Moseley B13 Magazine October Issue 512

M SELEY OCTOBER 2020 ISSUE 512

B13 MAGAZINE

SI LOC 19 NC AL A 73 E ND V O C

£1

AC The Duchess:

Alex Carr’s

Lockdown News

HELEN CALCUTT:

SOMEHOW POETRY

TOMMY QUANG:

HALLOWEEN HORRORS

TOP TWENTY YEARS:

MOSELEY RECORD FAIR

AIR RAID SHELTER DISCOVERY: BENEATH A MOSELEY GARDEN

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MOSELEY B13 MAGAZINE

OCT20

EDITOR Mark Baxter (editor@moseleymagazine.co.uk) THE TEAM Ian Cook, David Isgrove, Stephanie Silk, Maria Arroja Ferreira, Tipton, Debbie Aldous, Max Jalil.

PHOTOGRAPHER Position Vacant CONTRIBUTORS Moseley Record Fair, Jade Laurie-Hart, Helen Calcutt, Korvin Mobberley, David Spilsbury, Janet Berry, Moseley Society Local History Group.

PROOF READER Jane Barry BUSINESS MANAGER Martin Jeffers ADVERTISING Position Vacant SOCIAL MEDIA Position Vacant TREASURER Leanne Holloway (accounts@moseleyb13.com) DESIGN John Northam (j.p.northam@dosime.co.uk) MAIL Moseley Publishing House Ltd. Moseley B13 Magazine, c/o: Moseley Exchange, 149-153 Alcester Road, Moseley, Birmingham, B13 8JP. ONLINE instagram/moseleyb13mag facebook.com/MoseleyB13Magazine twitter.com/MoseleyB13Mag info@moseleyb13.com www.moseleyb13.com PHONE 0843 289 3665 BOARD David Isgrove (Chair) Stephanie Silk (Editorial) John Northam (Business) COMPANY SECRETARY Position Vacant LEGAL STUFF Moseley Publishing House Ltd is a non-profit voluntary run company based in England & 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 Debbie Aldous

30 10 WORDS FROM THE

EDITOR

Welcome to October!

The leaves are starting to fall and the nights are drawing in, but at least we have some golden features to keep you warm.

A Moseley Minute is spent with AC the Duchess and her wonderful Lockdown videos (pages 10-11), I chat with Helen Calcutt about her beautiful new book of poetry (12-13), and Diary from nonone (22-23) helps those going through tough times by using creativity to break down taboos based around mental illness.

We also celebrate 20 years of top sounds and fine produce with Moseley Record Fair (16-17) and Moseley Farmers’ Market (30-31).

Tommy Quang, the man they are calling Moseley’s answer to Fox Mulder from The X-files, has a special report for Halloween in his spoofy and spooky World of Strange series (19).

David Isgrove unearths the exciting discovery of an air raid shelter in a Moseley Garden (24-25), and Europe Must Act - the Birmingham Chapter (26-27) details the essential campaign calling for the safe resettling of refugees from the Greek camps.

Oh, and thanks to John Northam for stepping in at the last minute to design this month’s magazine. John was our designer for many years, and also a former editor, before retiring from the madness in December.

Enjoy the magazine! ¬ Mark 2020 PUBLICATION DATES

ISSUE COPY SALE Jan (no issue) Feb 15 Jan Mar 19 Feb Apr 18 Mar May 15 Apr Jun 20 May Jul 17 Jun Aug 15 Jul Sep 19 Aug Oct 16 Sep Nov 21 Oct Dec 18 Nov

25 Jan 29 Feb 28 Mar 25 Apr 30 May 27 Jun 25 Jul 29 Aug 26 Sep 31 Oct < 28 Nov

IN THIS ISSUE

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28

24

14

04

NEWSHOUND

08

SHAKESPEARE IN MOSELEY

10

AC THE DUCHESS

12

HELEN CALCUTT: SOMEHOW

14

A MOSELEY ARTIST: PATRICK WONG

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TOP 20 YEARS OF MOSELEY RECORD FAIR

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REMEMBER, REMEMBER...

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TOMMY QUANG’S WORLD OF STRANGE HALLOWEEN HORRORS

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MOSELEY MEMORIES: A FRESH START

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A DIARY FROM NO ONE

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AMAZING DISCOVERY BENEATH A MOSELEY GARDEN

26

EUROPE MUST ACT

28

MOSELEY SOCIETY LOCAL HISTORY GROUP

30

20 YEARS OF MOSELEY FARMERS’ MARKET

The Bohemians of B13 - Mo + Lee

no. 62

By Mark Baxter

NEWSHOUND

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

CRUEL CRIMINAL JAILED AFTER ATTACKING ELDERLY MAN ON MOBILITY SCOOTER A ‘cold-hearted criminal’ who attacked and tried to rob an elderly man on a mobility scooter in Moseley has been jailed for four years.

Zahid Akthar punched his victim, demanding money, and was only stopped when two passers-by saw what was happening and grabbed him.

The 36-year-old criminal spotted the elderly man, in his 70s, in Moseley as he was returning from the shops. Akthar seized hold of the pensioner from behind and tried to pull him from the scooter, shouting ‘Give me the money’. Akhtar punched the man, leaving him with a cut to his face, before tearing off his glasses and throwing them onto the ground.

Meanwhile, a passing cyclist, who had seen the assault, stopped and along with another member of the public managed to hold on to Akhtar until Police officers arrived and arrested him.

Akhtar, of no fixed address, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court to four years in prison after pleading guilty to assault with intent to rob.

DC Jeff Brooks, of Force CID, praised the actions of the good Samaritans in stopping Akthar from getting away. DC Brooks said: “The passing cyclist courageously stepped in when he saw what was happening to this elderly man and with the help of another passer-by managed to apprehend Akhtar. We can only praise their community spirit and thank them for their actions which have helped us put a cold-hearted criminal behind bars.”

COUNTRYMEN CLUB SEEKS NEW MEMBERS The Countrymen Club at Balsall Heath City Farm, a project run by the St Paul’s Community Development Trust, would be glad to recruit new clients: “ideally, men 50+ who find themselves isolated because of deteriorating physical or mental health or changing social conditions.

