MeridenMag Autumn 2022 by MeridenMag

Do you want to know what's going on in your village? Take a look inside! There is another aerial photo, an exciting short story plus all the usual articles. Photograph courtesy Michael Miniham Meriden MagQueen’s Baton Relay running through Meriden

Autumn Events Fillongley Agricultural Society is delighted to bring back the Fillongley Show for 2022. With a range of new and exciting exhibitors, attractions and showing classes, it will be a fun packed day for all! Join us at our new venue… Springfield Farm, Nuneaton Road B4114, Ansley, CV10 0QU Saturday 17th September 2022 From 9am till early evening Warwickshire Watercolourists’ Art Exhibition Bank Holiday 27th-29th August 2022 Over 200 items of unique art work on display, most for sale, together with a wide range of prints and notelets. This year’s special raffle prize – an original Trevor Boult painting, kindly donated, with proceeds to the British Heart Foundation Refreshments available; proceeds to charity. Ample free parking & disabled access Additional free parking available at ‘The Bear’ if needed For further information please email WarwickshireWatercolourists@gmail.com Berkswell Reading Rooms Meriden Road Berkswell CV7 7BE 10.00am -5.00pm daily Free Entrance Film Shows at the Village Hall Saturdays 17th September 22nd October 19th November

Cancer Research Trip to Tutbury Castle via Lichfield Tuesday 6th September Come and end enjoy a cream tea and be entertained by Lesley Smith Tickets £30 Available from Sue 01676 522540 Carol 01676 522888 HS2 Are holding Open Drop-in meetings at Meriden Village Hall 2.00pm - 5.00pm Thursdays 15th September, 20th October, 17th November A member of your local Community Engagement team will be on hand to meet you and answer any questions. Cancer Research Pink and Blue Evening At the Manor Hotel From 6.30pm Sunday 16th October Lesley Smith will entertain as Queen Elizabeth I This is also an opportunity for some pre-Christmas shopping, raffle and tombola Tickets £12.50 from Sue & Carol The Firebird singers are holding a MACMILLAN COFFEE MORNING Saturday 24th September 11.00am – 1.00pm Meriden Village Hall

Readers’ 14th September London, fact or fiction Wed 12th October – A Collection of Short Stories Wed 9th November – My Most Re-read Book

Please note, all information is accurate at the time of writing in April 2022.

Circle Meetings Wed

For further information and the venue, please call Peter Moss on 01676 523590

The Idea of Perfection By Kate Grenville Set in a backwater Australian town, this tells the story of two plain, socially awkward people. Harley Savage, a museum curator with 3 failed marriages and a heart condition, has come to Karakarook to set up a Heritage Museum. Her specialism is quilting as textile art; although looked down on by her more traditionally arty family, she has made a name for herself. Douglas Cheeseman is an engineer, with 1 failed marriage, jug ears and a lack of courage, in contrast to his father, the war hero. He loves finding solutions to engineering problems but is intimidated by the workers he should be managing and his fear of heights limits his assignments to small, unspectacular projects. Doug is in Karakarook to install a concrete replacement for the wooden “crooked bridge” , against the opposition of the Heritage Committee.

We see Harley’s arrival through Doug’s eyes as he’s looking out of his hotel window, having just got there himself. In that first scene, we are also introduced to the 2 other main characters. The dog (unnamed) decides on sight that Harley is his person, even though the feeling is NOT mutual. With her own sub-plot, the Bank Manager’s wife, Felicity Porcelline, is a complete contrast to the main protagonists. Felicity did some modelling before she married (including a Palmolive advert) and “knew she looked, well, attractive … ” . But at 41 that needed more work, including limiting her smiles to avoid lines, and she was once late picking up her son because she was completely absorbed in enjoying a face mask.

Opening Hours Monday 10am 1pm, 2pm 5pm Tuesday 10am 12:30pm Thursday 10am 12:30pm Stories & Painting It’s back! Our exciting children’s activity is aimed at preschool children and takes place every Monday, 2:15 3pm, starting Monday 5th September. Every week we read one of our favourite stories and enjoy painting pictures. We recommend wearing clothes that can get messy.

Meriden Library News

Sarah Sharland Keep up to date with news from Meriden Library by liking us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meridenlib and visiting our website at www.solihull.gov.uk/Libraries

On Thurs 6th October, between 10:15am and 12:15pm, visit us to find out more about the e-resources that are available free of charge with your library membership.

Home Library Service If you can’t get to the library yourself, our Home Library Service can help. When you get in touch, a member of the team will contact you by phone to assess your individual needs and circumstances. They will explain how the service works and answer any questions you may have. They will also find out what sort of books you enjoy this will help staff to choose items for you. We’ll then arrange a time to visit. If this is something you think that you or someone you know may benefit from, do call the Home Library Service team on 0121 704 6947 or email libraryarts@solihull.gov.uk and we will take it from there.

Kate Grenville really inhabits her characters and through their eyes the descriptions of the town, its people and surrounding areas are extremely evocative. This is a fairly short book, gentle and humorous, which won the Orange Prize for fiction in 2001.

Halloween Crafts Drop into the library in half term on Mon 24th October, Tues 25th October, or Thurs 27th October to make some fun crafts ready for the spookiest day of the year! Suitable for ages 5 and up accompanied by an adult. Free for All We don’t charge overdue fines for any library members it’s still important to bring books back on time though! We have free reservations from any Solihull Library too. If you aren’t already a member of the library, it’s easy to join. All you need is proof of your name and address, like a driving licence or an official letter. You get access to all our books, including CD audiobooks and large print, eBooks, eMagazines, and eAudiobooks for free.

Members also get 2 hours free computer access.

Libraries Week 3rd to 9th October: Never Stop Learning In 2022, Libraries Week takes place between the 3rd and 9th October, celebrating the nation’s much-loved libraries and the central role that libraries play in supporting lifelong learning.

ST. LAURENCE CHURCH NEWS Priest in Charge: Vacant Church Wardens: Jonathan Douglas 01676 522455 Carol Clarke 07500 700679 churchwarden.meriden@gmail.com Church Website: https://stlaurencemeriden.wordpress.com Find us on Facebook: St Laurence Church Meriden For any enquiries about Baptisms and Weddings, or pastoral needs, please contact the church warden: Carol Clarke 07500 700679 churchwarden.meriden @gmail.com I’m writing this on 31st July. Later this afternoon there’s the final of the Women’s European Football Championship (Germany v. England, you know who won!), and meanwhile there are loads of different sports events to catch-up on from the Commonwealth Games. I used to race bicycles (yes, a long time ago) so I Iove watching the track cycling and wish I could be there. Watching the competitors at these highest levels of their sports you can see the passion and commitment they bring, and you can hear in their comments how their lives revolve around their training and their physical preparation. Is being a Christian a similar experience? – it should be! One of our hymns in our service this morning was the one which starts “Fight the good fight with all thy might,” (not a popular choice at weddings), this hymn has many references from the letters of St. Paul, and it also has the line “Run the straight race through God’s good grace,” so there’s two sporting references already, but it also states that Christ (i.e. Jesus the Messiah) is our strength, our right, our way, our prize, our life, and our love, which could also be a list of priorities for a top athlete. Finally Christ is our ‘all-in-all’. This slightly odd phrase means that Christ is our ‘all’ in that he is more important than anything and everything else, and that he is also to be ‘in all’ that we do and we are to see him ‘in all’ the people we meet. It is absolutely marvellous to have such passion and commitment, and to know we have the top prize! Jonathan Douglas Autumn Service Details Date Service 4th Sept Holy Communion* 11th Sept Joint S ervice at Meriden Methodist Church 18th Sept Holy Communion* 25th Sept Joint S ervice at St. Laurence 2nd Oct Holy Communion* 9th Oct Joint S ervice at Meriden Methodist Church 16th Oct Holy Communion* 23rd Oct Joint S ervice at St. Laurence 30th Oct Morning Prayer 6th Nov Holy Communion* 13th Nov Remembrance Service St. Laurence at 10:15am then War Memorial at 11am 20th Nov Holy Communion* 27th Nov Joint S ervice at St. Laurence All services are at 10:30 am * Holy Communion services are subject to availability of a minister. Please check the web site. To many, total abstinence is easier than perfect moderation.” St. Augustine of Hippo

Tickets (£6.00) are available from Chris Copper by :Telephone - 01676 522645 Message - 07721 3 42127 or Emailchriscopper42@me.com

Sat 17th Sept – “Downton Abbey – A New Era” (PG)

“Operation Mincemeat” is set in 1943 as the Allies are determined to launch an all-out assault on Fortress Europe. This is a re-make of the slightly fictitious “The Man That Never Was” but following the release of the true facts, it depicts how the British Intelligence fooled Nazi Germany into believing that the Allies were planning to invade Greece, rather than the intended target of Sicily. Starring Colin Firth, Matthew MacFadyen and Penelope Wilton this is a good solid spy movie –perfect for an Autumn evening.

The Crawley family goes on a grand journey to the South of France to uncover the mystery of the Dowager Countess’s newly inherited villa and some secrets from her past are uncovered. Starring the familiar cast – Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith et al, this recently released sequel to the on-going Downton saga is a gentle, feel-good crowd pleaser to start our new season.

In 1961, Kempton Bunton, a sixty year old taxi driver, steals Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. He holds it up for ransom to the government and only agrees to return it if more is invested in care for the elderly. This charming comedy/drama starring Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren reflects the very best in British film-making and is highly recommended.

Sat 22nd Oct – “The Duke” (12A)

Sat 19th Nov “Operation Mincemeat” (12A)

For details on how to obtain medical help when the surgery is closed, please phone 01676 935000

We are preparing for the Autumn COVID vaccinations, which, as with last year, will be delivered in conjunction with the annual flu vaccines. Unfortunately, we do not have full information with regards to this service delivery at the time the Mag goes to print but as soon as this is available, the practice website front page will give full information. We do know that patients will be invited by the practice in order of patients at risk, as defined by NHS England. We will be inviting patients as vaccine stock becomes available, in line with these specifications. We will contact patients, so please do not contact the practice as this causes access problems for patients contacting us for medical issues.

Opening hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8.30am to 6pm Wednesday 8.30am to 12.00

School House, 200 Main Road, Meriden, CV7 7NG Dr M Bhandal Dr A Carlile Dr T Nadeem Dr R Horsley Dr A Omokanye (Partners) Associates GP; Dr D Manickam, and Dr www.balsallcommongrouppractice.co.ukHudders

For details on how to obtain medical help when the surgery is closed, please phone 01676 935000

01676 522252

Meriden Surgery

To keep you and everyone safe, appointments are continuing to being triaged by our reception team. This helps us to give you the correct type of appointment that you need. We now offer all urgent on-the-day appointments as a face-to-face appointment. All appointments are to be booked via telephone only. Telephone appointments are available as a prebookable option; however, these are now unable to be scheduled as an urgent on-the-day appointment option. We are continuing to follow all National Guidelines that are provided for all GP Practices across the UK along with the ever changing COVID 19 regulations.

We are continuing with our existing face covering policy. This is to continue to protect our Staff and visitors who are attending the Practice. We are also requesting Patients bring their own face coverings to the appointments. All up to date Practice Information can be found on our website www.balsallcommonsurgery.co.uk

01676 522252

Changes to our appointment bookings

Opening hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8.30am to 6pm Wednesday 8.30am to 12.00

Partners: Dr Bhandal Dr Carlile Dr Nadeem Dr Horsley Dr Omokanye Salaried GPs: Dr Manickam Dr Hudders Registrars (Training GPs): Dr Chloe Reynolds Dr Roisin O’Neill COVID AND FLU VACCINATION UPDATE

Good Bye Unfortunately, the Practice has had to say goodbye to two of our staff members; one of our Medical Secretaries, Lucy, who has moved on to start a new role and one of our Receptionists, Joanne, who has now started her retirement. We wish them the very best in their future roles. We have had some changes to our doctors in the last few months. Our present doctor cover is:

Telephone 01676 540178 07904 239 365 Open 9-5 Monday to Saturday, Sunday 10-4 Bennetts Road North, Corley CV7 8BG

MR FIX IT *Plumbing problems *Broken Garden Tools *Bra*Welding*Soldering z *Household*Fencing*Sheds*GatesingFixedFeltedItems Fixed *Garden*RivetingTools Sharpened *Security posts Fitted If it can be fixed, I'll do my best to fix it. Collection service availabl e. Public Liability Insurance: Simply Business MHGB2291989XB Telephone Paul on 07889 789110 or 01676 521661 BREATHE EASY COVENTRY We are now returning to meetings 2nd Friday of every month until October 2.00-4.00pm at the Central Hall, Methodist Church, Warwick Lane Coventry CV1 2HA All chairs are well spaced and we ask you to still wear a mask please Phone Janet (Chair) on 024 7646 0081 to see if we can be of any help. “Keep well” How do you get a mouse to smile? Say cheese!!

Construction Update Unlike the River Blythe Viaduct, which is still in its design stage, the rest of the railway in this area is under construction. We have begun building new embankments for the realigned A452 Kenilworth Road opposite the Truck Stop. The HS2 railway will travel underneath the realigned road. We are using soil from the 16-metre deep Park Lane Cutting to build the embankments. In the coming months you’ll also start to see significant earthworks and excavations in between Diddington Lane and the A45 to create a cutting, a diversion for Shadowbrook Lane and to build a haul road to take a significant number of lorries off the local roads.

HS2 NEWS: - Key Design Elements Certain structures or parts of the railway that BBV is building near Meriden have been classed by HS2 as ‘Key Design Elements’ which means that their design should respect the local context environment and social setting. This also means that it is important for us to involve the local community in their design.

Just when will all the HS2 road closures, noise, dust, and disruption come to an end Well, at the present time, we're left guessing, as the response to a Freedom of Information request was "Releasing estimated start and completion dates of key elements would likely lead to confusion and ill-informed debate, misleading the public regarding the HS2 programme" .

The Information Commissioner has been asked to secure the release of the information, but in the meantime, it creates serious uncertainty about how HS2 construction traffic & highway works will fit in with other projects in the area such as the M42 junction 6 improvement & the housing developments in the Local Plan. Replacement of the bridge on the Fillongley Road has taken longer than planned, and shows how a single item of work can spread disruption over a wide area. Coming soon are major changes to the A45, & to the A452 both N & S of Stonebridge. The HS2 timing was clear when the project was debated in Parliament nine years ago. The major highway works should have been finished last year, and the new station would have been externally complete this year. They must have had their fingers crossed. The tragedy is not just the extra years of misery to be endured by us (and all the other communities along the line), but the inevitable cost spiral, & the delay in ever getting a benefit from the line. The MPs, who should have been monitoring all this, have been distracted. The new-found enthusiasm for cutting tax might cause second thoughts about the way HS2 should be funded. After all, the last time everything was up in the air as a result of the Brexit vote the business case for HS2 didn't convince everyone. What swung it, according to a piece in the Sunday Times, was "Johnson was warned by Tory donors with links to the construction industry that cancelling HS2 would result in 400 construction firms going out of business" . HS2's value for money has always been contentious, and we need look no further than the new roundabout on the way to Balsall Common to spark doubt about the decision-making process. It alone has cost the public around £5 million, but where's the return? The only possible benefit is to facilitate development to the north of Balsall Common, but ordinarily, it would be the developers who pay for road changes. Perhaps the new PM and cabinet should draw a line under everything done so far, and let the construction companies raise the capital to finish the job. They could be rewarded with a fair share of the revenue from operating HS2, and it might give them an incentive to work more efficiently and get the job finished.

