B13 Magazine, c/o: Moseley Exchange, 149-153 Alcester Road, Moseley, Birmingham, B13 8JP. ONLINE instagram.com/moseleyb13mag facebook.com/MoseleyB13Magazine twitter.com/MoseleyB13Mag COMPANY SECRETARY Position Vacant LEGAL STUFF Moseley Publishing House Ltd is a non-profit voluntary run company based in England and Wales. Company No. 07786560. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, in whole or part, without express permission. All material is believed to be correct at the time of going to print. COVER IMAGE: Kirsten de Vos

WORDS FROM THE

EDITOR

This month we have something old and something new, kicking off with the first time feature 'The Month in Moseley' (page 14) which looks at everything from the opening of zero waste store Clean Kilo to some worrying news about the beautiful Wake Green Dell. The old comes in the shape of 'Lucky 13' (30), a children's/ family page from the early years of the magazine which is finally making a return. Some much needed humour is delivered by Tommy Quang and his spoof ‘World of Strange’ feature (22-24) where, hot on the heels of The Beatles: Get Back, he delves into the improbable story of ‘The Billesley Beatle’ (yes, you heard it right). Sadly, our designer Andy Wickett is stepping down from the role with this issue. Thanks for all the hard work, Andy your creativity will be missed. It does also mean we are urgently looking for a new magazine designer. If you think you fit the role then please do get in touch. Mark

OUTLETS Farmers’ Market (Village Green) plus: A and R News (320 Yardley Wood Road) Aiden McDonnell Hair (56 St Mary's Row) Drinksville (23 Woodbridge Road) Greenhill Garage (89-91 Billesley Lane) Indigo Foods (50-52 St Mary’s Row) Maison Mayci (148 Alcester Road) Moseley Post Office (149 Alcester Road) Newslink (3 Alcester Road) Nima Deli (103 Alcester Road) One Stop (117 Billesley Lane) Oxfam Books and Music (101 Alcester Road) Palmyra (13 St Mary's Row), SS Grocery Store 215, Stoney Lane; O.A.K Superstore Ladypool Road; 5 a day fruit and veg stall, Moseley Village; The Mix Cafe , Old Print Works, Moseley Road and Moseley Exchange, 147-153, Alcester Road

2022 PUBLICATION DATES

ISSUE Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

COPY

14 Feb 14 Mar 18 Apr 16 May 13 Jun 18 Jul 18 Aug 15 Sep 17 Oct 14 Nov

SALE

26 Feb 26 Mar 30 Apr 28 May 25 Jun 30 Jul 27 Aug 24 Sep 29 Oct 26 Nov

08 INTHIS ISSUE 04

NEWSHOUND

COW AT THE MAC REVIEW

SHADES MUSIC

THE MONTH IN MOSELEY

SAVE OUR ROOF!

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

MOSELEY MUNCH

TOMMY QUANG

JUST TO SAY

RICHARD CADBURY

EDITOR’S CHOICE

LUCKY 13

THE BOHEMIANS OF B13

No. 85

Mark Baxter

NEWSHOUND

Tipton, the B13 Newshound Twitter: @B13Newshound / Instagram: @tiptonb13

BATTLE OF THE PETITIONS AS RESIDENTS WAIT TO HEAR ABOUT FUTURE OF LTNS Rival petitions have been set up to support and oppose low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) in Moseley and Kings Heath. As we went to press a petition opposing the controversial scheme, which sees several local roads closed to car traffic and much other traffic, had nearly 5,000 signatories. Another petition supporting LTNs had just under 1,200 supporters. Meanwhile residents are waiting to hear Birmingham City Council’s view on the long term future of Moseley’s LTNs such as the one in School Road (pictured). It is believed the council has delayed making a decision about the Low Traffic Neighbourhood schemes in Moseley and Kings Heath. Low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) – also called “Places for People in Birmingham” – are about reducing the amount of through traffic in residential neighbourhoods so that it is safer for people to walk and cycle, children to play, neighbours to chat. In many parts of Birmingham, it is said residents find the streets outside their homes are dominated by traffic. When this is reduced neighbourhoods become quieter, streets are safer, and the air is cleaner. That is the case for LTNs. Opponents disagree with much of this. The LTNs were originally implemented in late 2020 using temporary measures that can be changed, removed or made permanent at a later stage depending on the scheme’s success and feedback received during a trial period. Newshound believes there were plans to bring a recommendation on the future of LTNs to the council’s Cabinet in early 2022, but this has been postponed as councillors and council officers are taking more time to develop their preferred option. As mentioned earlier a Change.org petition opposing the Moseley and Kings Heath LTNs had been sent to Birmingham City Council with nearly 5,000 signatures and 402 comments.

LOCAL BIN COLLECTIONS AFFECTED BY COVID AS RECENT ROUNDS MISSED Several rounds of local wheelie bin collections have been missed recently as a result of staff shortages. Omicron's rapid spread has depleted the city's refuse crews after a significant number of staff either tested positive for COVID-19 or were forced to isolate. Teams have been drafted in from street cleaning roles in an effort to minimise disruption – however on occasions several streets have still been missed. A Birmingham city council spokesperson said: "Our waste crews have been affected by COVID resulting in some collections being missed. Crews will endeavour to collect missed bins so please leave your bins out. We apologise for any inconvenience caused."