“The vision is to give them an opportunity to participate in healthy, active and social activities in a safe and supported farm environment to benefit their physical and mental wellbeing. A free hot meal made on-site in the kitchens would also be provided. A carer for the client would also be welcome to join the client at the farm if necessary.”

For more information go to https://www.stpaulstrust.org.uk/city-farm/countrymenclub/

PRINCE OF WALES RE-OPENS AFTER 24HOUR COVID-19 SCARE A much-loved Moseley pub closed for a day after six customers tested positive for coronavirus. It then reopened the following day after a deep clean. The Prince of Wales said it could find “no link” between the cases and the venue, and no workers or other visitors had tested positive since the group’s visit on Sunday, August 30.

The pub made the decision to shut on Friday, September 11, after being told the six had tested positive. They drank in the beer garden from 7.30pm to 11.00pm on Bank Holiday Sunday but only began showing symptoms the following week. The six each underwent a Covid test on Tuesday, September 8 and called the pub three days later to reveal they were infected.

The pub promised to test all staff as it closed with immediate effect to ”protect staff and customers” and “prevent the risk of spread of infection”. In an announcement on Saturday September 12, the pub revealed it was reopening 24 hours after the closure after finding “no links to the Prince”.

An announcement on the venue’s Facebook page on Saturday September 12 read: “Today the Prince has actioned and completed its Covid Safe recovery plan. It will reopen this evening at 5.30pm after being closed for 24 hours.

“The incident that sparked the closure happened on Bank Holiday Sunday. No one who works at the pub or visited the pub has tested positive or shown any symptoms over the last two weeks.

“Today owner Keith Marsden has personally contacted all the visitors who signed in to its Track and Trace system on August 30th who were in at that time. This

involved dozens of phone calls, emails and voicemail messages.

“The calls included contact with several key workers who have been Covid-tested in the last week. Not a single customer had symptoms and there was not a single case of Covid-19.

“Given that the customers who triggered the alert visited other venues, we can see no link to the Prince.

“We have reinforced our Covid Safe procedures and overnight the pub was subject to a deep clean. We are confident the pub is completely safe.”

PLANS FOR NEW WEEKLY GUITAR GROUP Moseley Misfits is proposing to start a weekly guitar group in Moseley that can meet up with the aim of having a good time whilst developing the skills of its members.

Moseley Misfits was set up in 2018 to provide a space for adults who play any musical instrument, to any level of ability, to meet for regular sessions and take part in social events and public performances.

At the proposed guitar group initially you’ll join a small group of up to five other guitarists and a professional guitar tutor. You’ll be supported to play a range of different pieces in different styles including pop, folk, rock, jazz and much more. Moseley Misfits will provide music stands, chairs and printed music, so just bring yourselves, your guitar and an amp (if you need it) to get involved.

The group says it does not demand payment for our sessions. “We understand that times are tough and some of the more enjoyable aspects of day to day living are not so easy to come by. We do encourage those who are able to contribute to our standard session rates, but this is never a requirement.”

For further details go to https://misfitsmusic.org.uk/capo-guitar-group

TIPU SULTAN FACES RESTRICTIONS FOR BREAKING COVID-19 RULES Action has been taken against a Moseley restaurant found to be breaking Covid-19 rules and linked to five cases of the virus.

The Tipu Sultan was the first business in the city to receive a Direction Order from Birmingham City Council using new powers.

After Birmingham was put on a national watch list, the council and police were given new powers to penalise any business found to be breaking social distancing rules.

The Tipu Sultan, in Alcester Road, Moseley, was issued with the order after officers responded to around 25 reports of events being held at the premises with significantly more people than allowed under Government guidance.

The inspection also found that safety measures detailed within the restaurant’s risk assessment had not been implemented all of the time, and that social distancing in the queue for entry and in waiting areas of the restaurant had not been maintained or controlled in an acceptable manner. At least five confirmed cases of coronavirus were linked to the premises over a period of four weeks.

In a statement entitled “Covid-19 update from the management” on its website, the restaurant said: “Following Government guidelines we endeavour to provide a safe dining environment and would ask you to comply with social distancing measures of a minimum of one metre with

other dining guests. We wish you a joyful and safe dining experience. If you require any further clarification or guidance please do not hesitate to seek advice from one of the restaurant representatives. Look after yourselves and each other.”

The Direction Order stipulated that the restaurant must restrict entry into the premises, ensuring large parties are given a separate dining area; implement a booking system to prevent people from queuing outside; and use the booking system to allow time for tables to be thoroughly cleansed.

HUNDREDS SIGN PETITION TO RE-OPEN TOILETS IN CANNON HILL PARK A petition to re-open public toilets in Cannon Hill Park which have been closed since May has been started by Moseley Liberal Democrats. As we went to press more than 500 had signed.

The petition says: “the public toilets in Cannon Hill Park, the biggest public park in Birmingham, have been padlocked since May. The notice on the doors says ‘closed due to the Covid19 pandemic’. The one disabled toilet (near to the entrance) has been out of use for much longer than that. The MAC toilets are unavailable due to the facility being closed, and will not re-open this year. The café toilet is closed to members of the public.

“Cannon Hill Park is a busy city park. It is visited every day by walkers, cyclists, dog walkers, and especially by young families who come from miles around to enjoy the green open space, to play tennis and to enjoy the mini-golf, children’s train, boats and fairground rides. This Bank Holiday there were hundreds of people enjoying the park. It is not acceptable that there are no public toilets for them to use. It is not acceptable that there is no disabled toilet facility. People are resorting to using the bushes as a public toilet – litter-pickers have reported finding piles of human excrement and tissues.”

To sign the petition, which had 535 signatures as we went to press, go to http://chng.it/29MHqbjT

HUNDREDS SIGN PETITION OPPOSING LOSS OF SCHOOL ROAD GREEN SPACE

School Road Residents’ Association has started a petition to Birmingham City Council opposing plans to remove green space and primary pavement on School Road between Paton Grove and Greenend Road.