Drop in Sessions We will be holding drop-in sessions in locations around Solihull every Thursday from 2pm to 5pm including in Meriden Village Hall. A member of your local Community Engagement team will be on hand to meet you and answer any questions. T hursday of the month Chelmsley Wood Library, Chelmsley Wood Shopping Centre Second Thursday of the month Hampton in Arden The Hampton Gym, Old Station Road Third Thursday of the h Meriden The Village Hall , Main Road 15th Sept, 20thOct, 17th Nov. Fou

rth T hursday of the month Balsall Common Library, Kenilworth Road

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120 odd years ago, Joseph Chamberlain said: “we are living in most interesting times. so full [of] new objects of interest, and new objects for anxiety.” It's a pity the only prospect of serious change comes when our politicians have worked themselves into a collective tiz. Richard Lloyd Chairman H of E High Speed Railway Action G

Public Rights of W ay (PRoW) We have been collaborating with Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and local walking groups to reopen and divert as many public footpaths as we can during construction. We recently reopened PRoW M216 next to Sixteen Acre Wood and we will soon be diverting PRoW M214 at Park Lane.

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To protect the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) the HS2 route will be on an elevated viaduct structure as it passes over the River Blythe and its floodplain. We will shortly be inviting you to attend an engagement event in the village where you’ll have the opportunity to talk to our experts about the design, landscaping, and community amenities around the viaduct. You will be able to see maps and plans of the viaduct, ask our experts questions and explore the plans in more detail. You’ll then be given the opportunity to feed into the next phase of the design process. In May, we held a similar event at the Berkswell Royal British Legion about the Balsall Common Viaduct. Around 200 local residents came to discuss the plans with our expert design, engineering and construction team We are now reviewing their feedback and it would be great if we could get a similar (or even bigger) level of interest from Meriden & Hampton-in-Arden.

Lavender Hall Lane Berkswell CV7 7BN 01676 530 299 / 07949 119 436 Cafe open to the public from 8.30am – 1.30pm 7 days a week Serving hot and cold food Specialising in an all-day Breakfast Gates open at 7.30am close at dusk We look forward to serving you all again in our Covid safe environment Welcome Back! *Dog Walker * Pet Sitting Services DBS Checked, Insured & Pet First Aid Qualified Email: tilliestailwaggingwalkies@gmail.com Website: www.tilliestailwaggingwalkies.co.uk Rural Group Walks, Individual Solo Walks, Puppy Visits & Pet Sitting Contact Dawn NOW to book your dog in Telephone :07825 684 539 Richard Naughton Bespoke Joinery *WINDOWS* *DOORS* *PORCHES* *STAIRS* *GREEN OAK PORCHES*T raditional and contemporary bespok e work Free quotes Call 33881407836 and leave a message richardnaughton@live.co.uk Tippers Hill, Fi llongley CV7 8DJ

PUZZLE PAGE – N o. 13 We hope that you enjoy doing these puzzles. I f you want the answers, ju st email me chrisbannister56@ aol. com If you can offer any puzzles please send th em to me. Thanks. WORDWHEEL Using only the letters in the wheel, find as many words as possible, none of which can be plurals, foreign words or proper nouns. Words must be at least 3 letters and must contain the letter O. Letters can only be used once in each word There is a least one 9 letter word 4 SQUARE Solve the 4 clues, then rearrange the 16 letters into a phrase (Clue is ‘loser’s award’ The 2 diagonals also make 4 letter words

Bablake H ouse, Birmingham Road, Millison’s Wood Meriden CV5 9AZ Tel :0167 6 5236 89 ww.bablak ehouse.co.uk Bablake House Our respite care can be just what you need

No F Ov experience J B Decorators and Property Services General P roperty maintenance Insurance Work Undertak en Domestic and Commercial Work Plastering Coving Carpentry Work Tilin g Call for a free quote 07966186957 JimmyBailiedec@hotmail.com 147 Elmdon Lane, Marston Green 07542 733152 For all your motoring needs AB SERVICES Servicing Diagnostics Repairs All work undertaken No job too small Modern Vehicles to Classics Fully mobile Call Alex on 07542 733152 Quote ‘Meriden Mag’ for 10% labour discount BUBBLE S HAND CAR WASH Quality Hand Car Cleaning Find us off the A45 in Meriden Phone 07538 238 005 Open 9.00am - 7.00pm, 7 days a week Price depends on car size but starts from £7 for wash and leather dry, or £14 for inside and out, including full vacuum, windows and dashboard. Please note that we only accept Cash Please be aware th at the entrance from Shepherds Lane is closed. This means that motorists from Meriden need to dri ve to t he Stonebridge Island and U-turn b ack towards Meriden to access us from the A45. LOCKSMITH Lee Clements & S ons 01676 5782 78 Full Mobile Locksmith S erv ice All locks changed supplied and fitted Garage Locks / H igh Security Locks Extra Security / Window Locks / Key Cutting Full locking mechanisms replaced/serviced New handles / Dropped doors re aligned Visit our shop for key cutting and lock sales & service – based at 473 B eake Avenue Coventry CV6 2HT UPVC D oor Problems www.facebook.com/budgensmeriden Opening ho urs:Weekdays 6.00am-10.00pm Weekends 7.00am 10.00pm Inclu ding Bank Holidays Free delivery on orders over £20. Call us on 01676 522287

Sometimes we need to be encouraged to keep persevering in our walk with the Lord. When we feel as though the Lord is a long way off, or we feel our prayers aren't being answered, or when we talk to him but feel we are not being heard or getting any response. It is then we need to make a choice to keep persevering to trust that he is close by and that he does hear us. If there are times when he doesn't seem to reply, we need to have faith that his timing is always best and that if we don't understand all that is happening, our assurance is that we know that he does.

It might be that you are experiencing a difficult time in your life and that you have tried to call out to God but feel you have not had any response and that he feels distant and far off. I want to encourage you to keep persevering. If you want others to pray with you or for you, then please get in touch we would love to hear from you. David did come through this difficult time in his life he had faced difficulties before and he would do so again but he persevered and knew that God was with him even when at times it felt as though he wasn't. I pray that you will know his Presence and his peace whatever your situation at this time, with love, Jane We will be celebrating our Harvest Festival on 9th October in a joint service with St Laurence held at the Methodist Church. We would love to see you there. Our Harvest Supper Club is on Friday 7th October with a meal at 7pm followed by Anne Harrison who will be speaking at about 8.15. Tickets cost £8.00 and are available from Mary Warr. If you are around on the second Friday of every month between 2 and 4 it would be lovely to meet you over a cup of coffee or tea at the Pavilion. In Meriden John Moorhouse 23rd May 1934 30th June 2022 John was the youngest of ten children having five brothers and four sisters. He was born in Villa Street, Aston, Birmingham, so it was no surprise that he grew up as a lifelong Aston Villa fan, he used to attend matches regularly. When John left school, he joined the army Army and during his National Service he became a corporal in the Tank Regiment at the age of 18 and served in Germany during the Cold war. While he was in the forces, John was privileged to meet Her Majesty the Queen. John met his wife Margaret at a dance hall on Dudley Road Birmingham and they married in 1957. John and Margaret had one daughter Lynn and the family first lived in Coventry. In 1976 John moved to Meriden, and set up his own business ‘Moorhouse Services’ cleaning windows and offices, and later in his life became a member of the Royal British Legion, which was one of John’s passions, we will all remember him selling poppies in the village for Remembrance Sunday, and he took a very active part in the village services at the wayside cross every November. During his long and active life John also had the privilege of meeting Mohammed Ali and Henry Cooper, though hopefully not in the boxing ring!

Minister Rev. Jane Braund Tel: 01676 533737 Please phone to arrange marriages, baptisms and funerals Services: Sunday 10:30am. Greetings from the Methodist Church

Sometimes we can feel that God is very distant. It can almost feel as though God has hidden his face and we feel cut off from him and that he is not close by. Yet the Bible tells us that he is always close by and that our walk with him is not about how we feel and our emotions but about trust in him that we walk by faith and not by sight.

D the Summer my sister from New Zealand has been staying with me. It is the first time we have seen each other in 3 years. Like many families, the covid pandemic has kept us apart and it has been so lovely to see her and it feels as if all we have done is talk It was great to spend some time with her and know that when she left, she was only going to be in Kent and not thousands of miles away for another couple of months at least anyway.

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John died of senile dementia at Heartlands hospital and his funeral was held at St. Laurence Church on Friday 15th July; the service was conducted by the Reverend Lynda Lilley who kindly returned for the occasion. The service was followed by cremation at Yardley.

In Psalm 42 we see King David having a very difficult time. The son he loves is trying to have him killed and David has to flee for his life. He questions where God is in it all. This Psalm, along with others, shows us that it is ok to be honest with God. It might feel at times in our life as though waters are crashing down on us, taking our breath away, pulling us under and we can tell God that is how we feel. But the point is that David doesn't leave it there. He fights for his faith 'God is going to get me through' , he says, ‘my hope is in God' and so this difficult time becomes a testimony of the faithfulness of God and David's faith in God.

John leaves behind his daughter Lynn, grandchildren Rebecca, David and Frances who sadly died in February this year. He also had 6 great grandchildren all boys! Lynn would like to add “He will be trul y missed and thank you to everyone for comin g to the funeral, I was so lucky and proud to have him as my Dad.”

Over the past couple of years young people from the Meriden Explorers Unit have followed a variety of routes including become apprentices with companies such as Jaguar Land Rover, joined the military, taking up places at colleges and universities. So should any young people between the ages of 14 and 18 be interested in becoming Explorers in Meriden do contact us on Monday evenings.

Beaver Scouts (6 to 8 years old, Mondays)

Looking to the future:

Without the leadership team we would not be able to do any of the above events/activities, enabling us to keep to our values and traditions of Scouting in Meriden. Lynda will be taking up a district role next term and in need of parents to come forward to help run the Cubs and Group as a whole. We have 47 families on the group yet only two of the leaders are parents of children in the group. Even if you have never been a Scout or Guide, you will have the skills to help keep Meriden growing, please contact us: Eleanor, Lynda, Mark, Gerry (email: g.j.russells@gmail com )

As leaders we endeavour to teach the five values of Scouting, Integrity, Respect, Care, Belief and Co operation, whilst providing a full and varied programme to educate and stimulate along with encouraging team building and team spirit, so what did we do….?

he past few months have been a busy period for the whole Scout Group. There have been lots of highlights for all the sections Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers. One event that involved all of the sections was the Warwickshire Scout County Cam p called GET-IN. This is an event that normally takes place every 4 years. This year the camp was held at Ragley Hall over the weekend of 20-22nd May 2022 This was a fabulous camp, there were 51 young people from the different sections along with 16 adults, all sleeping under canvas and all needing feeding. A lot of the Beavers and Cubs had never camped before but all things considered they all coped remarkably well. There were almost 5000 camping over the weekend. There were two days of packed activities divided into six zones: INvigorate: INternational: INdustrialise: INtime: INflame & INthewater. Amongst the activities there were: making full scale bridges with Birmingham University to rowing with the Sea Scouts there was so much to do, pushing everyone to their limits in more ways than one sometimes! Roll on the next jamboree in four years’ time Another special event was this year’s Trooping the Colour in London held on June 2nd, where a number of Group members had the opportunity to attend. Lynda our Cub Scout Leader was one of those who attended with members of Atherstone District Scouts and Warwick District. She noted that sometimes you get rewarded for your efforts and on the 2nd June, we were on the invite list to watch the Trooping of the Colour as part of the Queens Platinum Celebrations In my scouting career this was in the top five. Starting at 3.15am at a service station in Atherstone we were bussed into the over-filling London, so many people so many flags! Escorted to the youth enclosure we were in touching distance of the parade, on the edge of Horse Guards Parade. Once the formalities were done, we followed the procession down the Mall and stopped underneath the gates of Buckingham Palace to watch the air display and the young royal faces, it was epic in being part of such an historical day. As a Scout Group we are looking to raise funds to help to update the Scout Hut. A Group Fun Day was held on Saturday 18th June. This was the brain child of one of our new fundraising committee members Sara, a new event to try and raise money for the refurbishment of our aging hut. Teddy Tombola, bottle stall, cake stand, hook a duck, human fruit machine just to name a few, hand on heart the event was so well attended considering the weather was not kind to us and anyone who left with money in their pockets was lucky. A big thankyou to the fundraising team and leaders, raising a massive £795. Our next Fund-Raising event is planned for the evening of 9th September, we are arranging an evening of food and fun.

Cub section (8 to 10.5 Years old, Thursdays)

Like the other sections the Scouts attended the GET IN camp where there were many activities to suit their age range. The Scouts were able to practise their fire protection skills with the Warwickshire Fire Brigade, use their artistic skills, backs-wood fire lighting and cooking, safe use of axes and generally have a great time. They have undertaken their Scouting skills under the watchful eye of Mark who has a wealth of Scouting knowledge and experience.

Explorer section (14 to 18 years old, Mondays)

Currently there are only a few Explorers at Meriden as the older members have moved on to become young Leaders in the other Meriden sections.

1st Meriden Cubs has grown from strength to strength again this term running at full capacity with a waiting list.

Well, we started off with another new badge from The Scout Association Disability Awareness, this involved getting the cubs to do normal everyday things like buttering a sandwich but one handed and with their less dominant one, just to make it a little harder- that was messy! Finding things in the dark and doing an assault course blindfolded all good fun but we also talk about the purpose of why we are doing these activities, we learnt about Louis Braille and then they each researched into other less able people who have become famous: Ade Adepitan, Stevie Wonder, Stephen Hawking, Ellie Simmonds & Jonnie Peacock to name a few. We completed the athletics badge over two weeks, you’ll be amazed how badly a cub can throw a ball let alone a leader try and catch it but apologies to the committee who were holding a meeting at the Sports Pavilion whilst we were on the field, it’s not easy keeping 22 excited cubs quiet � Some of the older ones had the opportunity to join the Scouts paddling with Solihull Canoe Club at Catherine De Barnes, great fun and thankfully not too many ended up in the cut! We finished the term with litter picking around the village, like a military operation, four groups were sent off in separate directions to pick as much rubbish with their bags and grabbers, now I thought this really wouldn’t go down that well, slave labour etc etc but it worked, they loved it and were rewarded for their efforts in the form of ice-creams at the Co-op, phew! Last session. Water activities, aka, water fights, all good fun and helped by the warm weather.