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NEW VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN RESTAURANT TO OPEN AT FORMER LEWIS’S SITE A Vegetarian and vegan restaurant is recruiting staff before moving into the old Lewis’s café bar site at 2-4 St Mary’s Row. Barsana is a pure vegetarian and vegan Indian restaurant and is advertising for several staff members as the poster in the window indicates. No further details were available as we went to press. PLANS SUBMITTED FOR MAJOR HOTEL IN GROUNDS OF VILLAGE PUB Plans have been submitted for a large hotel in the heart of Moseley. The owners of The Village pub, 179 Alcester Road want to build a 47 bedroomed, four-storey hotel at the rear of the pub, complete with 20 parking spaces. If approved the hotel would be built in grounds behind The Village pub on Alcester Road. There are no hotels within the centre of Moseley and it is hoped the new development will attract visitors to the suburb, voted the best place to live in the UK for city living in 2015. None of the mature trees within the grounds would be removed as part of the plans. Locals did however raise the issue of parking when the plans were announced on the Everything Moseley Facebook Site, questioning whether 20 spaces were enough. But overall the proposal, which is to go before Birmingham City Council's planning committee, has been well-received. The planning application said the pub, although successful, was forced to look at diversifying due to threat from changing social habits, a rise in taxes, costs and the Covid-19 pandemic. It said: "The applicants have therefore considered options for the Village to broaden their revenue streams and provide a more viable future for the business, proving hotel accommodation on site would help achieve this. "In addition to the revenue from hotel bookings, it is anticipated that guests would use the pub in the evening or alternatively would make use of other local businesses within Moseley." The applicants claim the hotel would support a local business and bring in additional visitors to the thriving centre. It concludes: "... there are no adverse impacts associated with the proposals which would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the scheme in delivering a new hotel in this sustainable location. We therefore urge the council to approve the application without delay." Local campaigner Izzy Knowles said: "A couple of proposed schemes have come and gone but an absence of hotel beds in Moseley has been noticeable for several years now, despite the success of the festivals and farmers market. "The owners of The Village have taken time to liaise with community groups to design something that will fit in with the village vibe. They are local to Birmingham and their proposals will help increase footfall and boost the local economy." 5

IS TOM CRUISE REALLY COMING TO LIVE IN MOSELEY? No, this isn’t an early April Tom Cruise in Birmingham. Photo courtesy of Ashas_UK fool. According to Birmingham Live there's much talk on Twitter about rumours that Tom Cruise may be building a house in Moseley. Since the news of the possible celebrity’s homebuilding plans broke, people have been posting comments on social media, saying: "The rumour that Tom Cruise is building a house in Moseley is absolutely wild yet 1000 per cent believe it!" and "Tom Cruise building a house in Moseley would be the most Moseley thing to ever happen." The Hollywood star was spotted in Birmingham in August 2021 when he went for a curry. He clearly has a fondness for the area, reportedly enjoying his chicken tikka masala so much that it is claimed he ordered a second portion. Watch this spice or space! TOP PATISSERIE OPENS AT ST MARY’S ROW ON FORMER VILLAGE NEWS SITE A multi-award winning patisserie has opened at the former Village News site in St Mary’s Row. Baker St Cakes - The Macaron & Cake Boutique started off six years ago in Leicester offering fine, handmade cakes, patisseries and many other hand crafted treats and is known for its elegant, bright and creative selection of freshly baked sweet treats and beautifully detailed cakes. Also on offer is fresh loose-leaf tea by the awardwinning tea brand, Newby of London, locally roasted coffee and award winning cold drinks. The aim is to offer a stylish and warm environment for customers to relax and enjoy what Baker St Cakes has to offer. Branch manager Riaz Ebrahimo last year told Newshound: ' We are very excited to be bringing something new to Moseley. We'll be offering a beautiful and warm environment for you all to enjoy our offerings. Something as casual as a handmade cupcake and hot chocolate to our artisan patisserie items you can enjoy with a nice cup of tea or coffee. We look forward to seeing you all when we open' Over the next two years there are plans to open up other boutique cafes around the UK. Baker St Cakes says that over the years it has always valued and is proud of its customers and social media followers.

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SALE AGREED ON GRADE II LISTED MOSELEY MANSION ADVERTISED AT £1.5M A sale has been agreed for a Grade II listed mansion in Moseley which was listed for sale on Rightmove for £1.5 million, and occupies a plot of approximately 0.77 acres. While the mansion is "in need of general modernisation" the massive 6,136 sq ft property includes a grand reception hall, three fine reception rooms, two bathrooms and eight bedrooms. According to Robert Powell Birmingham, the estate agency which posted the property, the home is on the popular Amesbury Road, at the heart of Moseley, approximately half a mile from Cannon Hill Park and less than 400m from the Salisbury Road entrance to Moseley Park & Pool. The mansion falls within the catchment area for the much sought-after King Edward VI Camp Hill Grammar School which is one of the country's leading non-fee paying schools. According to the listing. “The house has a particularly wide frontage to Amesbury Road, displaying its full architectural pedigree with a most handsome façade. The property was designed by the much-revered architect, Owen Parsons, and has been Grade II Listed for its architectural and historical importance.” It attracted 30 viewings before a sale was agreed. Thanks to estate agents Robert Powell who supplied us with the pictures.

COW AT THE MAC REVIEW: A VEGAN’S LIFE IN MOSELEY

years. We see the cycle of milking and her giving birth, and the scenes after Luma’s calves were born are perhaps the hardest to watch (the film begins with her giving birth and we also get to follow the journey of her calf, something her mother doesn’t get to do beyond the first moments of life). The birth of the calves is necessary so that the mother can produce milk; this means the babies are quickly taken away so the lactating cows can be milked for the industry. Luma only ever gets to lick the amniotic fluid off her newborns before they are permanently removed from her (towards the end of the film, we hear a worker say Luma has given birth six times). She constantly cries in distress after her calves are taken, and we see shots of her motionless, staring into space as the other cows eat at feeding time. Luma’s frozen look beyond the walls of the milking shed

The Midlands Arts Centre screenings of Andrea Arnold’s 'Cow' (2021) documentary film came at the same time as the BBC’s 'Panorama - A Cow’s Life: The True Cost of Milk?' in February. The latter used undercover filming to show the suffering of dairy cows and further cruelty inflicted on the animals from workers on a farm in Wales. The film 'Cow' focuses on Luma, a Holstein Friesian milking cow, but did so with the cooperation of the farm in Kent (Arnold warned them about the potential response they would get when the film was released). There is not the kicking and hitting of the cows captured in the Panorama episode, but the documentary is still harrowing in its depiction of the industry. Made without narration and largely wordless apart from the odd sentence audible from the farm hands, 'Cow' follows Luma off and on over a period of four 8