The School Road residents’ petition says: “We, the undersigned, object to the proposal to extend the driveways of some of the private dwellings between Cotton Lane and Paton Grove by removing public green space and the primary pavement.

“This large public area is a valuable part of community space on School Road and is well used by local residents including local school children. Removal of this land will put pedestrians in danger and will be detrimental to the School Road street scene.

We want this green space to remain public.”

enquiries, undertaken a site visit and have consulted officers to provide more clarity and information.

“The plans have emerged directly from a small group of residents and have no connection whatsoever to the Safer Places for Moseley measures being implemented on School Road.

“Whilst the proposal has attracted a lot of attention and seems to be very unpopular amongst local residents, it is not illegal. The land is not owned by the council and therefore the council are not selling the land as has been suggested elsewhere. There is a lawful process available for residents seeking to take ownership of such land and ultimately any decision will be made by the courts following consultation with all stakeholders.

“As locally elected councillors for Moseley, we represent all residents

In a statement Labour councillors for Moseley Kerry Jenkins and Martin Straker Welds pointed out that the plans for removing the green space on School Road were nothing to do with the council, which does not own the land. They also pointed out that removing the green space was not part of the Safer Places for Moseley traffic plans which will see ’modal filters’ introduced into School Road as part of a package of temporary measures to prevent it becoming a rat-run for motorists seeking a quick route between Moseley and Kings Heath.

The two councillors said: “We have been contacted by a number of residents raising concerns regarding emerging plans to remove pedestrian areas on School Road over the past weeks. We have made substantive

but are clear that in order to support any such proposal, we would need to be convinced about the benefits for the wider local community. Currently we remain unconvinced and will not give our support to any proposal that appears to only benefit a few and that risk the entitlements and amenity of the wider community. Our focus is on working with all residents to safeguard our green spaces and make our roads safer.”

The petition, which had more than 600 signatures as we went to press, is at: https://tinyurl.com/y5kepko4

Ian Cook

Moseley B13 Magazine

Shakespeare in Moseley:

Paperback Theatre’s Production of Romeo and Juliet Moseley Park and Pool, 18-20 September

As a long-time visitor to Moseley Park and Pool, I've often visualised it as a great space for open-air theatre. This vision was made manifest as the summer of 2020 drew to a close, courtesy of Paperback Theatre's Little But Live! performing arts festival. This three-day event featured improv, stand-up comedy and music, including an amusing production of William Shakespeare's classic Romeo and Juliet.

This well-known tale sets a tragically doomed relationship between young lovers against the social and political conflict of their two rival families' quest for power.

I spoke to Paperback Theatre before the production, and they warned me not to expect a purist production. Paperback trimmed the text down to one hour, an act alluded to by the Chorus as now the 'ONE hour's traffic of our stage'. This was the first of many playful jokes the company made with the text. While Romeo was played fairly conventionally, Juliet was presented to us as a rambunctious, termagant young woman to comic effect.

That's not to say the performances were not nuanced, with both principals moving this member of the audience with their skill at showing the lovers' grief upon the news – misunderstood or not – of their counterpart's death.

Roles were shared between members of the cast, and all the actors shone in their performances in ways that competed with the late September sunshine.

Indeed, I was impressed with the way the production used the natural environment, and the position of the sun in particular, to excellent effect. The famous balcony scene was especially spectacular as Romeo is in fact looking towards the afternoon sun, and on a new moon to boot, as he says:

ARTS

"What light through yonder window breaks?

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,"

The production possibly suffered from a problem that plagues all playing of Shakespeare: finding that difficult balance between a naturalistic delivery and a poetic one. I felt at times that some of the verse was too mannered. Yet Mercutio's Queen Mab speech, possibly my favourite part of the play, was especially well delivered and made me think about it in new ways, which was unexpected and delightful.

Also welcome was the use of modern music that alludes to the play, such as Dire Straits' well known song of the same name.

All in all, measure for measure, the play was a welcome happening in Moseley, proving the viability of open-air theatre in the Park, and I hope the first of many theatrical events to come.

Korvin Mobberley Moseley B13 Magazine

paperbacktheatre.com

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A Moseley Minute with...

AC The Duchess The Duchess, otherwise known as Alex, entered Sorrento Lounge with her faithful sidekick Indie, who took his seat on the sofa and began to people-watch, as dogs tend to do.

common â&#x20AC;&#x201C; what it was like to be living with the current situation. Her first video was just Alex talking about how she felt, the news at the time and how it was all so scary it gave her a panic attack.

Alex began to digest the goings-on in the world, and to see the funny side of things. She used her observations of the news to make links between events.

Her videos developed into a commentary on what was happening, and Alex also worked on her videos by inserting little extra clips, perfecting timing and so on.

So Lockdown News was born out of

Alex has achieved local fame with her funny and brilliant lockdown videos on YouTube.

She is an actor and, as with all creative arts at the moment, work is difficult to come by because of lockdown and social distancing restrictions. Rather than not use her talents, Alex took matters into her own hands and learnt how to produce videos, which she had always wanted to do, and started her own engaging channel on YouTube.

Alex had already planned to do a YouTube channel based on MasterChef, and she had even prepared the wooden spoons with faces on them, but then the pandemic happened and it took her in another direction.

Twelve weeks of lockdown was ahead of Alex, so she started to use the videos to talk about something everyone had in COMMUNITY

her wish to learn the skills of editing, and the result was a wonderful, entertaining and relevant YouTube channel. Alex admits she loves doing the videos, and it shows.

In her own words truth is often funnier than fiction and this is evident in the way the videos are presented.

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Twelve weeks came and went, but the channel did not stop. Although lockdown isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t lockdown in the same way any more (at least at the time of writing), Alex has found there are always newsworthy articles to report in her delightful style, and so the channel is continuing until at least the end of the year.

Please follow the delightful AC The Duchess, and support your local YouTuber and her amusing videos on: www.youtube.com/channel/ UCU0Bi_3k9HVSGask4HdTXrQ Debbie Aldous

info@moseleyb13.com

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COMMUNITY

Helen Calcutt is poet, writer, dancer and choreographer, and her third collection of poetry, Somehow, was released in September. Helen also found time to chat with Moseley B13 Magazine about the themes in her new book and how she has spent time during lockdown…

Helen, tell us about the themes in Somehow.