1st Meriden Scout Group and Explorer Unit News from the Green Hut T

Scout section 10.5 to 14 years old, Tuesdays)

The Beaver section has continued to have a full programme of badge work and Scouting activities over the period, under the guidance of Eleanor and Scott. Many of the young Beavers had their first camping experience at the County camp in May, where a great time was had by all. The Beavers will restart in September at the start of the new school year. If there is additional adult support, we may be able to take in a number of those from the waiting list.

Under 13s Our U13 Lions took part in their first Christ the king Gala invitational tournament on the 9th of July, in what was the much-anticipated return of the event after a 3-year absence due to the pandemic. The team played in a fast paced 6 a side format against some very talented local teams, the majority being from the higher leagues from around Coventry. Our Lions gave a very respectable account of themselves, finishing 4th in the group with a record of 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats.

The weather was glorious, the players played their hearts out and their families and friends and managers all praised their determination and efforts on the day! A massive well done to all involved. Our Pre-season is now well under way as the squad looks to kick off the new season with a bang in early September

Under 10 Navy Under 10 Navy are at the stage of development where they move up to 9 a side football as they become under 11’s. This is a big transition for the players as they contend with bigger pitches and goals as well as taking into account the addition of offsides. The squad continues to develop as the players enjoy every minute of training and matches. Everyone is looking forward to the start of the new adventure in September.

We are keen to establish additional teams at various age groups and would love a girls’ team. We would encourage an yone who has an interest in coaching a team or just helping out to get in touch. All the s upport, guidance and advice will be given and we are a friendly bunch and want to ensure the club can grow. For any further information on Meriden Lions or to discuss sponsorship opportunities please get in touch with Bryn Williams Chairman at Meridenlionsfc@outlook.com

The teams in our club have all now finished their respective seasons, and attention now turns to preparations for the new campaign, beginning in September. Each team steps up an age group, and some will experience big changes. New players have also been welcomed to the club across all age groups. Little Lions Little Lions continues to be going from strength to strength with more Lions coming along each week. The next step for some of the Little Lions will be to start playing in a team and we are hoping that we can get enough volunteers to make this happen. Please get in touch if you are interested in helping at the club.

The Little Lions have been turning up in their numbers throughout the summer, through all weathers, and always leaving with smiles on their faces after a fun morning. Coach Andy, leading the Little Lions has fantastic feedback from children and parents alike on the fun and engaging sessions providing a perfect first introduction to football.

Under 10 Whites Meriden Lions Under 10 White have now moved up an age group to under 11 for the new season. This has meant that we now play on larger pitches, have larger goals and go from 7 a side to 9 a side. We have played several pre-season friendlies to get the team used to the change in format which is a huge change from what the team have been used to. The team have played brilliantly well in friendlies, and it has been a pleasure to see them adapt and change to the new format. We have increased our squad from 11 to 13 players, and the two new players are settling in well. Our friendly squad has welcomed them with open arms. The season starts again, in early September, and we will be playing in tier 3 of 6 tiers in the Coventry league. Players and coaches alike can’t wait for the season to start!

The under 13s Christ t he King Gala

Our under 15’s pre-season preparation is also well underway. The players have been putting in maximum effort in training as they look to start the new season in September in top form. They will hopefully be playing some friendly matches across the remainder of the summer to fine tune and get that match fitness back!

The squad says goodbye to a couple of players who have decided to move on, we wish them well. This means that two new faces will be joining, these are exciting additions who will freshen up the team for the new season.

Under 15s

Establish New Teams and Grow M eriden Lions

We are still settling into our new location on Maxstoke Lane, after HS2 forced us to relocate. We are keen to recruit some new members. For information on joining the C lub or advice on getting started in the hobby, please contact us via our website www.hoeaflyers.clubwe’re always happy to help Terr y Dingley Aerial photography Many thanks to Terry for the great local aerial photos in this Mag. Meetings are held on the first Monday of the month 7:30pm at Meriden Village Hall, Main Road CV7 7NG make a d ifference in your community by joining the largest women’s organisation in the U.K. Whatever your reason for joining, we offer all kinds of opport unities: a chance to meet people, catch up w ith friends, learn valuable life skills or help your community through WI campaigns. We h ave been supporting local community events by hosting Tea and Cakes at the Cyclists’ Memorial and the Commonwealth Games Baton relay (pic 3) through M eriden and we ran a Tombola Stall at the Jub ilee celebrations (pic2). Our ladies have been going on local guided walks and meeting up at local venu es for lunch. We w ill soon b e having regular book club meetings at the Library and our Games afternoons will be starting up again in September. If you fancy a game of darts or getting crafty, these group s will also be commencing soon. Coming up soon, at our regular Monday meetings, we w ill be having talks from an expert on wills and lasting powers of attorney as w ell as the Mayor of Solihull. For more information, please contact us via email meridenwi @hotmail. com or call Samm Bain on 07739 972046 or Della Mannix on 07920 014909 Meriden Women’s Institute 1918 – 2022 The WI has been part of the Meriden Community since 1918 As part of the WI, you will forge friendships, learn new skills and 3 2 4 The Village Hall decorated for the WI Jubilee Tea Part 4y 1 1 Flower Arranging demo at our Jubilee tea party meeting

We meet at the Village Hall, usually on the 4th Friday of each month at 2 4 pm Please contact Joan Tel: 01676 522666 for more information. Everyone is very welcome. In August we enjoyed our annual lunch at the Queens Head It doesn’t seem like a year since Ellen joined us We loved seeing her. As we know, she has passed but we have fond memories of the day

Contact numbers Sue 01676 522540 Carol 01676 522888 Email MeridenCRUK@gmail.com CAMEO – Come and Meet Each Other Did you know that Cancer Research UK is celebrating its 20th birthday this year? It was formed in 2002 (as was the new Euro coin with Will Young topping the charts with “Anything Is Possible”) from the merger of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund and the Cancer Research Campaign. These celebrations made us think abo ut o ur volunteering history and it is with pride that we can say that there has been a Cancer Research volunteer group in Meriden for 70 years, the first fund raising appeal being dated 22 nd March 1952, just after the Queen succeeded to the throne The old handwritten records are fascinating more on this in the next Meriden Mag! Over those 70 years an amazing £485 ,080 has been raised A huge thank you to everyone, past and present, who has helped and supported us over all these years it is such an achievement Despite the near washout of the village Jubilee weekend celebrations, our coconut shy managed to raise £125 and, most importantly, stopped our volunteers having to eat over 40 coconuts! Shortly afterwards we were all sweltering in the heatwave in late July Funny summer eh? We hope we are all able to enjoy some more late summer sunshine, but would remind everyone to take care Skin cancers can be dangero us and death rates for men in the UK have more than tripled since the early 1970’s. UK women’s rates have also increased, but “only” by 76 % over the same period. Into the autumn; o ur first event on Tuesday 6 th September is a coach trip to Tutbury Castle (via a shopping opportunity in Lichfield), to enjoy a marvellous cream tea and be entertained by Lesley Smith in the guise o f Nell Gwynne At the time o f going to press a few tickets are still available at £30 each On Sunday 16th October o ur “In the Pink & Blue” evening will be held at the Manor Hotel. In this Jubilee year Lesley will be royally entertaining us again, this time as Queen Elizabeth I. Doors open at 6.30pm, turn up early as there will be plenty o f shopping opportunities with a raffle, tombola and a variety of stalls selling many interesting gifts including Christmas cards, toiletries, jewellery and a variety of craft items. Tickets cost £12.50 each and always sell quickly. Please contact Sue, Carol, or any Committee member for tickets to these events Finally, a date for your diary is our Christmas bash at the Heart of England Social Club which will be held on Saturday 10th December. As usual the committee looks forward to welcoming you to all or any of our events and in the meantime wish you an azure autumn with a kaleidoscope of colours in our neighbourhood trees and gardens!

In July we had our annual strawberries and cream afternoon where we shared a poem or saying that we find funny or interesting. Something that had made us smile or moved us to tears. It’s a lovely couple of hours where we shared our thoughts but most of all we ate strawberries

In June - we had a day out to Middleton Hall near Tamworth The tour of the house was fascinating it has a very long history and several owners of interest The colourful walled garden was superb with a variety of plants. There was also a beautiful lake covered in water lilies not yet in flower but that will be a sight to behold when they are. There were a variety of little shops to enjoy All in all, a fabulous day

Autumn Greetings from Sue, Carol and the Meriden Committee!

Autumn Meetings are planned as follows:September 30th later than usual Ken and Stephanie Sherlock will tell us of their trip to New Zealand. They are no strangers to us as they regularly tell us of their exploits It is always so entertaining. October 28th Christine Jones is coming to talk to us about “The Chatter Box Mag.” You may or may not have heard of it It is an interesting magazine and Christine will tell us how it came about November 18th earlier than usual. Colin and Fey Holtum will tell us of “Ken Ya Believe it“ . Well, you have to come and hear just what that means. Sounds interesting to me.

The December meeting will be at the earlier date of the 9th Dec.

Berkswell & District History Group Wednesday 19th October “Postman’ s Knock.” An Illu strated talk by Alan Godfrey. The development of the postal service in England from the 16th to 20th Centuries. Meetings are held in th e Village Hall, Station Rd., Balsall Common. Please arriv e by 2 p .m. for a 2:15 start. Entry is £5 for non-members and free to members. Why not join the Histor y Group? Membership is onl y £15 per annum and you can join at any meeting. Have you looked at our web site? www berkswell h istory.org Our programme for the rest of 2022 is available there. M.J. M owing martin@mjmowing.co.uk Grass Cutting Hedg e Cutting Pruning Strimming Weed Control – P esticide Licensed L eaves Cleared N o J ob Too Small Competitive Prices Call Martin for a F ree Quote 07922 24 1 181 Larc h Tree Osteopathic Practice We offer a gentle and effective method of pain relief, s uitable for adults and children. Can help many conditions, including joint pain, arthritis, sciatica and sports injuries. Liam Halton B.S c. (Hons) Ost, 49 Larch Tree Ave. Tile Hill , COVENTRY CV4 9FT www.larchtreeost.co.uk TEL: 024 7647 0019DOGGY DAY CARE Days, weekends or lon ger. In our home – stress free, non kennel environment. Only limited numb ers of friendly dogs at any one time. Highly experienced show exhibitor /trainer and dog breeder. Ex cellent affordable rates. TEL: 01676 5224 66 (Meriden) “A truth that’s told with ba d intent beats all the lies you can invent.” –William Blake

Josie the Spy – A short story by David Deanshaw of Balsall Common Writers Group

“Mrs Parker,” they began, “we are urgently in need of a location which overlooks the front door of a house opposite. Do you know who lives at number 37? Also, are they friends of yours?” “ Oh no, not friends at all,” she replied with a gasp. “I think they work shifts, perhaps at the airport because they wear dark blue overalls. They only come home during the night. They’re very careful not to slam doors, I must say. But they don’t have any milk delivered, or post or papers, for that matter. Sometimes there is a light burning in the cellar, even during the day.” “Mrs. Parker,” the tall one replied. “I am sure that we have found the right neighbour to carry out a short spying mission for us. Are you willing to have a camera mounted in your attic, with its lens trained on number 37?” “ Oh isn’t this exciting. Why do you want to do this?” “ Now Mrs Parker, this is a secret operation and we do not expect you to tell anybody about what you are doing or why we have asked you to carry out this mission for us. Do you understand?”

“Now tell me exactly what you want me to do.” “Well it is important that we get pictures of what they are doing. We have had a man in the street for a few days now and he had nothing to report. That may be because they have suspected that they are being watched. This is a simple camera with a special night vision lens. We will set it up on a tripod to keep it steady in your attic. All you have to do is watch for when the door opens, click this button two or three times. Then we want you to use this special mobile phone, press these three buttons which will call us. ” “Are you going to tell me why you are doing this?” “Not until afterwards, when we come to give you your money, we will tell you what it has all been about. And then you can tell your friends, but not before. Is that all right?”

Now one week on from that strange day, she had done everything the two strange men had asked and made the call. Within just a few minutes, she could hear a siren and the street was full of police cars. Number 37 was surrounded; the door was smashed in and later four men wearing dark blue overalls were led out to a police van.

Josie carefully peeled back the grimy net curtain and stared out of her attic window. She did so, because she had noticed that the front door of number 37 across the street had opened at last. She stood behind the mounted camera, looked through the view finder and clicked three times. The street lights were some distance away so the clandestine activities she had just witnessed were only just visible. What she saw caused a sharp intake of breath. Two men were struggling to carry a long bag wrapped in a dark grey material along the short garden path. Then they dropped it casually into the back of a white van parked on the road outside the house. It must have been really heavy because she heard a dull thud even though her house was thirty metres away. She reached for the special phone with dithering hands. Nervously she pressed three buttons as she had been instructed. A voice answered with one word “speak.” She did so in hushed tones and reported, “ They are leaving now!” She sat down on the chair nearby and was surprised just how breathless she felt as she put the phone down, so much excitement! At last she could relax. Her job was done. It had all been such a surprise. A week earlier, two men, one very tall, the other sort of average height, both dressed in trench coats had arrived at her door. They showed a form of identification she had not been able to make out fully because she had answered the door wearing her TV glasses. They had introduced themselves as “Special Services” people and asked that they should be invited inside.

“Oh I’m sure that I will be able to keep a secret just for a week is it? OK. So long as I can tell my neighbours afterwards. Everyone at bingo will be really interested.” “Mrs Parker, the whole nation is relying on you to be helpful to us. When the mission is finished we will then release you from your agreement.” “ What agreement?” she asked with surprise. “Oh didn’t we tell you. We have a document here like the Official Secrets Act which you have to sign. Print your name and then sign on the line below.” “Will I get paid for this?” Josie’s interest was pricked by this thought. “Oh I’m sure that we could justify something like a week’s rent, if you really insist.” “ Oh, I do. Well I pay the Council £300 a week for this small house, so could it be two weeks rent? Please!” The short one looked up at the tall one, they both nodded and Josie was overjoyed.

“

And you promise that I can tell all the girls at bingo when it’s all over?” “Yes you can.” The prospects of being the centre of attention at bingo, AND having six hundred pounds in her purse gave her a frisson of expectation.

Later, another large police van arrived and several long bags were loaded, all in the same dark grey plastic wrapping.

Josie Parker had played her part in busting a gang of carpet rustlers.