pasture is quickly forgotten. By the end of the film, Luma’s udder ligaments have ruptured and she can barely be milked as her teats drag painfully on the floor. Her legs also seem weak and damaged, something that was covered in the Panorama programme when it highlighted the excessive hours that the cows have to stand to be milked with the industrial pumps. When an exhausted Luma was taken from the rest of the herd and isolated at the end of the film, it was obvious that her time was over (a cow can live for around 20 years but in commercial systemes she will be culled at around six years on average), but the quick, brutal and unceremonious nature of her death still drew gasps from the audience of the MAC cinema. The reaction was not unusual if Arnold’s memory of an early screening is anything to go by. “People were crying, one person fainted, somebody was sick, somebody had a panic attack.” If the intention of the film was to create empathy with a sentient being (too often not recognised as having the same basic emotions as us), then it succeeded, leaving many viewers in tears and reflecting on the consequences of their drinking and eating habits. Of course, the suffering and fate of Luma is the same as any of the other cows, but by following this one precious and trapped animal we are able to understand the reality we’ve chosen to keep hidden away in those large, grim milking sheds. So what can we do? Dairy-free plant milks are plentiful, whether you go for soy, almond, oat, coconut, rice, quinoa, or any of the other substitutes. The plant milks are available in all supermarkets, and own brands are value for money (ASDA sells its ‘Smart Price’ unsweetened soya for 55p a litre at the time of writing), alongside a growing selection of vegan products in Iceland, Lidl and all other retailers. We are also lucky to have Indigo Wholefoods in Moseley, stocking plant-based foods and drinks. You can try different plant milks for

is a clear sign of grief and confusion and this lasts for some time before she returns to “normal”. A short time passes and she is left in the company of a bull to be impregnated and go through the pain of separation yet again. Indeed, the last time we see the farm workers try to take her calf away, she seems ever vigilant - surely with the memory of what has gone before - and ready to do anything to keep her newborn, but her natural instincts are not enough to change the brutal system she is trapped within. Director Andrea Armold said she witnessed Luma’s empathy with the suffering of other cows on the farm. “They say the difference between humans and animals is that we can see the past and think about the future, but I could see Luma knew what what’s coming when she’s pregnant. She got particularly mad when she saw the farmer taking away a calf from another cow.” There are a couple of scenes that briefly step away from the bleakness, none more so than when the cows are let out on the open pastures to joyfully skip and frolic. Later on, they are still there under a starlit sky (in the age of CGI, when little that we see can be believed, these are beautiful scenes - visually and soulfully) and you can almost feel the happiness and relief of Luma and her herd as they take a well deserved rest under flickering constellations. The scenes make it all the more harder when the farm hands attempt to get them to return to the milking sheds. Luma stops and looks at the buildings, as do other cows, realising what re-entering will mean, and the freedom of the green 9

different drinks or meals; perhaps almond for tea and coffee or oat for cereal. Damascena Coffee House recently tweeted: “You don’t need dairy to enjoy our silky coffee, refreshing tea, and creamy hot chocolate! All of our hot drinks can be enjoyed with coconut milk, almond milk, soya milk, and oat milk.” There’s also a new vegetarian and vegan restaurant opening on St Mary’s Row (see the Newshound story in this issue) so it’s never been easier to try and make a change which is not only kinder for our animal friends but also benefits our health 10

and the environment. Or you can just do it for the lovely Luma. Mark Baxter You can watch Cow on Mubi: https:// mubi.com Panorama - A Cow’s Life: The True Cost of Milk? is available at https://www.bbc. co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0014mkh 17 Different Plant Milks You Need To Try: https://switch4good.org/16-differentplant-milks-you-need-to-try/ www.moseleyb13.com

One thing all Moseleyites love is music. With a high quality range of festivals, music venues which are the envy of the city, and even concerts at St Mary's Church, don't you ever wish you could join in the fun? There’s a onestop-shop in Moseley that’s been around for more than a decade, and if you haven’t visited recently, they’ve got plans to start a choir and a rock band school this year (Jack Black eat your heart out). Shades Music is a music shop, instrument repair-shop, and music school, located at the corner of Tudor Road and Alcester Road. They're excited to announce some new projects this year that anyone reading this article could get involved with.

Founded in 2007 by singer and business entrepreneur Chris Poole, the Shades music school boasts 15 teachers of multiple instruments per week, many of whom have phenomenal real life gigging and performing experience, and others trained at top music universities. There are multiple ways you can access this great local resource, whether that's to pick up your first guitar or ukulele, complete with the warranty and trust that online-only shops just don't give you (support local, support local don't use it, lose it). "Most of our customers are all local residents, so I would say we are important to the local community," says Chris. Rachel Mayfield

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will be the youngest choir in Moseley village, so it’s worth signing up now to say you are a founding member. If there's anything we need in our lives it's singing, and it's a great way to bring the community together. You don't need to read music, and you have probably heard the songs already, and a decent serving of scales, arpeggios, vocal techniques and fun 'rounds' to warm your voice up. Many academics have written about the benefits of singing, and it’s something we have severely missed during the recent Covid-19 pandemic. It’s known that singing is a workout - it improves your posture, it improves your social life! "Choir singing improves health, happiness, and is the perfect icebreaker," reports Jacques Launay, University of Oxford. Also brewing in the potpourri of musical talent is rock school lessons. Be prepared to put down your air guitar and join a real band, with sessions commencing from May 2nd for one hour. Shades also sell beginner and intermediate instruments as well as all accessories and offer a full repair centre for Woodwind, guitars, ukuleles and bass. The shop opening times are from 14:00 – 20:00 Monday – Friday and 9:30 until 17:30 on Saturdays. The school encourages students to take regular graded exams (entirely optional). These are fully accredited to be equivalent to low grade GCSEs, all the way up to A-level and UCAS points in the upper grades...or you can simply play for FUN.

Among the instruments one can learn are violin, piano, guitar, bass, clarinet, flute, saxophone as well as vocal and drum lessons (yes, these count as music). Kamil is the in-house repairman for Shades, turning his capable hands to most of the instruments listed above. The service can include "restringing instruments, polishing, restoration and electronics". Roksana Grobelna joined the school recently as a violin and piano teacher, having graduated from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. She got off to a great start with the school, and is doing outreach lessons with the Polish Millennium House in Digbeth. She has picked up many keen child and adult students at Shades. “I have always wanted to learn to play the piano and Shades has been a good place to come to. The staff are all really warm and friendly and my teacher Roksana is really great. She's been so patient with me as a beginner but has also really pushed me to improve my skills,” says Sadia, an adult learner. Lu is a parent of one of Roksana’s students and is really impressed with her work and the way that Shades conducts itself. “Our son has tried a couple of instruments and teachers at Shades until he settled with piano lessons with Roksana. He really enjoys her approach; she's supportive and encouraging but really instructional in getting him ready for his grade 1 exam. He has come on really quickly and I can see his confidence and enjoyment grow in his new skills, really down to the professional teaching he is receiving".