I think Sumita Chakraborty’s praise answers this question best: “One of the words that recurs most frequently in this collection is ‘want’, which Helen Calcutt summons even within the depths of these poems’ largest sorrows. It is no wonder, then, that Somehow shows us a voice and a spirit that, somehow, insist – at times defiantly, at other times tenderly, always fiercely – on the magnitude and gravities of desire.”

The book balances grief with a desire to live and experience life in tender ways. When you lose someone you love, it isn’t always just about the sadness you experience. For me at least, there was (and still is) a weird energy that pulls you out of yourself, and into new ways of living. I wanted to expose this, as well as the realities of mental health, and how these can completely break you. This is an important subject to look at in poetry, and the arts in the general.

How have you spent lockdown time? Has it been good for creativity and new projects?

Yes, and no. I have two small children so a lot of my time has been spent with them. And I’ve done loads of gardening, which has actually felt very mindful, almost spiritual. Being so connected to the earth like that, day after day – it’s pure magic. I’ve also started working with Europe Must Act (read more about the campaign on pages 26 and 27) and the rights of those seeking asylum. It was a ‘now or never’ moment, so I took it.

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What are you working on at the moment?

I’m developing a full-length poetry manuscript now, which has been accepted by a publisher I’ve admired all my writing life (I can’t say who, but it’s very exciting!) I also work in dance and choreography, and I’ve found myself involved in some wonderful crossarts projects combining language and movement.

One of these was a collaborative piece for Hounslow Action for Youth (HAY), platformed by I Am London and Apple. I worked intensively for three days choreographing three exquisitely written poems by some young female writers who take part in the HAY youth programme. It was a challenging experience, because all I had was the space, these beautiful words, and myself to work with; and I’m so used to bouncing ideas in the rehearsal studio. But it was just me on my own, on a rooftop for a week. It was hard, but I learned a lot about solitude and self-discipline: how resourceful you have to be.

Does Moseley and the surrounding area / Birmingham in general inspire you?

The class system is extraordinarily diverse here. I know some people argue that it isn’t there anymore, but I think it is. There are some incredibly fortunate, wealthy people living in Brum. And then on the flipside, just around the corner even, you have some really tough living conditions. I find that sad, but fascinating in a way.

All the dimensions of humanity, and the way we’ve chosen to live with (or against) the world, are exposed here. I think because Birmingham is sort of a beautiful outcast: it doesn’t really belong anywhere?

And neither do we! A lot of trade accumulates here, and is distributed throughout the rest of the country – but we don’t really manufacture any goods, not on the scale we used to, and our identity was rooted in that. It feels adrift now.

People are coming and going all the time, and there’s a lot of fluidity and movement, which makes it feel restless. And yes, in this respect, it’s remarkably inspiring.

Mark Baxter

mark@moseleyb13.com

Somehow is published by Verve Press. helencalcutt.org / Twitter @HelenCalcutt info@moseleyb13.com

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ARTS

This month Moseley B13 Magazine has had the pleasure of interviewing artist Patrick Wong, whose professional work can be seen throughout the West Midlands, both on canvas and on walls, and of discovering what inspires his desire to create, and how his work has developed throughout his career.

A MOSELEY ARTIST:

PATRICK WONG

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Definitely, especially the way in which I carry out the initial overview for each job. Whenever I’m working I first consider how to turn a simple job into a I studied art when I was 19, and masterpiece. The hope is that people will my style has changed through the years, stop for a while to look at that area and evolving through both life experience take it all in. and my growing??confidence. Over time my work has definitely developed an How would you describe your work? individual signature style – one with my name on it.

Individual, creative, daring and Initially I used to be influenced by beyond imagination. other artists, often trying to follow and reflect elements of their style in my own Is there an artistic style you'd like work. But this was hard to maintain and to work with in the future that you it was confusing to balance alongside my haven't previously worked with? own vision. It felt as though by doing this I wasn’t really allowing My work is myself to grow. always evolving. I have recently started Do you have a learning a new skill particular artist called Venetian whose work you plastering – an old admire and/or has technique, originally influenced your own from Spain, which work? was made famous in Italy. It’s a creative I do! Willem skill used to decorate De Kooning was an walls and features a abstract American range of techniques, Expressionist artist and, in some ways, is whose work I admire, almost like painting from his use of colours on a canvas. Along to the way that he with this I have been expressed his energy growing my reach by in his paintings. I love creating work within it. more commercial Other artists and domestic settings whose work I admire which can be seen are Picasso and all around the West Pollock. I feel their Midlands. works were very advanced and ahead of their time. It’s amazing to see how Maria Arroja Ferriera Moseley B13 Magazine they can use the simplest of techniques to create incredible masterpieces.

To discover more of Patrick Do you feel that your current job as a Wong’s art, follow him on Instagram @ tiler has inspired your work in any way? SorelleVeneziane Ltd. You studied art in your teens – how would you say your style has changed over the years?

info@moseleyb13.com

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TOP TWENTY YEARS OF...

MOSELEY RECORD FAIR! On Sunday 4 October 2020, Moseley music memorabilia and ephemera, videos Record Fair would have been marking and DVDs, vintage music magazines, its tenth anniversary. Sadly, the Fair is badges and posters. currently on ice, as its venue (St Columba Church Hall) is not open due to COVID-19.

Instead, we can look back at many happy memories and wonder where the time went...

Moseley Record Fair was started by David Grindi and Jerome Leavey, local folk who were keen to create a market event for music fans and record and memorabilia collectors. There has always been so much musical history in South Birmingham and yet, with only one Record Fair, which was then held in the city centre by nonBrummies, there was a wide gap in the local area to fill.