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My Education I began Infant school in Birmingham and loved it but, six weeks after the war ended, in mid-June 1945, we moved back to the country, though it meant cycling a round trip daily of about 9 miles, in all weathers ,to Walmley. With houses in short supply owing to demobilisation of armed forces, we were fortunate to rent one belonging to a farming relative Here I met prisoners of war and improved my spoken German. Soon though we were on the move again when our rented house was needed for a farm worker so, within two months we had moved to Meriden. I recall feeling a sense of pride when a boy at my school said, ' Meriden? That's the Centre of England isn't it? ‘ Once more, I needed to cycle from Meriden via Stonebridge, Coleshill and Water Orton to Walmley. I took the two parts of the 11+ in Nov 1947 and Feb 1948 and was the only girl to win a scholarship to Sutton Coldfield Girls' High School that spring, placed 4th out of 90 new entrants. I knew no one there when I started in Sep 1948 aged 11. No provisions were made in those days to help new pupils like me in a strange environment without friends and there were no other pupils from Meriden We moved to Meriden Green in March 1952, making it easier to travel by Midland Red bus to Sutton At home, I used to talk to neighbours about their earlier lives in Meriden, and so began

My Autobiography (by local historian Doreen Agutter) Doreen at home AugustCommonBalsallinin2022

My Career My first teaching post was at Coundon Court School. I also learned to drive a van and got a second-hand car after passing my driving test. I was promoted 3 times in 6 years at Coundon and saved enough for a deposit on a house. I bought one in Balsall Common in 1966 and moved jobs at the same time, something I would not recommend. My new post was at George Dixon School Edgbaston Birmingham, as Head of History but the following year I was promoted to be in charge of the VI form and then third in staff seniority. We became coeducational. I loved the work there but in 1975, the Birmingham Education Authority changed its plans, developing the then popular Comprehensive system and moving promising staff to other locations. I became Senior Mistress then Deputy Head at a mixed school on a split site in Acocks Green, where I stayed for the rest of my working life, though I was urged to and did apply for a Headship. Family We had very few relations, just an aunt, uncle and a few cousins. I had not considered getting married, but I met Rodney my husband on Berkswell railway Station in the

The Shaftes Springe

my study of real local history. At 15, I passed 9 O levels and at 18 won a State Scholarship for University Entrance with a mark of 95% in History. I read a combined Honours degree in Archaeology and History gaining a 1st and a 2:1 respectively. State Scholarships were rare, and would have enabled me to stay at University to study for a Doctorate (PhD) but that would have meant a further 3 years without enough income on which to live. I had always worked in my spare time at Tuckey’s shop on the Green and in the house from age 14 to 22 but after graduation, I moved to Birmingham University to gain a Teacher’s Diploma and then begin professional employment.

Packington. My mother was from Sutton Coldfield and knew little of country life After school she had been to college to learn office skills, preparing to work in her father's business My father, a professional soldier, had been abroad for 7 years but was a country man from near Lichfield. An only child, I was born during a thunderstorm on 9th July 1937 in a private Nursing Home, 'Stella Maris' (Star of the Sea) in Erdington, Birmingham. Dad's elder sister, who qualified as a nurse and midwife at Liverpool Royal Infirmary before the Great War (1914-18), recommended it as she was the District Nurse. During my first 5 years we lived a peripatetic life in 5 different places. My father was taken seriously ill in 1941, volunteering as a 'guinea pig' at Birmingham General Hospital where he was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. My mother became the bread winner, working in the wages department of a large factory office for over 3 years. She was a fine artist, very sociable and loved poetry, gardening and German. Her family background was most interesting. They had a coat of arms and, for 100 years, owned the manor of Honiley. When aged 6 I asked her what our family was doing in Tudor times, she gave me some details which I later proved were accurate. One of Queen Elizabeth's favourites, Sir Christopher Hatton, was a cousin Several C17th well born ladies on our family tree were mistresses of Charles 2nd!

Autumn of 1971. He had been a pupil at King Henry's School, Coventry and born in the City - a ' Coventry Kid' . I have often been asked to write my autobiography but did not think there was much of interest to record. I have decided to compile this account in view of my present age My Early Years. My parents, Ernest and Eleanor Webb, married in July 1931 moving that autumn to an Estate in South Staffs, owned by the Dyott family, rather like Lord Aylesford's at Great

elope and saw that I had been offered an MBE. I thought it was a scam saying “I can’t believe this!” But it was true, the citation saying ‘For history of Meriden and Warwickshire.” I have no idea who recommended me but it is just over 70 years since I began my hobby Doreen M.K Agutter, B.A Hons (Lond) History /Arc haeology, PGCE, MBE Doreen Agutter Autobiography continued Contact: lydiarobinsonswfa@gmail.com 07598 720839

On leaving school, he began a successful career with British Rail Transport with a fleet of lorries and many staff in his jurisdiction, working long hours. We married at St Laurence Church, Meriden in February 1974 where we still attended though no longer living in the village. I moved to his house in Berkswell parish where we remain. His mother lived with us till she died in 1987 Rodney is a published author and enjoys research in Transport history especially shipping and railways. My Retirement My parents became seriously ill and both died in 1993 I had retired, which gave me the opportunity to write and publish books and articles on local history as well as give lectures and guided tours. Shortly before Christmas 2021, Rodney called to me that the postman had delivered a letter from the Prime Minister's Office. I wondered what I had done wrong! I opened the env

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Meriden Flower Club YOUR LOCAL ARCHERY CLUB IN MERIDEN www.meriden-archery.org.uk Forthcoming Demonstrations & Practice Classes Monday 19th September –Simply Flowers by Alison Suffolk Monday 17th October – Flowers on Vacation by Elaine Stoner Monday 21st November – Practice Class by Joanna Davis Guests and new members are always welcome. For more information, please email meridenflowerclub@hotmail.com Meriden Floral Society celebrated the Queens Platinum Jubilee on Saturday 25th June with an afternoon tea followed by a flower demonstration by Lorena Dyer. A lovely afternoon was had by everyone who attended. Meetings are held at Meriden Village Hall 7.30 9.00pm on the third Monday of each month except for the Xmas meeting. Doors open at 6.30pm and entry fees are paid on the door. The Club hosts a wide range of local and national flower demonstrators, along with practice classes Guests are always welcome. Please see colour pages for more photos Meriden on Tour We give no excuses for focusing this edition’s update firmly on our junior archers. Over the summer, they’ve done us proud both in the UK and further afield At home, at the week-long national Archery GB Youth Festival in Lilleshall, Daniel Bowman, TerriAnn Firth, Amber Knowles and Beth Rhodes battled through the week and each brought back a medal many congratulations to all of them! Further afield, Meriden is proud to have had 5 archers selected to be part of the team representing Great Britain (GBR) at the European Youth Cup in Romania in July Edward Gray, Emelia Hughes, Monty Orton, Oscar Orford and James Woodgate. Meriden also had Victoria Duncan attending as an International Judge, and Philippa Lowe as Team Chaperone. Overall, a successful week for GBR with many medals won, new experiences gained and personal best performances in an international competition in incredibly hot weather! Our 5 archers will again represent GBR at the European Youth Championships which will be held in Lilleshall in August and we wish them all the very best of luck. Youth Festival - L-R top to bottom: Daniel, Terri-Ann, Amber, Beth European Youth Cup L R: Edward, Oscar, James, Victoria, Philippa, Monty, Emelia

Harvest apples, pears , potatoes and other vegetables Dig vegetable patch for the winter Plant out spring cabbages and leeks

Continue to feed and water pots, this will ensure you will enjoy extended flowering well into autumn Continue weeding the garden

Order bulbs to plant ready for next spring

Prune lavender and save to put in drawers and cupboards

Tidy up and keep the pond free of leaves

After the lavender has been picked, you will notice that fresh shoots are growing. Carefully pull away from the main stem with a heel of that stem Plant in a pot of potting compost and keep watered. After a while a new plant should start to grow. You can do the same with other plants. I have had good results with rosemary. Pass the plants on to your friends when the plants are potted in their own pots. Blackberry and apple. Cook separately and mix together when the apples are soft. If you do not like the pips sieve the blackberries before mixing. The mixture can be frozen in pots to use later in the year. It is lovely in breakfast cereal, made into crumbles or pies. Try pancakes with the fruit mixture topped with clotted cream Apples freeze well. Peel and slice them and place in lemon juice to prevent browning and pack in freezer bags and stew when thawed out. Some eating apples store well in a cool garage or shed and can be used up until Christmas.

Autumn in the garden 11 gardening jobs in preparation for Autumn

Take cuttings of lavender, penstemons and rosemary

Bramley apples keep well in bags in a cool place and can be used up to three months. Sloes can be used to make sloe gin for Christmas. 500g ripe sloes a 250g golden caster sugar 1 litre gin Rinse and pick over the sloes, then pat dry in a clean tea towel. Using a stainless steel fork or cocktail stick, prick the sloes and tip into a 2-litre glass jar, or divide between two smaller jars. Add the sugar and gin, then seal the jar. Shake well. Once a day for seven days, give the jar good shake. Store the jar in a cool, dark place and leave for two to three months. Line a plastic sieve with a square of muslin set over a bowl and strain the sloe gin through it. Decant into clean, dry bottles, then seal and label. The sloe gin is now ready to drink but it'll improve and mature over time so, if possible, make it one year to drink the next. Damsons are quite sharp but make a lovely jam. However if you don’t fancy extracting all the stones try damson jelly instead. As we are all looking at ways to cut back on spending, now is a good time to see what is available for free. The first thing that comes to mind is gathering blackberries, damsons and sloes in hedgerows. If you have fruit trees or know someone who has excess fruit, now is the time to freeze or preserve and use in the winter months

Thanks to Margaret Argyle for this lovely page

Deadhead roses, dahlias and other flowering plants

Trim hedges and perennials

Sarah Sharland Meriden and Millisons Wood Trees meridentreewardens@gmail.com

What we call THE wren should be referred to as the Euroasian wren; there are 87 other species in the family found in the Americas, and they are not all small! The first bird I saw in Costa Rica was wren shaped but appeared to be far too big and fat! I later identified it as a rufous naped wren, at 17cm and 36 grams a wren on steroids! Wrens are busy little creatures, constantly foraging in dark, damp places for spiders, beetles, flies and their larvae, moths, The wren’s call is crucial both in repelling and inviting others to their territory Weight for weight it’s ten times louder than a cockerel! To hear it’s “tic tic tic” alarm call use this link www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOhw9Sl1LgE, and for its lovely song (and dance) this, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouPPVBBOODI, and you may recognise it as you go out and about. The wren was viewed so fondly that it was shown on the smallest coin, the farthing (worth ¼ of an old penny) It features in many mythological stories, I like the one of how it earned the title King of the birds. The story is that the birds agreed their leader should be the one that could soar highest; the wren hitched a lift on the back of an eagle and when it had reached its limit took off and flew higher! Having done the Meriden tree page for several years, I’ve realised that there are a finite number of specific tree topics in Meriden I can focus on and I will soon start to run out! So, I’ve decided to widen my scope to include associated subjects. Fortuitously the Meriden Mag was offered some delightful bird photographs taken locally, including this wonderful wren, caterpillars, ants and occasionally seeds. If there’s water around they will sometimes paddle to get to small fish and tadpoles and their size enables them to explore holes and crevices inaccessible to other birds, particularly useful when other food sources are covered in snow. This habit gives rise to their scientific name “troglodytes” , derived from “trogle” meaning hole and “duo” to plunge in. The surname ‘Wren’ originates from the Anglo-Saxon word ‘wrœnno’ meaning lascivious which was apparently applied to people who were small, busy, quick and energetic, just like the little bird.

Trees and W of Meriden and Millison’ our trees, local wildlife and conservation in general, it would be great to hear from you. Collaborators ! Many thanks to Rich Copland for his beautiful photographs.

ildlife

very welcome

Wren’s preferred nesting habitat is the understorey of deciduous and mixed woodland but when population levels are high will use hedgerows and gardens. In areas where food is plentiful male wrens are often polygamous and will build several nests in their territory stout dome structures made of leaves, grass and other plant material. If a female likes the look of one she will line it with feathers and breeding will commence. The eggs are glossy white with fine dark spots; there are usually 5 to 8 in a clutch, which are incubated for 14 to 17 days before hatching and the young fledge after a further 15 to 20 days. Whilst in the mating season the male aggressively defends its territory, in a harsh winter he may invite others to join a communal roost to protect against the cold; lack of food and cold can reduce numbers by 80%; luckily the population recovers quite quickly

Rufous Naped Wren Wren’s Nest Wren’s eggs Farthing W Photograph by Rich Copland which has inspired this article; there’ll be more to follow. Many people are surprised to hear wrens are the most common British bird as they don’t often see them. They don’t realise they ’ve probably heard them frequently and those birds that you almost see, darting fast and low disappearing too quickly into the undergrowth, are very likely to be wrens. But if you do see them, they are unmistakeable. At 10cm and 10 grams, wrens are tiny (in the UK only gold and fire crests are smaller), but their shape is what makes them so recognisable. The short neck makes them almost a ball shape and then there’s the short tail jutting up from its back.

ren

s Wood Wren If you’re interested in

With thanks to Cha rlie Beaty For these lo vely pages Harvest 2022 is over and done wi th, which means the farming calendar begins again. I always think of September as the start of the farming year, as it’s when most of the c rops are planted and start their lifecycle. We grow several different crops here, to form a rotation. This means that each year each field has a different c rop growing in i t. If we tried to grow the same crops in the same field every year the plants w ould end up taking all the nutrients out of the soil, and nothing would grow. So, to stop this, we grow different crops in the fields each year, over a 5 or 6 year rotation. Each crop requires different nutrients to grow, s o by spreading them out we can manage the nutri ents in the soil better. The crops can also be beneficial to the soils, s o rotating them keeps the micro organisms healthy. Healthy soil micro organisms mean healthy c rops! Autumn time is when we start to think about lambing time again too. Wait, lambing time in Autumn? No, don’t worry I’ve not lost my mind! A female sheep (ewe) is pregnant for 21 weeks, so we must ensure that the ewes are mating with the males (tups) 21 weeks before we want them to lamb. But we have to think about it even earlier than that, as we must make sure the ewe is in the right c ondition before the tups are introduced. To do this, we make sure the ewes are grazing the nicest, lushest grass. This will help the ewes get pregnant quickly and will also increase the number of lambs they’re likely to produce. Ideally, we’d like each ewe to give birth to and rear two lambs. A ny more and she may struggle and the lambs will not thrive, or we’ll end up having to hand-feed them ourselves, which can end up being quite expensive!

The turnips can get HUGE!

The cows have spent the summer out grazing on the grass, but it’s pretty much run out now. Luckily, back in the summer we planted a forage c rop of tu rnips and kale f or them to eat! This will allow us to keep them ou tside for a couple more month s, rather than b ringing them int o the sh eds. T his year we had a very dr y spring and summer, w hich meant that we were very shor t on grass over the summer months. Because o f thi s, we haven’t managed to pr eserve as much grass to feed the cattle over the wint er as we usually do. So that we don’t run out of feed, we made sur e to plant plenty of turnips and kale for the cows to eat ou tside. Th e cows don’t mind being ou tside over th e winter at all.