Ceol Agency http://www.instagram.com/ceolagency/ Contact info@shadesmusic.co.uk for lessons or to join the new choir

Roksana’s especially excited to set up her new group, The Lollipop Choir! For now this 13

THE MONTH IN MOSELEY

ebruary got off to a bostin’ start with the opening of the zero waste supermarket Clean Kilo. The shop relocated from Digbeth to Moseley, moving into the former Folk Like These cafe at 11, St Mary’s Row. The pick ‘n’ mix store will have over 700 packaging-free products for sale and encourage shoppers to bring their own containers to fill with pulses, grains, pastas, flours, herbs and spices. The shop also sells cleaning products, toiletries, frozen food and some fresh produce. Clean Kilo’s goods come without plastic packaging and customers will only pay for the weight of the product placed in the scales. Keep your eyes on Moseley B13 Magazine as we will have more on this revolutionary store over the next couple of months.

As reported in Newshound, social media was buzzing with rumours that the Hollywood star Tom Cruise was planning to build a house in Moseley. Jokes were plentiful about him flying his Top Gun jet over the suburb and scaling the tower of the Fighting Cocks for a future Mission Impossible sequel. On a more realistic note was the speculation that the Church of Scientology HQ on Moor Green Lane could be a major reason for Cruise to seriously consider life as a part-time Moseleyite.

The Birmingham Mail reported on the “lost lido beneath the MAC in Cannon Hill Park”. The arts centre was built on the site of one of the first lidos to be created in Birmingham. Moseley B13 Magazine’s Lost Moseley feature dipped into the history of Cannon Hill lido in our July 2016 issue. The MAC itself is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2022 and we’ll have more about this later on in the year. Wake Green Park residents and local nature lovers were concerned to hear about the apparent sale of land where the Wake Green Dell is situated. The small piece of land is a haven for wildlife and has a tree preservation order, protected species, old English protected bluebells, nuthatches who nest each year, snowdrops, blackbirds, great spotted woodpeckers, greenfinches, many butterflies, hedgehogs, foxes, and much, much more.

Credit: Kirsten de Vos

limited local options where they could safely flee to and settle. The dell has protection laws but is thought to have been sold to property developers. Please join the ‘Save the Wake Green Dell’ group on Facebook if you’d like to follow the situation and fight for the dell. There will hopefully be a petition released very soon. Light Up Moseley managed to brighten up the suburb after the bad weather of Storm Eunice. The Light Trail and performances were planned for late February, with some lovely examples appearing on St Mary’s Row at the time of writing. Our very own David Isgrove also snapped the Council cleaning the pavements in Moseley Village early one morning.

Mark Baxter

The area is loved by locals and is vitally important as a home to many different species. With the loss of the dell in a built-up and busy area, there would be 14

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MOOR GREEN LANE ALLOTMENTS:

SUPPORT OUR ROOF! The big news down at Moor Green Allotments is that we’ve lost our clubhouse roof. Or at least a big chunk of it (see photo) on Friday night 26 November, during Storm Arwen. This was perfectly timed to sabotage the winter fayre we'd been planning for a long time; it was scheduled for the following day with plenty of stalls, food from Carters and elsewhere, and the chance to have beer flowing like, er... beer. This was a massive opportunity to raise funds for the association after the COVID shutdown. Instead, we will potentially experience more of a drain on our funds. Plot holders and social members turned up on a very cold Saturday to help with the first fix by stripping off the old roof, rigging up battens and polythene to make the place reasonably waterproof, and then clearing away the debris. It was a phenomenal job done at speed and a real testament to the spirit of the community on site. December was spent badgering the Council and placing a bucket under every leak. The Council contractors arrived three days before Christmas to do a better temporary fix. The bottom line is that a new roof will cost thousands (views differ as to how many) and it’s very unlikely that a skint Council is going to make this a priority. Our real fear is that the Council will say repair costs are prohibitive so we will have to close the building. We would fight that vigorously but there is no point in saying that this is a City Council problem alone – it’s mainly a problem for our plot holders and social members who actually rely on the bar, tea-making, social occasions, and having a nice sit-down after a day’s digging. The cost of maintaining the clubhouse as a much-valued social hub has gone up in the process. Significantly. We generated much of our own electricity through solar panels

up on the roof. Keeping the clubhouse warm is harder anyway because the roof is now a double layer of thin plastic sheeting. And you’ve probably noticed that energy costs have gone through the...er, roof. All this means that we are focused on creating a fighting fund to save our clubhouse. It is that serious. The Council are showing no sign of riding to the rescue any time soon and the temporary roof is already leaking. Any funds we raise will be used either to maintain the temporary fix for as long as possible or to offer the Council some financial help to get the roof fully and properly fixed. We will be having our first 'Raising the Roof' fundraising event on the afternoon and evening of 26 March. There will be a swing band in the afternoon with tea and cakes for sale; a rock band in the evening and also some live music in between. The bar will be open from early afternoon, with hot food served in the evening. We hope to have sorted arrangements to collect donations on the day. It’s open to anyone in the local community as long as you sign in as a guest – so please come along, enjoy the entertainment, buy our competitively priced food and drinks and get to know us better. Max Smith

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH 2022

Women's History Month takes place in March, with International Women’s Day falling on March 8. The theme for WHM 2022 is “ Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope” and is “both a tribute to the ceaseless work of caregivers and frontline workers during this ongoing pandemic and also a recognition of the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history.” The theme/ hashtag for IWD is #BreakTheBias.

International Women’s Day, and the achievement of women in history, culture and society, with the following events.