A great help in creating a successful event was the St Columba kitchen, which we hired and asked friends to come along to provide not just teas and coffees but all manner of delicious and nutritious homemade food for our customers. The CafĂŠ has remained a success on its own terms, with some people coming solely for the food! Jackie and Sarah were our longest-running hosts, with great lentil daals and chocolate beetroot cake being real favourites on their menu. The baton has recently passed to Mohini, who provides the most amazing Indian vegetarian platter, worth coming for on its own. Emma has also hosted this space with some lovely treats and finally the Fair has also seen the Brum Real Junk Food Project rescue perfectly good food and turn it into satisfying meals for satisfied customers.

The Fair started life as 'Moseley Record and Book Fair' on Sunday 17 October 2010. We incorporated the idea of a book fair into the title to welcome bibliophiles as well. This worked for a while until one day someone turned up with proper First Edition collectables, which were lost in and amongst the musicrelated items. Hence, it was subsequently decided to focus on just music, meaning records of all descriptions and eras, CDs, MUSIC

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There is also music in the Café, live and pre-recorded. Local musicians such as Micky Greaney, The Balsall Heathens and Kings of Spain have played live. We have also seen various accomplished DJs and selectors provide sumptuous Sunday soundtracks for the diners in this area, the longest-serving of which

had buyers from America, Europe and Japan all come to browse and they have not left disappointed! It has also added to local business in the Village on a Sunday morning/afternoon, with many of our customers supporting local cafés, pubs and restaurants before, during and after the event.

Moseley Record Fair has become a success, not just because it is a welcoming and free marketplace for a variety of great and sometimes rare music items, but also because it is a community event where we hope all people feel welcome and able to peacefully enjoy a couple of hours browsing, catching up with friends or meeting new people. All this over four hours on a Sunday afternoon.

We look forward to returning at some point in 2021 and thank St Columba’s, and everyone who has walked through our doors, for their support and encouragement. Hope to see y'all soon! was the incomparable and much missed Simon Maragh, who continued to provide Dave and Jerome of Moseley Record Fair wondrous sounds for many years. This space is a welcome place for visitors to take stock of their purchases in a relaxed www.moseleyrecordfair.com atmosphere.

Facebook: Moseley Record Fair The Fair has attracted people from Twitter: @moseleyrecfair all around the world to Moseley – we've info@moseleyb13.com

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MUSIC

Remember, remember...

“Remember, remember, the 24th of September Moseley Station and Plot We see no reason Why Moseley station Should ever be forgot” Yes folks, at last...after years and years when we thought it would never happen, the Council Planning Committee met on Thursday 24 September and approved the plans for the new Moseley Railway Station. It’s going to happen, and nothing will stop us (… at least, we hope not!). A day to remember that will change the face of Moseley in many ways.

The station opened in 1867 but was closed on 27 January 1941 as an economic measure during the Second World War – gunpowder and bombs threatened and that was that. Until nigh on 80 years later when, as a result of local public pressure at

M O S E L E Y

§ Designer Frames

last linking in with political pressure, and through the backing of everyone from the Mayor to our councillors and down to Moseley Forum, the Moseley Society, the business community, the Moseley Exchange and the Regen group, things are now on track for its resurrection in 2022.

The next stop will be to get the name right. The Forum and other Moseley organisations would like it to become ‘Moseley Village’ rather than just ‘Moseley’ – so watch this space for a campaign next year.

David Isgrove

Moseley B13 Magazine

V I L L A G E

§ Eye-care Plans

§ Custom Made Frames

§ Diabetic Screening

§ Custom Varifocal Lenses

§ Glaucoma Screening

§ Digital Lens Measuring

§ Lens Assessments

§ OCT Scans

§ AMD Screening

L I N D B E R G

www.pabari.co.uk | 0121 449 0845 14 St. Marys Row, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8JG

Since

1985

Tommy Quang’s World of Strange Halloween Horrors How haunted is Moseley? Well, I started my investigation by checking out reports of orbs (I'm sure you are familiar with the accounts of strange white balls darting around in the atmosphere, as seen on TV's Most Haunted) on a corner of Billesley Common last summer. There seemed to be a pattern to the wealth of orb sightings, with them appearing on consecutive Tuesday evenings. I wondered about the connection to the day of the

I then decided to go for the big guns by looking into the house which is often described as Moseley’s most haunted location (I won’t reveal the house to avoid any intrepid ghost-hunters turning up). I decided to try to capture ghostly evidence using EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon), thought to be spirit voices captured in electronic audio clips. I set up recording equipment for a nighttime spooky stakeout and, on checking the tape at a later point when I was safely at home, was shocked to hear what I estimated to be the clearest case of EVP voices ever captured on tape.

The recording was so groundbreaking that I quickly arranged a presentation with the London Supernatural Society (est. 1888) and, after a brief talk, played the tapes to a packed and fascinated audience.

Billesley Common However, one of the members pointed out that I was actually playing the audiobook week – was there some kind of supernatural of Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of reason for this? Perhaps Tuesday was Time, as narrated by the author (I must connected to an anniversary relating to the dear departed? I contacted a local camera crew specialising in the paranormal and, one Tuesday evening, met on the Common and waited for spectral activity.

Unfortunately, it London Supernatural Society quickly transpired that the area of the have got my cassettes mixed up after the common was next recording). I didn’t need to make any to the Billesley excuses to leave as I was immediately Table Tennis Club, escorted from the building and told to complete with never, ever come back to the capital. windows wide open on a hot summer night.

I hope you all have a horrible and Tuesday was beginners’ night, and rather horrendous Halloween! shoddy beginners at that. We were hit by around seventeen ‘orbs’ during the eleven Tommy Quang minutes we were camped outside, and met with some colourful language from members of the Club. Rather embarrassed, Next month: King Arthur in Moseley and faced with discreditation and a hefty Follow me on Twitter @WorldofStrange bill from the camera crew, I made my excuses and left.

A Fresh Start

MOSELEY MEMORIES

Dressed in my smart new uniform, I took the 1A bus to Moseley Grammar School for the first day of a new school year, the first Tuesday of September 1950.

Greeting and guiding us were several young men in MGS uniforms with a bigger version of the badge on their pockets and striped edging to their jackets. These, we were to learn, were sixth form ‘prefects’, exercising their authority lightly. We filled the school hall diffidently.

end. The man we came to know as ‘Beefy’ Bullock (most masters had nicknames) then led us up to the first room in the teaching block and got us to sit in alphabetical order, which had the advantage for me that my desk was alongside a window looking out onto greenery and Wake Green Road.