Turnip Kale Rotation Nutrients Forage Can you find these word search words? Solution on page 45 Lambs Autumn Soil Graze Feed They grow a lovely thi ck hairy coat to keep them warm!

We finally got p erm ission to in clude th is ph oto of Pookie Tredell with th e Masterchef logo. We featured her great journey to the Masterchef final in our summer edition . Well done again to Pookie . Despite disappointing weather, we made the most of the Jubilee Celebrations. Meriden Floral Society Jubilee Afternoon tea Another of Terry Dingley’s great aerial photos of Meriden

Red A rrows Flypast for the opening ceremony of The Commonwealth Games Birmingham 2022 Thanks to Michael Miniham for many of th ese ph oto s

For information, Ruby has had the pre assessment ops on the 4th and 5th August, before having the operation on the 17th August....we couldn’t have gotten there without you!

People have pulled together and have had such a high level of urgency we have found ourselves getting quite emotional throughout this entire process.

We would just like to say a really warm heart felt thank you to you all. Val for hosting such a great afternoon tea, Sue and Steve for hosting the raffle.

Club, Meriden from 7:30. This is will wrap up on fund raising on great high. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts Emma & Nik nik.griffin@hotmail.uk mobile: 07807102619 I would like to say my own thank you to everyone who helped me organise such a special afternoon, I couldn’t have done it without you all – Sue & Steve, furniture movers and moral support. Pauline, Carole and Karen for waitressing and washing up and everyone who donated funds or made cakes. I am very proud to tell you that Meriden Rotary donated a cheque for £1000, The Firebird Singers gave a c heque for £500 and the afternoon itself raised an amazing £1100!! Special thanks To Sophie, Manager of the Co op on Meriden Green who donated all the strawberries!! Val Martin

We have a ticketed c harity night planned on Friday 16t h September at the Heart of England Social

We cannot tell you just how blown away we have been with people’s kindness from the village and beyond!

The kind and generous donation from Meriden Rotary club left us speechless!!

Ruby accepting a cheque from Phil Hughes President of Meriden Rotary ClubBy the time you read this Ruby will have had her operation and will hopefully be on the road to a full recovery. However, her parents will still have many expenses to cover, please donate if you can either on the just giving page or directly to Nik and Emma Message from Ruby’s parents Nik and Emma Griffin

Afternoon tea party to support Ruby’s campaign Ruby’s Story Ruby is 14 years and lives in Meriden. Prior to 2019 Ruby lead a really active life and swam comp etitively for Birmingham City and Solihull, training 4 5 times per week In April 2019 we noticed that her spine and hips were kinked and not straight. Ruby's mum knew the signs as she has Scoliosis. We referred Ruby to our local Doctor to seek guidance. This took some time before we physically got to meet with a back specialist in Birmingham Royal Orthopaedic hospital. For 2 years we have been waiting for the NHS to get an operation for Ruby's scoliosis. Over this time her spine has gone from 50% curvature to 70%. We sought private adv ice and decided to bite the bullet and inv estigate the private route as the NHS in Birmingham have continually pushed us back with delays, quoting there are other people more urgent. Covid really hasn't helped here either. We asked how much the operation would cost and was quoted 50 60k as an estimate, so we worked on how we could raise the funds re mortgaging the house and asking friends and family we thought we could just scrape to it. We spoke to the private hospital again on the morning of 17th of June and they said we can get Ruby in for the 17th of August. This would mean getting the operation before her 4th year in senior school and recuperation time before starting back in September. This would also mean the least disruption. We were buoyed and happy when telling our families. Later the private doctor came back and said the operation is actually £80,490. This knocked the wind from our sails. Therefore, we are crusading this campaign for Just4Children to help get us the £20,000 extra we now need to give Ruby the operation she needs. Her just giving page is: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/rubyssaviour

We are now over the £16k mark in just under a month this is truly incredible! Having not done anything like this before it has helped to have people like yourselves to steer us in the right direction

n QUALITY AND FUN CLASSES IN BALSALL COMMON and BERKSWELL!!! � Our professional and experienced instructor cares about each c lient and offers options to the exercises. � Class numbers are limited for your comfort and safety. Mondays – St. Peters Church Hall, Balsall Common 09:30 am RetroDanceFit 10:30 am Gentle Pilates and Stretch Mondays – Heart of England Sc hool Dance Studio 6:00 pm RetroDanceFit 6:55 pm Pilates Wednesdays Reading Rooms, Berkswell 09:30 am and 10:30 am Pilates 11:30 am Young at Heart – for the over 70s Visit the website www.positivefitnessuk co uk YOU’LL GET A VERY WARM WELCOME. FOR ANY QUERIES, PLEASE EMAIL POSITIVEFITNESSUK01@GMAIL.COM Or call Sally on 07778 124034 Hope to see you soon. T’ai Chi and Meditation and Relaxation Come and discover how the beautiful flowing movements of this ancient art can improve your wellbeing. Relax and enjoy simple calming relaxation and meditation techniques. Mondays 9.30-10.30am Meriden Village Hall Call Jacqui on 07703 345210 The perfect start to your day ………. Barkers Butts RFC Pickford G range Lane Coventry CV5 9AR Contact Emma on 07557521495 We also have 4 Adult sides 1st XV to Vets There is now a new and exciting women's team coached by an experienced group of players led by 11 Mini & Junior age group s from 6 16 years Girls teams U/11 U/15 U/18 Under 18 Colts Side Our facilities are 1st class and all our coaches are RFU Qualified and CRB checked T’ai Chi and Meditation and Relaxation Contact David Morris. 07557343639 Come and discover how the beautiful flowing movements of this ancient art can improve your well being. Relax and enjoy simp le calming relaxation and meditation techniques Come along to A warm welcome with Candy at Meriden Village Hall Zumba Thursday evenings 6.00 pm £5.00 per session Pilates Thursday evenings 7.00 pm £5.00 per session Enjoy both sessions for £8.00 Mondays 9.30-10.30am Meriden Village Hall Call Jacqui on 07703 345210 ZUMBA Zumba is a fun Latin inspired dance/exercise class suitable for all levels PILATES style conditioning A slower paced class for all over body conditioning to improve muscle tone, strength, balance and flexibility Please ring 0782 8 709650 For more information The perfect start to your day ..

information. www.seniorcaresupport.co.uk. Tel. Geraldine Davies on: 01564 743067 or email at: info@seniorcaresupport.co.uk SUPPORT IN SOURCING GOOD QUALITY CARE AT THE RIGHT TIME. IS THERE REALLY SUCH A SERVICE OUT THERE? Yes th ere is , and it ’s local to you too. Senior C are Support Services offer an empath etic and tailored approach to your indi vidual needs, holding your h and th roughou t the whole process. I am Geraldine Davies, a local senior care specialist, with many years’ experience workin g with o lder, frail adul ts. My knowledge of local care homes and domiciliary care agencies can b e in valuable wh en finding th e right care home, or domiciliary care in the home, for you or a loved one. Just h aving somebody there wh o understands how the care system can work for you or a family member, can be in valu able, whilst also cu tting the amount of hours you spend speaking with the wrong peopl e. Why not have an initial, confidential chat to see wh ether I can be of h elp to you, and take a loo k at my website for further information. www.seniorcaresupport. co.uk. Call me on 01564 743067 or email info@seniorcaresupport.co.uk

Call Dorothy on 0167 6 54 2471 To boo k your session! BALSALL COMMON U3A Thursday 1st September “Guide Dogs for the Blind” Thursday 6th October “Canal History and Heritage” A talk by Roger Butler. Thursday 3rd November –“A Day in the Life of a District Park Ranger” A talk by Mike Hinton. All meetings are held in St. Peter’s Hall, Holly Lane, Balsall Common at 2pm There is no c harge and prospective members are always welcome to attend. Please also look at our web site to see all our interest groups and what they are doing there’s something for everyone. www.balsallcommonu3a.org HURLEY MOTORCYCLES MOTORCYCLE MOT TESTING 01827 872489 East House F arm Hurley Lane Hurley Warwickshire CV9 2GY |D og Training | Residential training | |F ield hire of secure 10 acres Inc pond and woodlands| All our training is adapted and tailored around your dog’s individual needs. Individual or group classes are available by appointment and are fully flexible. Take a look at our Facebook page ‘Grangemead Training’ Call D orothy on 01676 5 42471 To book your Session!

Traditionally, Solihull had done little and to this day ships all domestic waste out of the Borough. In 2012 SMBC identified a number of locations across the Borough that would meet the need to contribute with the quarry area on Cornets End Lane being one. That is set within the 2013 local plan which regulates planning matters. We need oil refineries, sewage works, steel plants, car plants, power stations, wind farms and all the other facilities that our complex society uses. Meriden is not an island; we form part of that wider world. That does not mean that we should accept poor standards. I worked at 2 refineries set in national parks and poor operations were unacceptable.

“Stand up! Stand up” . Whispered the person next to me, as I started my maiden speech at full Council meeting. Much about this new role on Solihull Council is new and I am glad that I am part of a team. Already I have been helped by colleagues and seen teamwork deliver for Meriden Ward residents.

Messages from our Solihull District Councillors

The Quarries For a long while there have been concerns about the quarries and the recycling activities based there. First there is a fact that some will not like. About 15 years ago the Government made it very clear that every local authority must contribute directly to the recycling of waste.

There have been lots of complaints about one particular company A&A recycling. The 2017 (voluntary) environmental survey does not make good reading. I was worried and wanted to know what the new owners, AW Jenkinson Group, had been doing to improve. They operate to some good standards elsewhere and I wanted reassurance that A&A was going to be “levelled up” I came away from a recent meeting feeling better. A&A have made significant investment to improve and have been “grinding away” at the operational issues. There is still work that can be done and we were shown the latest thoughts which will go to their board later this year. Fingers crossed that their management’s proposals get approved. They would finish off the journey to acceptable operational standards. Being told is one thing, seeing is believing. We plan to visit the site in August. Once their plans are firmer, we suggested that they come to Meriden and present them at an exhibition. We expect that to happen before the end of this year. As a society we need to be “greener” Part of our ward had been designated to help with that but we have a right to best operational standards. To that end Meriden Parish Council has worked to re establish the Quarry Liaison group which stalled during Covid. That will have its first meeting in 2 years on 4th August. I will sit on that, as do SMBC officials and the Environment Agency. Best standards need to apply to all companies in the quarries, including their HGV fleets. One small thing everyone can do. A&A recycling have banned their vehicles from Meriden village. Any driver based in Meriden who flouts that rule (unless on a proper highway diversion) will be disciplined. If you see any such vehicles ideally take a picture or at least get the vehicle registration number and send it to me at andrew.burrow@solihull.gov.uk Cycle Lanes The dedicated cycle lanes between Meriden and Millison’s Wood are not popular with some. The lane separating “orcas” are the most unpopular thing and the picture shows one of the problems. They are an experiment designed to keep traffic out of the cycle lanes and will be reviewed after 2 years. Councillor Howell and I have fed residents’ concern to the Cabinet member responsible for the trails. We have pushed SMBC to keep the cycle lanes clean and fill the odd pot hole because no cyclist will use a confined lane if they cannot see the road surface. There has been initial success with that and if maintained we will see if cyclists use the lanes.

Andrew Burrow Ward Councillor

Andrew Burrow

Tony, Diane and Andrew

One issue raised with me was where to park if there is a cycle lane? What is the law? The answer received from the responsible SMBC official is ……………...treat the white line like a kerb. Park on the road to the right of it. You are allowed to park as long as you do not block the cycle lane, main highway or cause a hazard. It feels odd when you do it. But the cycle lane is just like a pavement and you should not park on that either. You need to be aware that you are breaking the law if you park in a cycle lane marked by a solid white line. My wife is Danish and they have cycle lanes all through their towns. After 30 years the Danes have got used to it. The cycle lane in our ward is a trial funded by the Government to see what works. This is a journey we are just starting. Please let me know of any new problems or failure to keep the lanes clean and pot hole free.

Abergavenn

Being a choir singer myself it was amazing to see how much you all put in to the organisation, professionalism of the performance and the enthusiasm of your choirmaster Andrew Smith, was amazing. I’m so pleased I made the effort as you certainly did not disappoint. The choirmaster, band, choir and soloists were outstanding from start to finish. I could see how the choirmaster pushed you all to give us, the audience, a brilliant afternoon leaving me wanting to come again. Fabulous afternoon and if you didn’t go, book your tickets for the next Concert you won’t be disappointed! I did see in the Firebird’s programme the money you, as a group, have given to charities doing these concerts. You must be all very proud of what you have achieved so far. Well done. D bbie Gaines. y S W es

outh

An update on the Number 89 Bus from Cllr Howell: I’d like to thank all the residents who signed my petition calling on Transport for West Midlands (TFWM) to reconsider the decision to stop the number 89 bus. This key service links Meriden village to Balsall Common and we had been advised the contract was due to be terminated in July. I presented this petition at our last ‘Full Council’ meeting and at the time of writing I have already received some communication back: TFWM have agreed to continue the bus until the end of August and have confirmed that no firm decision on the future of the route has been taken. I have also raised this issue with Andy Street who has agreed to meet with us and TFWM representatives to discuss public transport in our area. Some of you may be aware of the new ‘On Demand’ minibus that TFWM have recently launched; this is available to book on weekdays and links Meriden to Coventry and Balsall Common. We know not everyone is comfortable with this new service but, if TFWM decide not to renew the contract of the number 89, we want to work with the operator so that as many residents as possible are able to access it. I’d welcome your feedback on this, whatever your views. https://www.tfwm.org.uk/ plan-your-journey/ways-to-travel/b uses-in-the-west-midl ands/on-demand-busesin-the-west-midlands/ diane.howell@solihull .gov.uk An update from Tony Dicicco on speed limits I spoke with Paul Tovey about the road safety plans as part of the HS2 Road Safety funding. This will obviously have a big impact on road safety in Meriden as funding has been approved for average speed cameras in Meriden. This should help to reduce vehicle speeds in the centre of Meriden and also on roads leading into the centre such as Hampton Road and Fillongley Road. We, as your local councillors, are acutely aware of the issues posed by speeding drivers in Meriden and elsewhere in the borough. We are determined to stamp this out, working with the police and other local bodies such as Meriden Parish council. The new cameras are expected in 2023 and of course we must continue to use other measures such as police speed checks to deter speeding drivers in the meantime. tony.dicco@sol ihull.gov.uk We were delighted to see so many friends, old and new at our June concert at the Manor We ended our season 2021/22 by presenting a cheque for £2,500 to the year’s chosen charity ‘Headway’ and supporting Ruby’s campaign with a cheque for £500 We are now looking forward to our ‘Supergroups Volume 3’ concert on 18th September, again at the Manor. Tickets are £8 each and there are two performances 2 30 and 7 30pm This year our chosen charity is Coventry and Warwickshire ‘MIND’ If you have not yet been to one of our concerts, please come along and support us, I can promise you won’t be disappointed, we are supported by a show band and put on a very professional show Our ticket sales enable us to raise the money we have been able to donate over the years, now totalling well over £42,000 Please see our advert on t he events page at th e front of the Mag. For more information and tickets please contact Val Martin 01676 522963 Anna Bird 07792 525999 The Firebird Singers Whil st on a visit from Wales, I was invited to attend the Firebird Sin gers Concert at the Manor Hotel in June