Indie Midlands, GrrrlGroan & Uncover present the BSWAID Festival at The Castle and Falcon (402 Moseley Road) on Sunday 6 March at 3pm. The event will be raising money for Birmingham Solihull Women's Aid and has an amazing line-up of musicians: Ace Ambrose, Bryony Williams, Chevy Chase Stole My Wife, Comic Sans, Genevieve Miles, Graywave, Point A, The Moseley and the surrounding area Sunset Beach Hut, and YNES. For more celebrates Women’s History Month and information and tickets, please go to: http://castleandfalcon.com/events/ The Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath will host two gigs for International Women's Day on Tuesday, March 8, the first of which will feature Lady Sanity with DJ support from Zeyla and Deecleo. The second gig has Rosie Tee, Lara Jones, and Echo Juliet, with a DJ set from Japes (Selextorhood). Both gigs start at 7.30pm. Information and tickets: https:// hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk/#whatson The MAC (Cannon Hill Park) cinema is screening The Migration Blanket with a Q&A session on International Women’s 16

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Day at 6.30pm. The Migration Blanket is a new animated short which “acts as a show of solidarity between girls and women in Birmingham and the Commonwealth nations, calling for a greener planet and an end to violence against women.” The film features over 200 pieces of artwork from students, activists and vulnerable girls and women based in the UK, South Asia and Africa, born from a creative collaboration led by award-winning Birmingham artist and human rights campaigner Salma Zulfiqar. The screening will be followed by a live onstage Q&A with Zulfiqar and special guests discussing migration, women, climate change, the identity crisis and belonging.

The diverse fierce female identifying collective challenge a misogynistic myth which has silenced and sexualised Medusa whilst intersecting current gender issues and questioning gender injustice women and girls face globally.” Please note the performance is 16+ and contains frequent strong language and references to sex, The MAC also has Badass Medusa #MeToo rape and violence. Information and on Thursday 10th March at 7.30pm. The tickets: https://macbirmingham.co.uk/ live theatre show is “a bold retelling whats-on of Medusa’s story through collective rage, agency and a feminist queer gaze ‘Untold Stories: Celebrating Women’s for International Women’s Month. This History’ in Birmingham is a celebration innovative new work written and directed for Women’s History Month with three by Hannah Phillips has been co-created historians. Dr Sian Roberts will speak with composer Nik Haley and filmmaker about Quaker Women in the 20th century; Nicola Prestage. Blurring the lines Dr Nicola Gauld will cover the Suffrage between live and virtual performance movement in Birmingham; and Fiona using spoken word, new composition, Joseph will talk about the role of women song, film, and immersive technology. workers at Cadbury’s during WWI. The event will happen on Thursday 10th March 2022 at 7pm at The Woodbrooke Centre, 1046 Bristol Road. Booking is essential and the event is free but donations will go towards the upkeep of Selly Manor Museum and other heritage services in Bournville. Information and booking: https://sellymanormuseum.org.uk/ events/2022-03-10/womens-historysymposium

Mark Baxter 17

Moseley B13 Magazine is looking for a Talented and Creative Designer! Would you like the opportunity to become the digital designer for Moseley B13 Magazine? Then we need you! The candidate would work with the editor each month to design the latest issue and the role can be completed working remotely at home. The post is voluntary and is a great way to gain experience in design, journalism and involvement with the local community. Full training can be given from the outgoing designer. If you think this sounds like you then please contact the editor at: editor@moseleymagazine.co.uk 18

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MOSELEY MUNCH

A HISTORICAL PICKLE Eventually the need to produce corned beef declined as other countries started to make it themselves. Flash forward after being conquered, insert the potato famine and the Irish were left to pretty much starve, work like slaves or flee. Many of them went to New York City, where they settled near other immigrants, and they bought Jewish pickled beef brisket as a replacement to their beloved bacon. They began boiling it into the one pot wonder that is now known as 'corned beef and cabbage', which serves as a famous Irish American celebratory meal on St Patrick’s Day.

There is something about the story behind a specific meal that makes me ponder my own ancestors’ stories.

they ate bacon. The English coined the term 'corned beef' in the 17th century when referring to the size of the very large salt grains that was used to cure the beef. Irish American corned beef In Ireland, salt was far less (or what we call ‘salt beef’ taxed, and so eventually they here in the UK) is really a became known producers Jewish American kosher deli (but not consumers) of meat. But there are really two corned beef. This was made separate dishes involved in by mincing off cuts, curing this tale and like a ping pong and then eventually canning machine, both have bopped it. It was non-perishable and their way across the globe. desirable to army and naval fleets, colonists and slave labourers across the Western The Irish did not really Hemisphere. eat much beef originally, 19

To this day the canned corned beef version is mostly produced in South America and is highly exported to British nations. Even though there is still a taste for it, it is assumed that the term 'salt beef' was coined as an attractive label to the more desirable Jewish-American brisket version. I have Irish roots, but ‘corned beef and cabbage’ makes me think of my Swedish grandmother. I have many memories of crisp, sunny March days, eating the salty meat with her. She loved serving the soft, hot cabbage leaves with melted butter and we would sprinkle white vinegar on top.

My grandmother was a child of an immigrant herself. A child of a single mother that had to make it in America without any means and she landed in the very Irish populated Boston. We were extremely close, but she was never that forthcoming about her history. Although I do not have an in-depth insight into it, I can somehow taste it in the meat, and it transcends me to another place in time.

kept on turning because it seemed as if the whole nation was drunkenly merry, doused in shamrocks and drinking Guinness.

She passed away on St Patrick's Day. I will never forget it because it was an unseasonably warm and sunny winter’s day. My brother and I went out in Cambridge, Massachusetts to ingest the shock with a few pints. Time stood still for us, but the world very much

Homemade Salt Beef (NYC Style Corned Beef) Salt beef requires a bit of patience (5-7 days), but it is a very easy and rewarding dish to make. Enjoy it with boiled or roasted vegetables or slice it and serve it in sandwiches. Maybe even have it on St Patrick’s Day.