Evidently some boys knew each other from junior school, but I was one of the complete strangers. After a general

From the stage, an imposing teacher (or ‘master’, we were to learn) in a black gown called us to order when the bell rang for 9 o’clock. We were to be put into three classes (‘forms’) under the three gowned masters standing by the door to the ‘Junior Quad(rangle)’, or playground.

Clearly, we would have to learn a new language, one quite different from that at junior school.

Names for 1A were read out alphabetically and told to line up with Mr Bullock, and there was mine, near the

introduction, including the information that he taught Biology, Beefy asked us to stand up in turn and introduce ourselves and say which junior school we had been to. That resulted in my being involved in an odd effect later.

He told us that our lessons would be in different rooms, according to the subject, rather than in one, as we were used to. On the blackboard he had drawn our timetable and we had to copy it out as neatly and accurately as possible, because it would be our lifeline round the school.

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only ones with a Brummie accent, so we stood out from all the ‘poshies’. Our friendship lasted for only a few months, though, as it dawned on us that our accent was the only thing we had in common. I took life far more seriously than he did and had come to MGS with a burning quest for academic knowledge. I went through the school in the A-stream and lost my local accent, while Dave went into 2B and then the C-stream until he left. I never heard of him again.

First-years were called ‘fags’ (fagging was a traditional practice in British public and boarding schools where younger pupils were expected to carry out chores for the senior students) as a matter of course, and that led poor Harrison into a rather humiliating experience. He had been brought up on public school-based stories like Tom Brown’s Schooldays and The Fifth Form Sixth Form at St. Dominic’s, in which small boys were used as servants by the top set, usually being badly treated.

When some of the third-year top juniors asked him if he was a fag, he replied quite innocently, “Well, I haven’t been claimed yet”.

That went round our year group, of course, as did the story of his agreeing to see the “blue goldfish”. That entailed probably the same group pushing his head down a toilet and flushing it. A very wet lesson there. For some reason, I was never approached about either ‘ancient’ traditional custom.

Once we had settled in, most of us had a satisfactory first year and I found my mind stimulated by an ideas-led culture.

After some general chat, the bell rang and we were sent out for ‘break’ (playtime) in the Junior Quad.

It did not seem odd at that time that Dave Gilbert and I made a beeline for each other and got talking. It was only years later that I realised that he and I were the

David Spilsbury

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HISTORY

A Diary From No One Jade Laurie-Hart was born in Moseley at the Sorrento Hospital, and grew up on Trafalgar Road, before going to the Mountview Academy of Dramatic Arts in London with a full scholarship at eighteen years of age. Jade lived in London for some time, before having a breakdown in 2013. This led to her moving back to Birmingham and she now lives in the same road in which she grew up. Jade discussed her love of the area and how she is using her own experiences to help others and break down the stigma about mental illness: “Moseley is my heart. I suffer from various mental health issues and write poetry and blogs on my mental health. I am often trying to be a mental health advocate through arts and creativity.”

Jade also spoke about how she publishes her poems on her website A Diary From No One under the pen name ‘noone’. “A Diary From No One has been up and running for six or seven years now. All the words are my own. I articulate my feelings via poetry and blogs, getting daily views and visits. Some of the comments and feedback from Joe Public have meant the world to me, and my writing has helped people.

I cannot ask for anything more; if sharing my secrets helps others come to terms with their own, one day we may clean up some of the stigma and taboo that comes hand

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in hand with being out and loud about mental illness.”

Many of Jade’s poems, such as ‘These four walls’ (see poem at the end of the article along with 'Panic attack...') relate to the time she spent in hospital, and recent work has covered Black Lives Matter.

Jade featured in the awardwinning BBC radio programme ‘Black Girls Don't Cry’ (available on BBC Sounds) on why some black women are more prone than average to anxiety and depression. She has also appeared in the podcast ‘Covid Conversations – Black Perspectives on Covid’ (online, and broadcast on NewStyle Radio) and this covered the “...self-reflection of the wrongful, premature and racist brutal killing of George Floyd and how I have been left feeling, as a Black British woman with ill mental health (Borderline Personality Disorder)”. Jade has a few things in the pipeline while she is in recovery.

Jade offers hope to others because she speaks so openly and eloquently in her poems and other media, as she did on ‘Black Girls Don’t Cry’. “I know there are people out there suffering from mental illness that are ashamed and feel alone, and that are confused and need help, and I want them to know that they are not alone, not to be ashamed, and to feel confident enough to reach (for) help...”

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These four walls

Panic Attack

These four walls get smaller and smaller, Closer and closer every day.

I kneel in the middle of the room and pray.

Claustrophobic, Suffocated by the voice.

In or out of my head, What it says, I have no choice but to hear.

In fear I follow its rules.

I shrink along with the room.

While the voice blossoms and I grow weaker every day.

It suffers me gladly.

Heads pounding, Chest on fire, Can’t catch my breath, A pin drop sounds like a satanic choir.

Anxiety has me pinned down, Vision blurred, Overwhelmed by sound, I cannot remove the burden of this thorned and bitter crown.

Where is all the air, My word bank suddenly empty, Tears fall, This isn’t fair.

I cannot articulate what’s happening to me, Despite all to well knowing what it is, I must ride it out and get through like each time before, Another panic attack fuelled by anxiety.

Each time it feels like death has found me, Until all of a sudden I am free!

How long until the next one will be?

The unsurety, Enhances insecurity, Not knowing simply gives me more anxiety, Paranoia kicks in, I lose all rationality.

I fight this constant battle, It never gets easier for me, But I shall not blame myself, Nor beat myself up, Each time I get through, Is a victory!

(22 July 2014)

(13 November 2019) Mark Baxter

mark@moseleyb13.com

adiaryfromnoone.co.uk Twitter: @adiaryfromnoone

info@moseleyb13.com

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Amazing Discovery beneath a Moseley Garden Jeremy Roberts had the surprise of his life when, digging in his motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s garden in Greenhill Road, he found a concrete-walled hole.