PROFESSIONAL EXTE CLWALLRIOR EANING MERIDEN AGUALAME UK � Boiler servicing and repairs � Boiler replacements � New radiators and valves � All plumbing work carried out � Fully qualified in Natural Gas and LPG � Under floor heating � New01676bathrooms523192 home 07970 119142 mobile email :aguaflameuk@gmail.com Terry Griffiths

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For some of the leaves, you may want:Cadmium Red (Medium strength) Alizarin Crimson (stronger) Alizarin Crimson + Ultramarine Blue (stronger purple) . For the underside of the leaves, you may want:� Cadmium Yellow + a little Burnt Umber (very weak)

Autumn Leaves by Julie Hyde Hi all, I thought that we would have a go at painting some autumn leaves in watercolours. You will need watercolour paper and paints. 1. Draw the leaves and stems. (You could draw around some of the leaves if you wanted to.) 2. Background Mix puddles of some of the colours that you are going to be using on your leaves. I used:� Yellow Ochre � Burnt Sienna � Cadmium Yellow + Ultramarine Blue (green) Wet the paper all over using a mop brush Flick and spatter on some of the different colours. When you have finished spattering, with kitchen roll dab out any big dark blobs that may gone onto a pale leaf if you want to Let it dry. 3. Leaves Mix smaller puddles of the colours you are going to use on your leaf. E.g. for the yellow and red leaves, use:� Cadmium Yellow + a little Yellow Ochre (medium strength)

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OR � Burnt Umber + Ultramarine Blue (very weak)

OR � Alizarin Crimson + Ultramarine Blue (very weak)

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For t he yellow and green leaves, use:� Cadmium Yellow (medium strength) Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Yellow (stronger green)

� Perhaps a little Burnt Umber + Ultramarine Blue (very strong)

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� Cadmium Red (stronger)

Then, wet one leaf at a t ime with a large round brush, (you can wet the leaf with the first colour rather than the water but you will have to be sure to work quickly). Then swap to a medium round brush to add the weaker colour, then swap immediately to a smaller brush to add touches of the stronger colour Eg. For the yellow and red leaf add the yellow first and then touch in the stronger red and while this is still wet add touches of the strong dark in some places. As soon as it starts to dry, move on to another area. You can re-wet an area later when it’s completely dry and add more colour 5. Stems Add the stems on dry paper with:• Cadmium Red • Burnt Umber 6. Veins This is the difficult bit. If the vein in the leaf is lighter than the main colour, then wait until it’s dry then either lift them out by rubbing a fine damp brush along the vein and dabbing with kitchen roll, or carefully wet either side of the vein and into the leaf with clean water and drop in some more colour along the edge of the vein For the darker veins, use a coloured crayon after it has dried. For information on fut ure art classes with Julie, please contact h er on jph300@hotmail. com

Should you wish to contact the Parish Council, please contact the Clerk to have a private chat to address local community issues or visit our website where you can access a wealth of information. Clerk: Barbara Bland, 55 James Dawson Drive, Millisons Wood, Coventry, CV5 9QJ T: 01676 522474 M: 07767 162423 E: clerk@meridenparishcouncil.org.uk QUEEN’S BA TON RELAY COMMONWEALTH GAMES Sustainable Travel & Dr Bike Cllr Ian Courts, Leader of Solihull Council, with local resident at the Queen’s Baton Relay Event. What a great day for the local community!!! The Baton Relay came through Meriden. A collection of photographs may be accessed on the parish council website www.meridenparishcouncil.org.uk A huge thank you to the WI for providing refreshments. Extra Special thanks to all our volunteers who made the event such a success. Special thanks to Sustainable Travel Teams and Wheels4All for their support. FREE TRAINING AT MERIDEN SPORTS PARK! For Resi dents and local businesses Autism Awareness Wednesday 14th September 2022 @ 19.30 21.00 Dementia Thursday 15th September 2022 @ 19.30 21.00 Safeguarding Saturday 24th September 2022 @ 10.00 – 11.30 Increase your knowledge and support for the local community. Please let the clerk know if you are interested in attending any session. YOUR LOCAL PARISH COUNCIL NEEDS YOU! ELECTI ONS MAY 2023 MAKE A CHANGE BECOME A PARISH COUNCILLOR Are you passionate about y our community? Do you want to make a long-lasting change? Do you have innovativ e ideas for the Council? We need people from all backgrounds and experiences who reflect their community to put themselves forward for election. To find out more contact Barbara Bland

FUTURE LITTER PICKS Meet at Sports Park Saturday 27th August @ 11 am Fri day 30th September @ 11 am Fri day 14th October @ 11 am From left to right: Cllr M Woollard, Cllr C Smith, Cllr M Nunn, Cllr M Eggar Top - From L to R: Cllr R Weaver BEM (Chair), Cllr J Barber (Vice Chair), Cllr A Eburne, Cllr J Hughes Bottom From L to R Cllr M Woollard, Cllr C Smith, Cllr M Nunn, Cllr M Eggar UPDATES MP SAQIB BHATTI & MERIDEN QUARRY LIAISON GROUP THANK YOU Thank you to all the litter pickers who are helping to keep the village litter free, clean, and environmentally friendly! WARM HUB Anyone is welcome to pop in for a cuppa and a chat every Tuesday 10.30 to 12.30 in the Pavilion at the Sports Park Any resident, any age is welcome. TRANSPORT The Parish Council continues to engage with TfWM continually raising community needs for transport. it is disappointing to report that two scheduled meetings have been cancelled by TfWM and we apologise for any inconvenience caused to those members of the public who attended It is anticipated that a meeting will be arranged for late August for bus users to highlight their issues and concerns. Parish councillors met with Saqib Bhatti MP to discuss Meriden and Berkswell Quarries, including air quality, dust monitoring, volumes of traffic, planning, permits, site licences. All resident concerns have been fed into this process and actions will be directed to the Environment Agency, Local Planning Authority and Operators. We continue to raise all resident complaints that we receive. The Quarry Liaison Group is reinstated, and its first meeting was held on 4th August 2022. POOL IMPROVEMENTS

Connect with Heart of England www.heart-england.co.ukwww.facebook.com/HeartofEnglandschool/@HoE_School enquiries@heart-england.co.ukyoutube.com/heartofenglandschoolwww.instagram.com/heartofenglandschool/NewsfromHeartofEnglandSchool

Bronze students undertook three or six months of volunteering, physical activity, and skill development, as well as regular evening expedition training and a two-day Training Expedition around Kingsbury in March, with the night’s low temperatures testing the number of layers students had packed. This Assessed Expedition in the Cotswolds in June, where we were blessed with glorious sunshine.

Last year was non-stop for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme at Heart of England School. After two years of limited operation under COVID restrictions and struggling to plan around the ever-changing rules and regulations, we were keen to return to some semblance of normality and our students have been equally desperate to get outdoors. We have seen record numbers of students undertake their Bronze and their Silver Awards, with Silver seeing nearly twice our pre-Covid numbers.

Silver students undertook three, six or 12 months of volunteering, physical and skill, as none of this year’s students had previously completed Bronze due to COVID restrictions. They had a demanding three-day Practice Expedition over Easter in the Shropshire hills, which really tested the limits of the physical and mental endurance of many of our students, resulting in some legendary blister collections! Despite this, they demonstrated superb tenacity and resolve, with many taking extra efforts to prepare for their Assessed Expedition. This took place in the Forest of Dean in July, where the British weather our students endured everything from scorching sun to pouring rain. I hope many of them will have fond memories of and skimming stones across the River Wye. Students continuing onto the Gold programme next year will return to the Wye during their canoeing training. As we look to the next academic year, we continue to see the demand for Duke of Edinburgh’s Award grow, with our largest ever Bronze cohort ready to start in September, over half our Bronze students continuing to Silver staffprogramme.stepdown – particularly Andrew Livingstone, who was instrumental in setting up our programme, and Georgina Bridges, who made so many things happen behind the scenes. At the same time, we’ve been delighted to welcome Steve Hawkes to the team as part of his role as Senior Assistant Principal: Community, and Matt Pittock taking over as our Administrator; both have been instrumental to our successes this year. We continue to be blessed with an enthusiasmvolunteers,teacherhighlysupportedvolunteers,andteamknowledgeableincrediblyofparentcommunitybycommittedwhoseforseeing our students succeed in the outdoors has remained steadfast through the challenges of the last few years. We continue to grow our team and welcome inquiries from anyone who has a passion for the outdoors, sharing it with young people and seeing them develop as wellrounded individuals.

from Mame and

summer

Triumph for Orme Tappers at 2022 Orme Tappers groups had a thoroughly time performing at Orme The Meriden Class danced to the title track gave two very polished performances front of They looked very professional in their and star Several of the completely to both performing their achievement enormous having joined the group post and getting really involved straight away. The group enjoy through the and restart September 5th

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Come and join us. Word Search Solution My wife told me to stop acting like a flamingo I had to put my foot dow n! We are taking enquiries now for new children at our Meriden Branch for the Autumn Term. Have a look at all we do at ww.ormecoventrydance.co.uk Opportunities to get involved with Shows, Performances and Exams Fellowship Teaching Degree Dip A.B.R.S.M Dates for hoisting the flag on Merid en G reen 11th November Remembrance Day 13th November – Remembrance Sunday 14th November – Birthday of the Prince of Wales 20th November – Her Majesty’s Wedding Day

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n The Orme School of Dancing Merid en Branch Methodist Church Hall Classes in Ballet, Tap, Modern Jazz, Gymnastic, Contemporary Dance and Musical Theatre. Aged 2 ½ years upwards Tel: 02476 467331 www.ormecoventrydance.co.uk email:ormedance@gmail.com Principals Jennifer and Samantha Faulkner F.I.D.T.A BA.Hons Mondays at 7 15pm Meriden Methodist Church. Any age, any shape, 2 left feet everyone will be very welcome. You just need a big smile and a good sense of humour!!! New for September 2022 Meriden Mellow Movers an Adult classical ballet class full of beautiful movement, easy to access steps for all. Great for muscle strength and flexibility. Mondays at Meriden Methodist Church 8pm 02475313216 or sandraclarke.orme@outlook.com ORME DANCE Beginners Ad ult T ap Classes

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Dance’s Showtime 2022.

pandemic

We service, repair and care for your vehicle. ACE GARAGE RADFORD 02476 597879 email: service@acegarage.co.uk � Tyres � Exhausts Courtesy car, collection & delivery options. Call Brendan McManus on 07958 518924 � Mot � Service Gary Franklin & Andy H awkins Family Funeral Directors Extending a hand of friendship and support We understand that every family is different and we will tailor all arrangements to suit your needs, requirements and budget. *Traditional and Themed funerals* Private Chapels of Rest * *Available 24hours a day * Pre Payment Funeral Plans * *Will Writing Service * *Help and Advice with DSS and Social Fund; both happily accepted* With branches in Tile Hill and Marston Green we are ideally situated to serve the communities of Coventry, Solihull and the surrounding areas. The Acorn Funeral from £1250 (plus disbursements) 02476 47 3000 333 Tile Hill Lane, Tile Hill Coventry CV4 9OU 0121 779 5577 50 Station Road Marston Green Birmingham B37 7AU Available 24hours a day 365 days a year Web site: www.franklinfunerals.co.uk Email: info@franklin funerals.co.uk

Each shoebox is given to a vulnerable child in Eastern Europe, bringing joy and excitement into an often bleak existence. Last year, Meriden village contributed over 20 box es to the 2843 which were sent to Romania from Coventry. A huge ‘thank you’ to all of you who supported this very worthwhile charity.

MeridenCharitiesUnited

Could you use a little help?

1. Get a leaflet from Meriden Library or download it from www.teams4u.com. This will give you the label to use.

What you need to do…

If so, the Meriden Sports and Recreation Trust may be able to assist by providing a small grant. They’re designed to support non-commercial groups and their members with financial assistance in order to develop their sporting, recreational and leisure projects for the benefit of those living in or close to Meriden. Applications may be made that support a wide range of leisure and health-based activities, across all age groups and sections of the community, that promote exercise, well-being and leisure We have helped local groups such as The Firebird Singers, Centre of England Arts, The Scout Group and Cameo to name a few. For more info, please visit our website www.meridensrt.org.uk

3. Choose who the box is for and fill out the label accordingly. 4. Fill the shoebox with appropriate items. Suggestions are:- toothbrush/toothpaste, hair accessories/brush, soap/face cloth, stationery, gloves/hat/scarf, socks/underwear, Soft toy, game, puzzle, small musical instruments, toy vehicles, small rubber or inflatable ball, sweets (with appropriate use by date) and a photo of yourself. Do NOT include any food (apart from sweets), medicines, war related items (e.g. toy soldiers, tanks or guns), anything fragile, aerosols, flammable items or anything sharp. 5. If you are able to make a donation to cover transport costs, then complete the donation form in the leaflet you already obtained and place it in the shoebox with your donation. 6. Drop the box off to Meriden Library before 9 th November.

Please can you help us again this year by filling a shoebox with small gifts? It can be for a boy or girl (aged 3-5, 6-11 or 12+ years), who would not otherwise get a Xmas present

Team4 U – Christmas Shoeboxes (registered Charity No. 1114131)

2. Get an empty shoebox and wrap the lid and box separately in Christmas paper.

If you have any questions, you can call me, Lucy Ball on 01676 523502 Thank You! Are you part of a local sporting, recreational or leisure Association/Community group that needs a small financial grant to help?