Ingredients: 1.5 kg beef brisket For the pickling spice*: ½ tbsp. allspice (preferably berries but ground is ok) 1 tbsp. whole yellow mustard seeds 1 tbsp. red pepper flakes 1 tbsp. black peppercorns ½ tbsp. pink peppercorns (optional) 6 dried bay leaves 2 tsp. whole cloves ½ tbsp. coriander seeds 9 cardamom pods 2 tsp. ground ginger ½ cinnamon stick For the brine 4.2 litres water pre boiled 2 tbsp. of the pickling spice (reserve the rest for cooking) 500 grams salt (sea salt or fine salt for brining)

This is now a small piece of my history, and I also realise the people in the United States were not only out celebrating on that day, but they were eating corned beef and cabbage.

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110 grams granulated sugar 2 tbsp. pink salt* 6 garlic cloves peeled and smashed *Pink salt is ‘Prague pink curing salt’ that you can order online for a few pounds. It gives the beef that gorgeous pink colouring- it can be skipped in a pinch. Method: On medium heat toast all the pickling spices in a dry cast iron pan until fragrant. Carefully add them to a mortar and pestle and lightly crush. Add all of the ingredients for the brine to a large pot and heat. Bring to a simmer stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove from heat, cover and put in a cold spot in the pot and weigh it or refrigerator to completely down with a plate. Cover cool. and refrigerate for 5-7 days Once cooled, put the brisket (if your brisket is a different weight, the rule is approx. 2 days per 500g). After the beef has been pickled, take it out of the brine and let it soak in cold water for ten minutes. Put it in a pot just large enough to fit the brisket, pour cold water over it so there is 5cm over the beef and add the remaining pickling spice. Bring to a boil then simmer on low for 3-4 hours or until tender. Take it out, let it rest. Cut the brisket in half and then against the grain to slice. Serve warm or cold with mustard and rye bread, or as a dinner with vegetables. If serving with cabbage and boiled vegetables, I like to melt 50 grams butter, 1 tbsp. 21

grainy mustard and ½ tbsp. dijon mustard together and serve it like a sauce over the beef and vegetables. Top with sprinkles of white wine vinegar if you like. *All of the pickling ingredients are not compulsory, so feel free to experiment or just omit something if you don’t have it.

Jenny Gwynne

Resources for this article were found on Wikipedia and www.Smithsonianmag.com Jenny is “The Salty Chilli” an obsessive cook and food writer who lives in Moseley. To read more check out her Instagram @thesaltychilli or her blog at www.thesaltychilli. com .

TOMMY QUANG’S

WORLD OF

STRANGE THE BILLESLEY BEATLE Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back documentary has been a massive hit in recent times and led to a rise in the intriguing question: “Who was the fifth Beatle?” Was it producer George Martin? Manager Brian Epstein? Guest keyboardist Billy Preston? Tap dancer Lionel Blair*? Well, after a recent phone call to the World of Strange offices I can confidently say that the fifth Beatles was…the fifth Beatle! Confused? Don’t worry - we can work it out! Read on and all will be revealed… 22

Few will know the name Trevor Twix, but if there was any justice (according to Mr Twix) he would be one of the most famous people in the world. Twix, a retired jigsaw salesman from Billesley, has recently revealed that he was a member of The Beatles from 1962 to 1970 but has been constantly edited out of all media and recordings. I met up with Trevor in Moseley Village and he told me the story of how he came to be the forgotten member of the band.

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“I was the trumpet player in The Beatles and a real hit with the fans. I think the others were quite jealous of me as I was a lot more talented, handsome and funny than all of them - I’m only telling it like it is - and quite clearly fancied by all of the women. The lads would either have a word with the record makers so I always got left off the single and album covers, or make an excuse to get me out of the way when the pictures were taken. John Lennon got me to pop down the shops to get him a choc ice one day and when I came back I found out they’d taken the photo for the cover of our Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band record. I was about the only person that wasn’t on the cover! They even cropped me out of the iconic Abbey Road cover where they had me dressed up as a lollypop man next to the crossing. It was the same when we were on the telly shows: they’d tell me to stand on the side of the stage so they could make sure the cameras didn’t film me. Another issue was my Brummie humour which didn’t fit in with their scouse version. “It’s so annoying when I tell people I was in The Beatles and they say they’ve never heard of me. Most of my trumpet playing now seems to have been taken off the records during the various remixes by George and Giles Martin - I’m sure Paul McCartney has probably bunged them a tenner to do it - so now it’s like that Mandela Effect where everyone seems to have forgotten the same thing. I’m fairly

sure Macca has been editing the Beatles Wikipedia page as I don’t even get a lookin on there. “I had hoped that the Get Back series would rectify things but yet again I’ve been completely left out of the story. It’s obvious Paul has bought Peter Jackson a pint or two to make sure I was kept out of the whole series. One of the biggest arguments we had in that footage was when I kept playing trumpet all through ‘Let it Be’ and Macca went completely ballistic. Yoko Ono also nicked one of my lovely Wagon Wheels choccy jammy biscuits, leading to me walking out for a couple of days until Ringo persuaded me to come back. Mr Twix talked about how he put forward many creative ideas for the finale of the Get Back/Let it Be recordings. “The other guys mentioned how they wanted to perform a concert on a roof so I suggested

Anthology series in the 1990s. “Great, I thought. Everyone will finally know I was in the biggest band of all time and the lads down at the Prince of Wales in Moseley will stop taking the mick out of me and telling me I'm a flamin’ liar, so imagine my surprise when I was once again edited out of all footage and credits. I also played on the “new” Beatles song ‘Free as a Bird’ (created using demo tapes John Lennon made in the late 1970s) but yet again Paul went ballistic. He chucked my trumpet on the Abbey Road crossing and it was run over by a white Volkswagen Beetle and lobbed in the back of a bin lorry. I tell you what, the original pre-1966 Paul would never have done that. That was it for my time as a Beatle and I came back to Billesley and vowed to remain dignified and never talk about my experiences in The Fab Five.” Mr Twix runs his own fan club and organises bi-monthly ‘The Lost Billesley Beatle’ conventions where he plays his replacement trumpet over Beatles' songs while wearing a mop top wig. Trevor also sells recordings of further “secret” John Lennon demo tapes which he claims were “Beatled-up” up when he reunited with Paul, George and Ringo in the 90s. I bought one of these recordings but I have to say it sounds like Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ played at the wrong speed with sections of McCartney’s ‘Frog Chorus’ song edited in, layered with some terrible trumpet parps and a minute and a half of Ringo the Rotunda in Birmingham as it was newly Starr narrating Thomas the Tank Engine. constructed and much nicer than the old Apple Corps building in London. We did do a secret rehearsal on top of the Rotunda in Tommy Quang January 1969, but George Harrison didn't like it up there due to him being able to Just before going to press, the World of see Birmingham City's St Andrew’s Ground Strange offices were made aware that (George was a secret lifelong Aston Villa Trevor Twix has previously made similar fan). The gig plan quickly reverted to the claims to having been a member of The roof of the Apple HQ.” Nolans, The Jackson 5, Jon and Vangelis In spite of the alleged airbrushing and St Winifred’s School Choir. during the original run of the band, Trevor was invited to take part in The Beatles *Lionel Blair was in a Hard Day’s Night. 24