Curious, as we all would be, he and a group of friends dug down and down, removing much soil and ballast, to find a series of steps. These led to a filled-in entrance that became a corridor. Once

occurred at the entrance it would be deflected, and its effects nullified by a series of doors.

This was no ordinary air-raid shelter, so who constructed this exceptional building, and for whom?

Although nothing can be confirmed, all the clues are there. The people living at the property as war broke out

the soil was lifted out of this entrance, an extraordinary air-raid shelter appeared, a remarkable survivor of the Second World War. A long corridor and rooms came into view. Electricity and water were provided - notice the toilet seat and water cistern.

The corridor was curved so that if a blast

were Alfred Mafeking Allan, a Managing Director, his wife Ivy and mother Eliza.

He was born in Peckham, London, on 18 May 1900, his father being a billiards maker and teacher. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d served in the Royal Air Corps near the end of the Great War until 1920. By 1935 they were living at 132 Grove Road in Kings Heath before

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moving to a larger, ‘modern’, 16-year-old house in Greenhill Road, Moseley.

At first sight there is nothing to explain the origin of this underground warren of an air-raid shelter until you delve deeper.

Alfred Mafeking Allan was such a person. He is listed under ‘Civil Defence Service Key Personnel’ and, some time in the first year of the war, he had this amazing air-raid shelter built to be the key Civil Defence Post for this part of Moseley.

He died in 1969, in Bristol. This shelter is a reminder of the bravery and community spirit that overcomes immense struggles, not so different from that required in the present situation at this time of lockdown.

By 1939, the government expected that the next war would open with a ‘knock-out blow’ on the UK with 3,500 tons of bombs initially and then 700 tons per day. Air Raid Precautions (ARP) were therefore a priority for all local governments. Key volunteers were trained to watch over their So next time you go digging in your neighbourhoods, to provide and distribute garden, who knows what you might find? gas masks, to advise on preparations, Well done Jeremy. Perhaps you should to patrol their area from their post, to open it up for visitors like the Ice House! check on blackouts, to report the fall of bombs and to take control of any incident until the emergency services arrived.

David Isgrove They had to know who was living where Moseley B13 Magazine and to be able to help survivors with food and shelter.

info@moseleyb13.com

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Europe Must Act The Birmingham Chapter

I began campaigning for refugee rights back in 2016 after visiting Pikpa, a camp created to house the most vulnerable of refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos.

At that time over one million people had crossed the border into Europe, with over 6000 drowning in the Mediterranean Sea. A nurse I interviewed at the time told me about the many mothers who had survived, but whose babies had died in the water.

She described the cups of lactated milk lining up on the ground outside the clinic, day after day. It was the worst thing she had ever witnessed, and it’s a story I’ll never forget.

The fact that life across the European border could be so treacherous as to drive people to risk - not only their own lives, but their children’s as well - has made refugee action a huge part of my life. And it’s the very reason I, together with Shannon Watts, co-represent the Birmingham chapter for Europe Must Act (EMA). Founded in March 2020, EMA is a cross-party, grassroots movement calling on European leaders to immediately COMMUNITY

establish safe and legal pathways for the thousands of men, women, and children who remain stuck on the European border. Currently, close to 50 cities are coordinating with EMA across Europe, 50% of which are based here in the UK. Since my visit to Pikpa four years ago, over 15,000 more people seeking sanctuary in Europe have drowned in their attempts.

The recent fires in Moria, the largest Aegean refugee camp, which housed over 14,000 people, leaves many more thousands of people facing the prospect of isolation in a new detention facility: a counterproductive move to say the least.

Overcrowding in the Greek hotspot camps (including the now decimated Moria) is at 404%, with over 24,000 people; including pregnant women and unaccompanied minors, occupy spaces meant to host a maximum of 6000 people.

All this amidst a global pandemic. Due to Covid-19, Greek authorities have pulled back on basic supplies, and suspended all special facilities in the camps, including non-formal schools, and access to agencies 26

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providing essential health services. People are now queueing for up to nine hours for food and water, with no exceptions for the sick, elderly, or very young.

So where does Birmingham come in? We are currently home to around 1,600 refugees and asylum seekers – a low figure compared to many thousands crammed together in the Greek camps. In 2015, we became an official City of Sanctuary, pledging a commitment to create a ‘culture of welcome’, and to ‘work with partners to raise awareness of – and public interest in – issues relating to asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and new communities.’

I want to remind Birmingham City Council that, while we don’t have the immediate power to relocate those seeking asylum, we still have our part to play. As with other councils in the UK, Birmingham can call on the government to permit the relocation of just 30 more refugees (that’s six families) in our city. Which alone would make a huge difference. That’s 30 more people with the prospect of a new chance at life, given the greatest gift they could ask for – hope.

There are legitimate concerns about the safeguarding of those we relocate here, particularly when people are moved from overcrowded camps, to overcrowded hotel spaces. We are especially keen to address this. Our aim isn’t just to see the camps emptied without a thought to what happens next. We are campaigning for effective relocation, where they are info@moseleyb13.com

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respectfully and safely welcomed into our society.

Since launching our petition, EMA Birmingham has gained support from Green Councillor Julien Pritchard, Labour Councillor Liz Clements, Kings Heath Action, and Bearwood Action. But we still need to further our campaign, and expand our grassroots support. On October 24th we are taking part in a Europe-wide Action Day; offering you, citizens of Birmingham, a chance to learn more about Birmingham’s role in this Europe-wide movement for change. Key information from our newly published Aegean Grassroots Report will be provided, as well as fun family activities, and the steps you can take to help.

We believe in our city of Birmingham, and that we can make a marked difference to this unprecedented human crisis. Join us on the 24th October if you agree.

Ways you can help: Read our Aegean Grassroots Report: www.europemustact.org Sign our petition: www.change.org/ BirminghamMustAct Volunteer with us! We are looking to expand our team, and want to hear from you.

Helen Calcutt

Contact Shannon and Helen: citiesmustact.birmingham@gmail.com

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Moseley Society Local History Group Inside Sorrento, Moseley, Birmingham in 1899

Photographs of the interior of Sorrento, a well-to do establishment, show how the Moseley élite lived in 1899.