Charities have existed in Meriden for hundreds of years. Originally set up to help the poor of the Parish with the cost of fuel, food and education, funds are still generated today by the investments of the original benefactors and the occasional donation The days of the elderly and impoverished needing coal and education being viewed as outside the means of many may be a thing of the past, but there are still folk in need of the very basics of life. The funds aren’t huge, but we can help in small ways where people are in need. Examples of assistance we’ve given are, helping with transport, education, trips and clothing, as well as sending a little gift to those in difficulty following illness or bereavement. If you are a resident within the Parish of Meriden and you, or someone you know, need a little help, please get in touch. We may not always be able to help within the remit of the Charity, but we can certainly help a good many folks If you’d like to know more, contact us on meridenunitedcharities@gmail.com

Finally, I am currently inquiring into the status of the 89 bus route, linking rural Meriden and Berkswell with Cannon Park and Solihull as it has come to my attention that the service will be stopped. Accessible bus routes are essential for my constituents living in these areas so that they can get to their places of work or education or visit family elsewhere. I assure you that I am doing everything in my power to ensure the service continues to run or alternative transport is provided. I will update you again once I receive a response. As you will be aware, the Conservative and Unionist party are currently engaging in a leadership contest. I have spoken to all the candidates who have showed me that not only do we have a plethora of talent in our party, but we will also have a Prime Minister who wants to do the best for the country and help us navigate through difficult global circumstances. My priority remains ensuring that residents across the constituency of Meriden have access to the best opportunities, which is in the forefront of my mind when speaking to the candidates. Please note my office remains open as usual and we are conducting surgery appointments, so do not hesitate to book a slot if you have any other issues you would like to discuss. My contact details are below: saqib.bhatti@parliament.uk

Education is vital for delivering long-term change regarding fly-tipping, highlighting not only the economic consequences but also the social impact of this crime. Education forms the basis of the long-term attitude change, but I believe enforcement and stronger prosecution are essential to stop fly-tipping as this will deter criminals by sending a clear message that if they do commit this crime, they will face tough punishments. I am also calling for greater funding to ensure that councils have the resources to tackle this issue to reduce the numbers of people dumping waste illegal, while also collecting future evidence to help identify those who continue to offend. I also believe these enforcement and education initiatives could be applied in the case of littering and I look forward to working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to tackle these issues in due course. I have also been contacted by numerous local residents of Meriden Village and Millison’s Wood regarding the Meriden Quarry. Residents have raised with me many issues of concerns about the operation and impact of Meriden Quarry, namely noise, dust and wooden shavings, traffic and planning. Despite personally raising this issue with the Environmental Agency, I remain concerned that the impact on the quality of life and the views of local residents are not being listened to by the relevant authorities. I believe that more action needs to be carried out to resolve these issues and concerns. I also want to hear from you directly so please do write to me so that I can pass on your concerns to the relevant agencies and show them once again the issues my constituents have to face on a daily basis.

This Christmas, nothing’s stopping us! At the this time of the year, while the sun is up for well over 12 hours a day, the last thing you ’ re thinking about is sitting around the fire in a Christmas jumper with your family in late December But just like every other year, you’ll find yourself saying “Wow, It’s Christmas already!” We invite you to celebrate the festive season with your loved ones and join us for Christmas and New Year! The Manor Hotel’s Christmas festivities include our magical Party Nights, Breakfast with Santa, Young at Heart Festive Lunch, Christmas and Boxing Day Lunch and our New Year’s Eve celebrations We look forward to welcoming you, your friends and family to The Manor Hotel this Christmas! Manor Hotel | Main Road | Meriden | Solihull | CV7 7HN www.manorhotelmeriden.co.uk 01676 522735 Message from Saq ib Bhatti MP I recently led a Westminster Hall debate in Parliament on Tuesday 24th May on fly-tipping. While Local Authorities already have a range of powers available to tackle fly-tipping, more needs to be done to tackle this environmental crime. During the debate, I proposed additional measures I believe need to be taken if we are to clamp down on this crime, once and for all. One of the most crucial aspects for dealing with fly-tipping is making sure that Parish Councils have sufficient resources to tackle fly-tipping including having cameras in place to deter criminals from dumping in hotspots. I believe the government must support Parish Councils who will have an extremely important role to play when it comes to tackling fly-tipping and protecting our communities.

We wo uld lik e to th ank most sincerely Pertemps Meriden Ltd for their genero us sponsorship off our Motor N eurone Charit y Fundraising Ni ght which took place on F riday 11 th Febru ary. Details of th e ni ght will b e put in next edition of the Mag. UPCOMING EVENTS Bingo each Friday night, first game starts 8.00pm Friday 18th March St Patric ks Karaoke night, free entr y in the bar. Friday 25th March, Cancer Research Charity Ni ght & Fis h & Chip Supper. Sunday 17 th April, Easter Egg Hunt & Family Entertainment. Saturday 14th May, Big Screen Horse Racing Night & Oth er entertainment £2.00 Room Hire: Book your special event, part y or meeting in o ur function room. We offer *Room Dressing* C atering* and Entertainment * Call our friendly staff for details or to view *Follow us on Facebook Heart of En gland Social Club* Room Dressing and catering available for your Party or Function. C ontact Steve BERKSWELL ROAD MERID EN CV7 7LB. Call Steve on 01676 522430 Heart of E ng land Social Club Lovely safe outside space Sunday 28th August Summer Garden Party BBQ & Entertainment, Free admission Friday 2nd September Karaoke Night in the bar from 8pm Free admission Friday 16th September Charity Evening, D.J, Raffle & Auction. Fundraising for Ruby’s operation. Tickets £10 Friday 23rd September Karaoke Night in the bar from 8pm Free admission Saturday October (date to be confirmed) Abba Tribute Night Tickets £5.00 Saturday 29th October Halloween Party Night (children welcome) Tickets £5.00 Adults/ £2.00 children Saturday 12th November Compared Comedy Night (4 comedians) Tickets £5.00 Friday 2nd December Karaoke Night in the bar from 8pm Free admission Saturday 10th December Cancer Research Charity Night 7.30pm ROOM HIRE BOOKINGS NOW BEING TAKEN FOR PRIVATE PARTIES CALL STEVE FOR MORE INFO ON 01676 522 430

unit AMS Pest Control Services ‘Experts in Protected’ 02476 265 067 www.ams-wm.uk Wasp Nest Treatment £60 Rodent Control Insect Infestation Treatment Discreet unmarked vans Same day service available Indi Sangha Window Cleaning and Jet Washin g Services Serving Meriden and Milli son’s Woo d area for o ver 20 years Call 07949 227402 Meriden Blinds Call now for an appointment to see our latest stunning range of samples for Verticals, Romans, Rollers, Metal, Wood Venetians, and Perfect fit. CALL US ON: 01 676 523642 For a friendly, free, no obligation quote. All prices quoted include measuring, fitting, and VAT. If you know the measurements, I am happy to give you a quote by email. Please send your details to: gllndx@aol.com All Together Café 2nd Friday o f the Month Meriden Sports Pav ilion Any time between 2pm and 4pm Drop in for tea, coffee, cake and chat. Meet your neighbours . Various board games. We always have a splendid time. Do join us soon – call 01676 522666 if you would like transport. 9th Septe mber 14th October 11th November AMS Pest Control Services ‘Experts in Protected’ 02476 265 067 www.ams-wm.uk Wasp Nest Treatment £60 Rodent Control Insect Infestation Treatment Discreet unmarked vans Same day service available Indi Sangha Window Cleaning and Jet Washin g Services Serving Meriden and Milli son’s Woo d area for o ver 20 years Call 07949 227402 Meriden Blinds Call now for an appointment to see our latest stunning range of samples for Verticals, Romans, Rollers, Metal, Wood Venetians, and Perfect fit. CALL US ON: 01 676 523642 For a friendly, free, no obligation quote. All prices quoted include measuring, fitting, and VAT. If you know the measurements, I am happy to give you a quote by email. Please send your details to: gllndx@aol.com

No photo copies accepted Large selection of winter bedding including primroses and polyanthus, plus perennials One of those week s? Short of ideas? Wrods out coming wrong? Then come and join us. We are a friendly and supportive group of local writers who meet once a month in Balsall Common to discuss each other’s w riting. Contact us on info.bcwriters@gmail.com Or call 07970886910 We’re looking forward to hearing from you! Balsall Common Country Market Held every Saturday from 10.00am 12 noon 1st Saturday of the month in the British Legion Other Saturdays in the Jubilee Centre We have lovely home baking, preserves, plants, seasonal vegetables, crafts and homemade cards Café now open. Hampers can be ordered and delivered countrywide Contact 01676 523007

Call now for a free no obligation home visit Telephone Matt on 07817 222627 01675 443655 Email: dysonblinds@gmail.com DYSON BLINDS We offer tailored made-to-measure blinds for any window solution. We have a wide selection of fabrics, woods and colours at competitive prices. Ansley Chimney Sweep Paul Amos 07732 349252 paulamos26@live.co.uk Registered Chimney Sweep Registered HETAS Installer www.ansleychimneys.co.uk Reg no. 3231 Used Stamps Wanted A charity called Medical Missionary News would be very grateful to receive the used stamps off your envelopes. Please leave at least 1” all around when cutting them. Please hand them in at Lloyds Chemist on the Green. The money raised will be used to buy medical supplies for war torn countries overseas. Thank You. DYSON BLINDS We offer tailored made-to-measure blinds for any window solution. We have a wide selection of fabrics, woods and colours at competitive prices. for free no obligation visit Matt 222627

. PA ELECTRICS (17th edition qualified) Part P Registered All aspects of domestic installation and repairs maintenanceGeneralpaintingInterior/ExteriorJettreatmentFence/DeckingWashinggrounds Fuse box upgrades Test and inspection Extra lights and Securitysockets lights Full or FreeDigitalrewirespartialTVaerialsquotations Phone Paul Telephone: 0121 764 5872 Mobile 07979 064835 Email: paulheath11@yahoo.com CASHMORE 07710 676792 Garden and Property Care Lawn 10%GardenLawnBush/Hedgemowing/strimmingtrimmingCaretidyupOffyourfirstservice Domestic and cashmoregardenandpropertycare@gmail.comCommercial Do you need a cleaner? Then call Jenny now on 07901 530861 Domestic Cleaning, Office Cleaning Professional Cleaning Service Do you want someone to do all those household jobs you haven’t got time for?

I look forward to my year as President and as Charlie said Obama is a hard act to follow. I am sure Charlie and our previous Presidents will be an even harder act to follow. I intend to do my very best to maintain all that has been achieved over previous years and dare I say to perhaps improve even and with our dedicated committee chairs and Vice President Malcolm Leonard, that can be achieved. To close, it is with great sadness I have to report the death of Past President David Maugham, a great person, kind, caring and a very good Rotarian, he organised our Senior Citizens annual Christmas Party and he will be truly missed as a person and for all his good works, my sympathy goes to Jane and family.

The Jubilee Garden Party organised by Karin and Malcolm Leonard was a great success, although a little cold.

Tony Hill Meriden Rotary

Phil Hughes Meriden Rotary Santa Fun Run 2022 We are delighted to announce that the Santa Fun Run this year will to be held at a lovely, new venue close to the village Packington Hall. Lady Guernsey has kindly given Meriden Rotary permission to hold the event at The Hall and we believe that it will afford a safer and more attractive venue. After 2 years of the run being held “virtually” we are delighted to have this opportunity, free of traffic management responsibilities and associated safety concerns. We hope that the event will be well supported by our regular runners and newcomers. Whilst full details are yet to be finalised, I can announce that the event will be held on Sunday 11th December 2022 at 11.00am and the route will be approximately 5km all in the park. Car parking arrangements will be made in the grounds. Full details will be included on our website �� as soon as available. As usual, registration will be via the website and a Santa Suit collection point will be arranged locally and at Packington Hall on the day.

The charity Golf Day organised by Roger Swindells and Tony Hill was again a great success in light of ‘the virus’ still around us. I was honoured to present the prizes and club members who attended in the evening had a very enjoyable fellowship time. I was pleased to attend Heart of England School on the last day before the students left for study leave to present certificates to their team that took part in the Rotary Youth Speaks Competition District Final and gained second place.

It was extremely well attended. Our charity food collections from Aldi for ‘The Junk Food Project’ have been continuing with some very good collections.

Charles Perry President 2021-2022

Finally, can I take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support this year, especially Secretary Jane, Treasurer Steve and Attendance Officer, Philip Pardoe, along with the committee chairs and the food collection team. The staff at The Manor have looked after us extremely well and I’m glad we are still able to meet there. I am sure we have another successful year in 20222023 and I look forward to working with incoming President, Phil Hughes, who will be the 44th President of Meriden Rotary club. Obama was the 44th President of the USA and I’ve heard his jokes are very good, so he has got a hard act to follow!

It only seems like yesterday that I took over from Warren and now I am looking back over my year. I have been extremely lucky that I have been able to have face to face meetings again. Once again, I must thank David Burton for the excellent speakers he has provided. It’s a difficult task but he has excelled yet again. Sadly, the Santa Fun Run had to be cancelled due to circumstances out of our hands. The meetings at the Manor Hotel have been well attended especially since Christmas although we have not been Covid free having to cancel the Burns Night and the Senior Citizens’ Party at the start of 2022. The President’s night only a couple of weeks ago was also badly affected due to a significant number of members contracting it at the last minute. I would like to thank the Manor for coping with our rapidly diminishing numbers at short notice. We have had good interaction with other clubs especially Tamworth Anker. We also supported the Polio Lunch with a table of 10. The event raised £4000 that will enable several hundred vulnerable children to be vaccinated. We were fortunate that four members of Yardley and Sheldon Rotary Club joined Meriden last July and strengthened our numbers. It is sad that such a long-established club has closed. Fortunately, when we could get out and about the refurbishment of the sleigh by Steve, Geoff and Mike Holdsworth gave us the opportunity to get out for 7 nights raising a very good amount towards Parkinson’s research. Earlier this year members enjoyed Afternoon Tea at Nailcote Hall with Honorary Member Pam Whitney, the widow of founder President Cliff Whitney along with Roslyn Ellender, the widow of founder member and past President Brian Ellender, to celebrate their 90th birthdays. I am pleased that we keep in touch with the partners of our deceased members, showing that we don’t forget their support when their husbands were active in the club.