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Just to Say Dear Mark, When I referred to prints from Birmingham Art Gallery in my February Moseley Memories piece, I was not aware that the gallery is undergoing a two year major refurbishment, planned for completion in time for the Commonwealth Games this summer. Many of its major works are on loan to other galleries. I cannot find out where February Fill Dyke by Benjamin Williams Leader is, but Ford Maddox Brown’s The Last of England is in the Barber Institute at Birmingham University.

Thanks, David. I write this reply as the winds continue to rage with the arrival of Storm Eunice. This comes after days of heavy rain and scatterings of hail, so ‘February Fill Dyke’ seems a highly appropriate image and saying. We look forward to your next instalment of Moseley Memories.

Yours sincerely, David Spilsbury

HOARDING You want to purchase, to acquire. It’s a feathering of your nest. Much the same as the bowerbird who is trying to thrill his partner by giving her gifts for her quarters. The process of gleaning, with many comings and going to garner and sometimes to protect. With much money spent. To enrich, possess , embellish and bespangle Then when the attractive articles are put neatly in place. It could be decoration or part of a vast library. Or other different items; baby clothes; antiques; toys; adult’s clothing; shoes; The list can go on indefinitely. It can look debonair and quite go ahead...quite inexhaustibly thrilling! But it can become an extravagance, an indulgence, It becomes too much and becomes out of control, like a runaway cart,. Too bulky and it mounts up. What started as a garnering exercise becomes excess. It is much – out of control. All that fad becomes an entrapment. Those people are embroiled and often may need help to declutter, It becomes a crazy addiction, a willy-nilly must have. Judith Fleetwood-Walker

MOSELEY SOCIETY HISTORY GROUP

RICHARD CADBURY AND MOSELEY HALL

The Cadbury brothers, Richard and George, relocated their Birmingham chocolate factory to Bournville in 1873. In 1884, Richard Cadbury moved from the Calthorpe Estate where the Cadburys had lived for many years to Moseley where he rented Moseley Hall. Helen Cadbury, Richard’s daughter, writes movingly about this in her book, Richard Cadbury of Birmingham.

The children, Helen, Jessie, Richard, William, Barrow, Margaret and Edith, were delighted by their father’ stories of the “spreading lawns, the trees and woods, the open fields and the beautiful pool with its tree-shaded island”. He told them stories of the rabbits “scuttling across the grass, waving their little white “flags of truce’’, or “venturing onto the lawns in the 26

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evening to nibble the softer grass.” The result was that the children nicknamed their new home ‘The Bunny House’. On arrival in Moseley, they found:

The woods were glorious in the summer and Richard Cadbury would often send Beatrice and her nurse out carrying baskets of bluebells to give away in the village, “which with the advent of steam-trams was fast losing its country appearance”.

… low houses and old-fashioned shops, with a blacksmiths at the corner and up the street to the left could be seen the square tower of the village church. Close by the Green and sloping steeply away from the road at right angles, was the entrance to Moseley Hall. Tall wooden gates, flanked by a little lodge on each side, were thrown open under the shade of spreading trees, and showed a vista of the long drive winding between woods and fields, down-hill and up again with glimpses of the pool at the bottom of the valley. The old house, with its portico of stone pillars, its spacious rooms, and long stone-paved passages, was full of mystery and delight to the young folks.

The Cadburys welcomed many guests to Moseley Hall, such as “Sunday Schools, men’s and women’s classes, mothers’ meetings, bands of hope, Christian workers of every variety and every denomination”. Larger parties “were entertained in the fields with tents and booths erected in case of rain and smaller ones in the gardens”. The children shared in the work of entertaining, ‘carrying round heavy cans of tea … or distributing buns and cakes’. One such event was The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897. 600 children were welcomed to the grounds of Moseley Hall. “The ladies” and the Amusement Committee provided a special tea, where “balloons were sent up and each child was given a toy and a medal”.

The children were fascinated by the cellars, the oldest part of the Hall burnt down in the 1791 Priestley Riots. They stretched the whole length of the house and had been built as prisons and used for this purpose. There were secret rooms in the house. A cupboard door with mirror panels led to a mysterious room filled with cupboards. A door to one of these cupboards was opened by a spring and led into another secret room, while a further door with metal lattice work slid aside and revealed “a large roomy safe”. Views from the windows were “very beautiful” with no houses in sight. From the dining-room, drawing room and library there was a vista to the pool, and then up “a green hillside to the thick belt of trees fringing the top of the hill”. St Ann’s Church spire soared above it all.

However, the 1884 Dart noted “the felling of trees in the park for a new road” and an old wall “being pulled down, and a rail being put up”. In 1886 W.F. Taylor sold plots which cut across the kitchen gardens of Moseley Hall and planned a grid of roads across the greater portion of the estate. Richard Cadbury bought Moseley Hall and twenty-two acres of land from him in 1890 in consequence. In 1892 he generously donated the Hall to the city as a Children’s Convalescent Home and moved to Uffculme, the house he built in Moor Green. Janet Berry

EDITOR'S

Young Charlie Chaplin

CHOICE: THE BEST OF

MARCH

Kings Heath Cat Rescue Spring Social at Stirchley United WMC (41 Hazelwell Lane, B30 2PR) on Friday 4th from 16.30 - 23.00. Join Kings Heath Cat Rescue’s first in-person fundraiser of 2022. Pop down and have a drink with the wonderful KHCC team, enter the raffle, buy some bric-a-brac, KHCC merch, cat paintings, and much more. It’ll be the purrfect evening*! *Please don’t try that “joke” at the actual event.