The Sorrento drawing room is elegant and luxurious, signalling the wealth and taste of the family. Mirrored over-mantels were fashionable and acted as ‘shrines’ to middle-class culture, displaying coveted china and figurines. The mirror doubled the impact of the room contents, enhancing the impression of material wealth. Castiron radiators near the window show that the house was centrally heated.

The curtaining consists of three layers: a ruched ‘blind’, probably muslin and known as the ‘glass curtain’; a lace curtain; and heavy, highly patterned velvet drapes.

This layering provided security and privacy and prevented draughts and fading. The

gas brackets alongside the fireplace are wall-mounted because of the necessary piping. Elegant doorways led to a large conservatory, enabled by improvements in glass techniques and made cheaper by the removal of tax on glass.

The Sorrento library has dark, varnished wood panelling below a dado rail, and an integrated mantel and overmantel on which stand statuettes of Mercury. Such panelling would have been expensive. The armchair shows how the technical development of deep buttoning and coil springs improved seating comfort.

Displaying art was important to the status of the middle-class home and family: it signalled the presence of an ‘art collector’ and gave an air of educated refinement.

The room is well-lit by a central gas lamp.

The Drawing Room, 1899

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By 1850, the billiard table had essentially evolved into its current form and English billiards, played with three balls and six pockets, dominated from about 1770 until the 1920s. The Moorish design of the Sorrento billiard room was a particularly popular male décor considered ‘rakish’ and created here through geometric textile designs, furniture inlaid with mother-ofpearl, fretted decoration, eastern arched alcoves, trompe l‘oeil wallpaper The Billiard Room, Sorrento, 1899

were very popular in the 1880s and made a cheap and easy way to achieve an ‘architectonic effect’ as they could be bought as a single piece. The Lady’s Companion of 1897 said that oriental-style rooms could be created for less than £50.

An impressive stained-glass atrium provides natural light and the elaborate brass overhead light fixture could be raised and lowered.

Janet Berry

See the Moseley Society website (Moseley-society. org.uk/local-history) for more photographs and The Library, Sorrento, 1899 details about the interior of Sorrento and its garden, and also for and a palm in its jardinière. The bright the full version of last month’s article on colours were made possible by new aniline Sorrento: House and Garden, Wake Green dyes. Painted wooden fretwork arches Road, Moseley. info@moseleyb13.com

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HISTORY

MARKET FORCES:

Twenty Years of Moseley Farmers’ Market

There can be few relationships more foundational than a community's relationship to food. How we source, store and distribute food, at all levels from the household to the global community, impacts our relationship with nature and each other, as well as our health and wellbeing as individuals. The choices we all make about food affect the economy, have consequences for waste management, and can shape our social relationships. Do we eat together or separately? Do we buy in bulk or as needed? And who do we buy from?

The recent revival of the local farmers' market is one answer to some of these questions. Local food markets declined in Europe and North America in the second half of the 20th century, despite their use during the Second World War. We saw a revival of interest in farmers’ markets towards the end of the last century: the US had 1,755 such markets in 1994; by 2004 there were 4,385.

What explains this growth? Carole Counihan's ethnography of farmers’ markets argues that they do not merely fulfil an economic function, but offer “an inviting public space [and] can stimulate the local economy”. They can contribute to the revitalisation of urban life, reconnecting us with the local rural environment, promoting good nutrition, and providing 'third spaces' for community formation.

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BBC TV crews filming at the August Market

Anthropologists and human geographers have expended thousands of words grappling with the phenomenon, with one study concluding that farmers’ markets are both 'conservative' and 'alternative'. This may seem abstruse, but what I find fascinating about Moseley's www.moseleyb13.com

market is that its very creation was informed by theory in this area. David Isgrove, who in 2000 was Chair of Moseley Forum as well as a geography teacher of some years standing, had been struck

by Central Place theory, developed by a German geographer, which views settlements as central places which provide services to surrounding areas.

According to some applications of this

theory, Kings Heath, for example, would become more important as a shopping centre as Moseley's relevance as a 'central place' diminished.

Thinking that Moseley needed to specialise to survive, David was inspired by the creation of new 'City' farmers’ markets elsewhere in England, and got together the partnerships needed to make it happen. Moseley's shopkeepers eventually agreed to a limited time trial, and eighteen farms participated in the trial markets that took place between August and Christmas 2000.

In time the market grew, breaking through the psychological barrier of twenty stalls, and indeed has grown every year. Soon it was winning awards: Country Life magazine declared it to be the best, the Birmingham Mail hailed Moseley as the best farmers’ market in the West Midlands, and the market is now a threetime winner of the accolade 'best in the UK'. info@moseleyb13.com

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David feels the main challenge, apart from environmental challenges like storms and a certain virus which has been in the news recently, has been keeping the mix and balance of produce right. Each month new businesses apply to sell on the Market.

I've lived in Moseley since 2004, but have only been attending the market in earnest since 2015. A bad injury made me rethink my diet and health needs, and I've been coming to enjoy the fresh food on offer. I’ve noticed and appreciated the chance to select with pleasure the heritage varieties of vegetables sometimes available. This alone dissipates the myth that there's nothing you can get at a farmers' market that is not already available at grocery stores and supermarkets.

In this time, I've noticed that the Farmers' Market is now central to the social activities of the village, a fantastic meeting place, attracting musicians (the market used to have a regular busking slot in pre-Covid days), a safer space for same-sex couples, as well as being an event which attracts people from up to forty miles away. It's been recognised as a model for other markets to emulate, arguably playing a role in Moseley's currently fashionable status. It has earned a central place in Moseley's relationship with food.

According to Counihan, farmers' markets do indeed have the 'potential to be a linchpin in the quest for food democracy – universal access to adequate, healthy, tasty food'. Going forward, and building on a twenty-year record of success, Moseley's market will play its part in that quest and, in the words of its founder, will over the next twenty years 'remain key to the fabric of our community, no matter what'.

Korvin Mobberley Moseley B13 Magazine

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