Normal Opening hours:Monday Closed Tuesday Opens at 10am Wednesday 9.00 - 5.00 Thursday 9.00 - 9.00 Friday 9.00 5.00 Saturday 8.30 4.30 We remain Covid compliant for your comfort and safety. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our clientele for their ongoing support. The Green, Meriden CV7 7LN Mer ide n Fi sh and C hips The Gre en Mer ide n Normal Opening hours: Monday Closed Tuesday Opens at 10am Wednesday 9.00 - 6.00 Thursday 9.00 - 6.00 Friday 9.00 - 6.00 Saturday 8.30 - 4.30 fOR DESonthegreen 0167 6 521653 info@fordesonthegreen.com fb: Lous hair share Louise Ford “Everything you need under one roof” - Reliable, friendly, family run business with 35 years experience. *HAIR* BEAUTY*NAILS*BARBER* SUNBED* You can try the rest but we’re the best! Opening hours Monday –and11.30amSaturday-2pm4.15pm–9.30pmClosedSundays01676523476 Summer Spectacular 1/2 ONLYONLYprice!£30!£20! ‘ ONLY £35! Or design your own and choose any 2 of these 25min treatments ONLY £30! fOR DESonthe green 01676 521653 info@fordesonthegreen.com fb:Lous hair share Louise Forde “Everything you need under one roof” -Reliable, friendly, family run business with 35years experience *HAIR*BEAUTY*NAILS*BARBER*SUNBED* ½ price £5 £20£30 £35 As an established, reliable & friendly, family run business with 35 years industry experience, we are proud to offer an extensive hair and beauty service. Eco vegan, organic, cruelty free, gluten free, paraben free, ppd and ammonia free options for hair and beauty. We partner with outstanding skincare system Germaine De Cappuccini to create a highly personal relaxing and memorable experience, reliably addressing all your skincare needs. You will never look at skincare treatment the same way again. Highest quality, patented ‘ results driven’ skincare, delivered only by our ‘diamond advanced’ expert Therapists. Anti-aging wrinkles, lift and flaccidity, Vit C, Hydration Collagen, peels. A great choice for those who would rather resist injectables. Individual / course available Comprehensive, extended lash & brow menu includes: essential brow care and maintenance, brow lamination, 3D and henna brow, lash lift and extensions. Join our free lash loyalty club for up to 50% discount reward! Gift Vouchers and Offers available Opening Hours Monday Closed Tuesday open at 10.00am Wednesday 9.00 6.00 Thursday 9.00 9.00 Friday 9.00 6.00 Saturday 8.30 4 .30

The Village Diary How lucky we are to have so much going on DAY / DATE EVENT VENUE TIME CONTACT Every Monday Tai Chi Village Hall 9:30-10:30am Jacqui Fisher 07703 345210 Every Monday Beaver Scouts (boys and girls aged 6-8) Scout Hut 6:30-7:30pm Eleanor Willis 07762 823050 Every Monday Explorer Scouts (male and female 14-18) Scout Hut 7:45-9:45pm Mark Jones 07801 773352 Every Monday Beginner Adult Tap Classes Methodist Church Hall 7:15-8pm 02476 467331 1st Monday of the month W.I. Village Hall 7:30pm Samm Bain 07739 972046, Della Mannix 07920 014909 3rd Mondays Flower Club Village Hall 7:30-9:30pm meridenflowerclub@hotmail.com Every Tuesday Chattybus (warm mobile hub) Sports Pavilion 10:30am12:30pm 01789 777986 Every Tuesday Scouts (boys and girls aged 10.5-14) Scout Hut 7 9pm Mark Jones 07801 773352 Every Tuesday Rotary Club Meeting Manor Hotel or Zoom 7pm www.meridenrotary.org.uk Every Wed (in term time) Playgroup Methodist Church Hall 9:30-11:30am 2nd Wednesdays Readers' Circle call Peter for venue and time Peter Moss 523590 Every Thursday Art Club Scout Hut 11am-1pm Every Thursday Craft and Chat Sports Pavilion 12:30-3pm Debbie Barber 07455 829340 Every Thursday Zumba & Pilates Village Hall 6pm & 7pm Candy 07828 709650 Every Thursday Cub Scouts (boys and girls aged 8-10.5) Scout Hut 6:30-8pm Lynda Spratt 07790 348726 3rd Thursdays HS2 drop in Session Village Hall 2-5pm Every Friday Firebird Singers Village Hall 7 9pm Valerie Martin 522963 2nd Fridays All Together Café Sports Pavilion 2-4pm Joan Russell 522666 4th Fridays CAMEO (except Sept 30th and Nov 18th) Village Hall 2-4pm Joan Russell 522 666 Every Sunday Church Service Methodist Church 10:30am Rev. Jane Braund 533737 Every Sunday Church Service St. Laurence Church 10:30am Jonathan Douglas 522455 27th August Village Litter Pick Meet at Sports Pavilion 11am Barbara Bland 07767 162423 6th September Cancer Research Trip Tutbury Castle All day Sue 01676 522540 14th September Autism Awareness Training Sports Pavilion 7:30-9pm Barbara Bland 07767 162423 15th September Dementia Awareness Training Sports Pavilion 7:30-9pm Barbara Bland 07767 162423 17th September Big Picture Show Village Hall 7.30pm Chris Copper 522645 18th September Firebirds Concert Manor Hotel 2.30 & 7.30pm Valerie Martin 522963 24th September Safeguarding Training Sports Pavilion 10-11am Barbara Bland 07767 162423 30th September Village Litter Pick Meet at Sports Pavilion 11am Barbara Bland 07767 162423 14th October Village Litter Pick Meet at Sports Pavilion 11am Barbara Bland 07767 162423 16th October Cancer Research “In the Pink and Blue” Manor Hotel 6:30pm Sue 01676 522540 22nd October Big Picture Show Village Hall 7.30pm Chris Copper 522645 29th October Flower Club Autumn Delights Village Hall 12:30-3pm Gail 07845 791345 19th November Big Picture Show Village Hall 7.30pm Chris Copper 522645

Out t and d About t this s A Autumn

Luminate Live at Coombe Abbey. Winter Light Trail. 18th Nov –2nd Jan. Ticketsmust be pre-booked. Luminate.live/coombe-abbey

s A Autumn n

Out t and d About t

The Lock-up, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham, B4 6BJ Tel: 0121 609 1700 Open 10am –4pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Wheelchair friendly. Book tickets online at museum.west-midlands.police.uk

The Lock-up, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham, B4 6BJ Tel: 0121 609 1700 Open 10am –4pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Wheelchair friendly. Book tickets online at museum.west-midlands.police.uk Luminate Live at Coombe Abbey. Winter Light Trail. 18th Nov –2nd Jan. Ticketsmust be pre-booked. Luminate.live/coombe-abbey

Morgan Factory Guided PickersleighToursRoad,motor.com/factorytourWorcestershireMalvern,Bookticketsatwww.morganthis

Last October we were delighted to announce that we had been awarded status as an ICON (International Cross of Nails) School by Coventry Cathedral in recognition of our work in peace, reconciliation and diversity. We held our celebratory service on June 28th at St Laurence church, where the cross of nails was presented to our school. Further information can be found here: https://coventrycityofpeace.uk/icon-schools/ We have been so busy here this term! The children in years 3 and 5 have experienced camp outs; year 1 went to Conkers; Nursery and Reception went to the Butterfly Farm and Year 2 went to Warwick Castle. Year 5 and 6 also put on an amazing performance of ‘Pirates of the Curry Bean’, full of jokes, laughter, brilliant acting and amazing singing. We are so proud of our children!

Fundraising

Did you know that Meriden CE Primary School is now registered with easyfundraising, which means you can raise FREE donations for us every time you shop online? Over 6,000 shops and sites will donate to us when you use easyfundraising to shop with them – at no extra cost to yourself!

School

These donations really mount up and make a BIG difference to us, so we’d really appreciate it if you could take a moment to sign up and support us. It’s completely FREE and only takes a moment. You can find our easyfundraising page at https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/meri denceprimaryschool/?utm_campaign=raise more&utm medium=email&utm_content=gs e1 Thank you so much in advance! WE NEED YOU! Do you have some regular spare time? Would you like to do something worthwhile for your community? We are looking to recruit an army of reading buddies for the children in our school. We will provide training. All you need is a willingness to dedicate some time. An enhanced DBS disclosure with Children’s Barred List Check would be completed by school. If you are interested, please em officaile@meriden solihull.sch.uk Thank you! Summer Fair Success! We held our annual fair on the 1st July and it was a huge success, raising just over £3000 which is tremendous. It was a wonderful event, with many of our past pupils and families also popping in to say hello too. Thank you to everyone who came and joined in the fun! for from your Armchair!

end

winter

SOLIHULL METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL

Meriden Parish is a rural community with about 2,762 residents on the Electoral Register. The precept is currently £61,206 pa. For further information contact Clerk@meridenparishcouncil.org.uk–or call Barbara Bland on 07767 162423 for aninformalchat.

Deadline for the winter 2022 issue 1st December with delivery around end of November Val Martin (co-editor and treasurer) 01676 522963 Bickenhill Waste disposal site Pre booked slots only To book, go to www.solihull.gov.uk Phone 0121 704 8000 Meriden Mag is online. Just visit www.ISSUU.com . In the search box, enter MeridenMag (no space) and you’ll see what we’ve published. Meriden Primary School Mrs L. Anderton 01676 522488 Meriden Library 01676 522717 Meriden Surgery 01676 522252 Lloyds Chemist 01676 522722 Meriden Methodist Church Rev. Jane Braund 01676 533737 Meriden Village Hall bookings Valerie Martin 01676 522963 Member of Parliament Saqib Bhatti 0121 711 7029 Parish Council Barbara Bland 01676 522474 07767 162423 Methodist Hall bookings Alan Gabbitas 01676 522148 Solihull M B C 0121 704 6000 Solihull District Councillors Diane Howell 07487 681933 Tony Dicicco 07780 438290 Andrew Burrow 01676 535 191 Meriden Scout Group Gerry Russell 01676 522666 Rural Police Sector 101 Post Office Opening Hours Monday to Friday 10.30 - 3.30 Saturday 9.30 - 12 noon Closed Sundays and Bank Holidays Sue Harper 01676 522230 Chris Bannister (co-editor and advertising) 07789 AdvertisingSuechrisbannister56@aol.com903021DistributionPaulGreen,Mavis&KenEdwardsRiley&SteveChanceProofreaderSueFullercosts£22per1/4pageand£11per1/8page. Views expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those of the co-editors. We are unable to print anonymous letters but will withhold name and address on request. End of SundayTheSummertimeBritishclocksgobackon30thOct

The Metropolitan Borough of Solihull (A45 Coventry Road, Solihull – Fillongley Bridge) (Road Closure and Maximum 30mph Speed Limit) Temporary Traffic Regulation Order 2022 (Amendment No.2) Order 2022 The Council gives notice that it intends to extend the duration of the above Order under Sections 14 and 15 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (as amended by the Road Traffic (Temporary Restrictions) Act 1991), being satisfied that all traffic should be restricted or prohibited to ensure that the following bridge replacement works along A45 Coventry Road can continue in safety on behalf of Solihull MBC between the 1st and 30th September 2022: Road Closures (Both Directions) - Temporarily prohibit all motor vehicles, cyclists and persons riding, leading or driving of horses or any other animals, from entering or proceeding along the lengths of roads. A45 Coventry Road (both directions) – from A4114 Pickford Way to B4104 Birmingham Road. Diversion route: When applicable, alternative routes for traffic will be signed via A45-A46 and A452. Associated Lay-by Closures1. 330m east of the exit slip road to Maxstoke Lane. 2. 563m east of Showell Lane Over Bridge. 3. 510m east of Pickford Green Lane Junction. Maximum 30MPH Speed Limit Coventry Road A45 Westbound Carriageway – from A4114 Pickford Way to the exit slip road at Maxstoke Lane. Access will not be maintained through the site for Police, Fire and Ambulance Services responding to emergencies. For further information contact: Mark Greenfield (Highway Traffic Management) – 0121 326 9143. for the 2022 issue December with delivery around of Martin (co-editor and treasurer) 01676 522963

The Council gives notice that it intends to extend the duration of the above Order under Sections 14 and 15 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (as amended by the Road Traffic (Temporary Restrictions) Act 1991), being satisfied that all traffic should be restricted or prohibited to ensure that the following bridge replacement works along A45 Coventry Road can continue in safety on behalf of Solihull MBC between the 1st and 30th September 2022: Road Closures (Both Directions) - Temporarily prohibit all motor vehicles, cyclists and persons riding, leading or driving of horses or any other animals, from entering or proceeding along the lengths of roads. A45 Coventry Road (both directions) – from A4114 Pickford Way to B4104 Birmingham Road. Diversion route: When applicable, alternative routes for traffic will be signed via A45-A46 and A452. Associated Lay-by Closures1. 330m east of the exit slip road to Maxstoke Lane. 2. 563m east of Showell Lane Over Bridge. 3. 510m east of Pickford Green Lane Junction. Maximum 30MPH Speed Limit Coventry Road A45 Westbound Carriageway – from A4114 Pickford Way to the exit slip road at Maxstoke Lane. Access will not be maintained through the site for Police, Fire and Ambulance (Highway 9143.

Traffic Management) – 0121 326

End of SundayTheSummertimeBritishclocksgobackon30thOct

Far more interesting than just Minutes and Agendas with lots of training sessions and mentoring support available. A Certificate in Local Council Administration (CiLCA qualification) is highly desirable, or candidates should be willing to work towards obtaining it within an agreed timescale (training will be provided). The job is perfect for anyone wanting flexible part time work including evenings and that might provide a gateway to a new career Workingpath.inthe parish office, the position is: Part time: approximately 20 hours per week (this may be reviewed). Attendance at the monthly Parish Council meetings, Annual Meeting and Annual Assembly is also necessary. Salary is paid pro rata based on experience and qualifications. NJC Scale LC1 scale points 5 to 17.

Services responding to emergencies. For further information contact: Mark Greenfield

Bickenhill Waste disposal site Pre booked slots only To book, go to www.solihull.gov.uk Phone 0121 704 8000 Meriden Mag is online. Just visit www.ISSUU.com . In the search box, enter MeridenMag (no space) and you’ll see what we’ve published. Meriden Primary School Mrs L. Anderton 01676 522488 Meriden Library 01676 522717 Meriden Surgery 01676 522252 Lloyds Chemist 01676 522722 Meriden Methodist Church Rev. Jane Braund 01676 533737 Meriden Village Hall bookings Valerie Martin 01676 522963 Member of Parliament Saqib Bhatti 0121 711 7029 Parish Council Barbara Bland 01676 522474 07767 162423 Methodist Hall bookings Alan Gabbitas 01676 522148 Solihull M B C 0121 704 6000 Solihull District Councillors Diane Howell 07487 681933 Tony Dicicco 07780 438290 Andrew Burrow 01676 535 191 Meriden Scout Group Gerry Russell 01676 522666 Rural Police Sector 101 Post Office Opening Hours Monday to Friday 10.30 - 3.30 Saturday 9.30 - 12 noon Closed Sundays and Bank Holidays Sue Harper 01676 522230 Chris Bannister (co-editor and advertising) 07789 AdvertisingSuechrisbannister56@aol.com903021DistributionPaulGreen,Mavis&KenEdwardsRiley&SteveChanceProofreaderSueFullercosts£22per1/4pageand£11per1/8page. Views expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those of the co-editors. We are unable to print anonymous letters but will withhold name and address on request. Can you fit in well to a friendly, high performing, committed and flexible team?Acan-do person who will add value with the right skills to lead on projects working alongside the community. Are you an organizer? Interested in local community? Enjoy dealing with the unexpected? Do you have good IT and Accounts skills? Are you a good communicator?

November Val

Deadline

1st

Meriden Parish Council seeks to appoint a Deputy Parish Clerk and Responsible Finance Officer to start as soon as possible. The role will involve supporting the existing Parish Clerk providing administrative support to ensure the efficient running of the Parish Office. Experience is desirable, but not essential