The Real Charlie Chaplin documentary is screened at the Midlands Arts Centre cinema Sunday 6th - Wednesday 9th (check online for times). The film is an “innovative blend of newly-unearthed audio recordings, dramatic reconstructions and personal archive”. Seeing as the film looks at Chaplin’s life “through a kaleidoscope of previously unheard voices and perspectives”, I wondered if it would tackle the claims that he was born into a Romany Gypsy community on The Black Patch, an area of parkland in Smethwick, close to the border with Birmingham. Rather than being a ridiculous conspiracy theory (the revelation came to light in 1991 when Chaplin’s daughter Victoria found a secret letter in her father’s desk. The note, from a Tamworth man, called Chaplin a liar for claiming he was born in London and went

on to say that he came into the world in a caravan on The Black Patch), the story has been accepted by his son Michael as being “pretty likely”. One theory is that Chaplin kept his early life a secret because of prejudice held towards the gypsy community. Michael Chaplin flew from France in 2015 to unveil a memorial to the community who lived on The Black Patch. The story is probably enough to fill a whole film so I’m guessing the accepted biography will be the one that graces the silver screen on this occasion. Music is Medicine with Nessa Parava and the Yutes, At The Kingsway, Kings Heath on Saturday 5th at 18:00. “Comin’ out of hibernation and budding into the spring, playing musical medicine for your mind, body and soul” is the irresistible invitation to the event. The gig will take place in the Kingway’s heated and undercover outdoor venue with Caribbean BBQ, including vegan options. £3 suggested donation on entry.

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Highbury Open Day at Highbury Hall on Monday, 7th 11:00 - 16:00. Explore the historic former home of Joseph Chamberlain and its “wealth of social and political history”. Returning to the Midlands Arts Centre cinema for the second half of the month, there’s a brilliant mix of new, classic and music based films. Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast is screened Friday 18 - Thursday 31 March and tells the story of a young boy’s childhood in Belfast at the beginning of The Troubles in 1969.

Casablanca

Casablanca 80th Anniversary is shown on Sunday 20th at 12:00 as a ‘Culture Club’ matinee. The film is followed by tea and cake which is included in the price of the ticket. All this and you also get 102 minutes spent with Ingrid Bergman. Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful afternoon!

premiere the new songs). You’ll get Ringo in the red mac which he seems to have nicked from the horror film Don’t Look Now! You’ll get Paul grinning like a Cheshire cat when the cops arrive! And you’ll get that brilliantly grumpy woman down at street level complaining that the Fab Four have woken her up! You’ll also get some great music from a band attempting to get their live mojo back for one last hoorah.

To Sir With Love (1967) is another classic screened on Sunday 20th at 15.15. The film stars the late and great Sidney Poitier and deals with social and racial issues in an inner city school. Shown as the second act of the ‘enfants terribles’ season.

Mark Baxter

If you’ve enjoyed Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back series, then you’ll be pleased to hear the month of March wraps up the MAC cinema with the greatest rooftop gig of all! The Beatles: Get Back - The Rooftop Concert is screened Friday 25th - Monday 28th and takes place on Apple’s five-story Saville Road building as the conclusion to the Get Back/Let it Be project (they could have filmed in an amphitheatre in Libya, but a cold rooftop in London ended up as the location to

The Beatles: Get Back - The Rooftop Concert 29

LUCKY 13 Moseley B13 Magazine reader Katerina Chamberlain pays homage to the Tiger Who Came to Tea in the following story, imagining what would happen if the big cat moved to Moseley!

The Tiger

and the Wiseman Judith Kerr Judith Kerr (full name Anna Judith Gertrud Helene Kerr) was a German-born British writer and illustrator, best known for the 17-book Mog series and The Tiger Who Came to Tea picture books. Kerr was born on 14 June 1923 in Berlin and came to Britain in 1935 during the rise of the Nazis. The Out of the Hitler Time trilogy (When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, Bombs on Aunt Dainty originally published as The Other Way Round - and A Small Person Far Away) tells the story, from a child's perspective, of the rise of the Nazis in 1930s Germany and life as a refugee, life in Britain during World War II and the post-war years, and the Cold War respectively. A cinematic adaptation of When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit premiered in December 2019 in Germany, directed by Oscarwinning director Caroline Link. Kerr died earlier the same year, aged 95.

Tiger came all the way from London on the back of a big removal van. He did not know what Birmingham was or where it was, but he would hear people talking about it all the time. At night in his cozy cushioned bed, he used to imagine this place. He thought it would be a big green leafy place full of lovely cottages, trees, and small paved streets. He could barely wait to start his new adventure. The day came the van was ready and Tiger was put into his basket at the back of it. It wasn’t first class travel, but he was able to make a few compromises here and there. His family and Tiger arrived in a neighborhood called Moseley. It was a bit noisy and there was lots of traffic. It was not exactly the green space he used to imagine whilst in London. The house was nice with a lovely big garden. Tiger being a cat was whisked away into the attic. “Hold on a second,” he thought to himself, “that wasn’t part of the deal”. Unfortunately, it was. He 30

purred and meowed and scratched and purred and he tried all of the cat charms he could manage, but they were all in vain. Attic it was. You see the smell of his old place had to come off and it was for his own safety. The people said it was only for two weeks, tops.

Tiger had no option but to accept. A big compromise for a cat of his league. “Who knows,” he thought, the attic might have some interesting stuff worth exploring. His flat mates would be there too; these other chaps that he never really saw eye to eye with. They were nice but he couldn’t really confide in them. Tiger, you see, had a great ability to communicate with people. He would always meow at the right time, he would always respect personal space. He always had proper cat manners. He was a gentleman.

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MARTIN JEFFERS Principal

MBA

MARTIN JEFFERS WEALTH MANAGEMENT Associate Partner Practice of St. James’s Place Wealth Management

MOSELEY | 07507 634432 martin.jeffers@sjpp.co.uk jefferswealthmanagement.co.uk

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