Chronicle Week Wolverhampton - 17-Nov-2022

Councilchiefsareintalksover theredevelopmentofaformerSains bury’sstorethathasbeenclosedfor eightyears.

Thesupermarket’s St George’s site in Wolverhamptoncitycentre hasremainedvacantsinceclosingin 2014–despiteaseriesofproposals tobringitbackintouse

Now WolverhamptonCouncil hasrevealedthattalkshavestarted overaredevelopmentofthelisted formerchurch–witheitherhousing, aschool,astoreorofficestoutedas potentialuses.

However,noworkwilltakeplace untilafterSainsbury’sleasehasex piredinthreeyears.

Itisunderstoodthatatleastone majorfinancialfirmhasexpressed aninterestintakingovertheland markplot,whichcloseddownwhen Sainsbury’sopenedits superstore offRingRoadStMark’s

Councillor Stephen Simkins, deputy councilleaderand cabinet memberforcityeconomy,said:“The formerSainsbury’sStGeorge’ssiteis akeystrategicsitethatisreferenced in theWolverhampton Investment Prospectusandisearmarkedforfu tureredevelopment

“Thesiteiscurrentlyunderlease to Sainsbury’s forafurther three

yearsandwillcomeforwardona phasedbasissubjecttotheirlease concluding.Thecouncilisinactive dialoguewithprospectivedevelop mentpartnersontheredevelopment ofthissiteandinwiderconsultation withHomesEngland

“Planningpolicyguidancerefers toamixofusesappropriateforthe siteincludingretail,offices,foodand drink, residential,education,open space,communityandleisure

“Futuredevelopment propos alswillneedtoreflectsurrounding schemesalready completed, pro gressingorindevelopment.Anyfu ture scheme will also encourage a sensitivere-useandpreservationof thelistedchurchbuilding,withall proposalssubjecttoappropriateap provalsandbusinesscases.”

CouncillorSimonBennett,depu tyConservativeleader,said:“There’s been afairamount of time with nothinggoingonwiththatsitesince itclosed.Wedon’twanttoseelarge buildingsemptyinthecitybecause they canattract anti-social behav iourandfallintodisrepair.It’sgood newsitwillbebroughtbackintouse butit’sbeenalongtimecoming.”

Ribbons for campaign

CroonerTonyChristieandchil dren’scharacterHeyDuggeewillen tertainthecrowdsatWolverhamp ton’sChristmaslightsswitch-onthis weekend

Proceedings startat3pm on Saturdaywithafunfairandfestive market on Dudley Street featuring realreindeer,facepainting,foodand drinkandmore.Theswitch-onisin QueenSquareat6pm

Santa’sGrottowillreturntothe LowerMallofthe Mander Centre betweenDecember3and23,while aNutcrackerTrailwith14full-size NutcrackerSoldierstofindwilltake overthestreetsofWolverhampton citycentreuntilDecember22

Lights on for Christmas Historyfair settoreturn

Afairhighlightingthe history ofacityissettoreturnafteraCov idbreak.TheWolverhamptonLocal HistoryFairisreturningtotheMo lineuxHotel on Saturday,running from10amto4pm.

CouncillorStephenSimkinssaid: “Asacouncil,weareproudtosup portandseethereturnoftheWol verhamptonLocalHistoryFairand Iverymuchencourageeveryoneto goalong.

“TheLocalHistoryFairisagreat opportunity forlocal residentsto discoverourcity’sfascinatingpast.”

EntrytotheWolverhamptonLo calHistoryFairwillbe£2foradults and£1forchildren.

Report by Thomas Parkes

Mosie’sfeline fine afterop

Arescuecathasaspringin hisstepagainafterundergoing surgery–thankstodonations fromthekind-heartedpublic Mosiewas sent to Linnae us-owned West Midlands VeterinaryReferrals (WMR)in BurtononTrent,Staffordshire, afterthe15-year-oldsuffereda fracturetothetibiainhisright,

hindleg.WMRclinicaldirector AndyWhittinghamtookcharge ofthecase,performingcorrec tivesurgerytopinandplatethe fracture

DianeHadlington,whoruns LittlePawsCatHaveninWolver hampton, collected donations forMosie’streatmentandisde lightedwiththeoutcome

Shesaid: “Mosie hadbeen involvedinsomesortofaccident whilehewasoutexploringand hadtohavehisbacklegpinned andplated.”

Sheadded:“Mosiereceived suchexcellenttreatmentatWest MidlandsReferralsthathehas recoveredamazinglywellforan oldchap.”

Recovering well: Mosie,15

Thousandsturnout to pay theirrespects to thefallen

By Deborah Hardiman

Tens of thousandsofpeo pleacrosstheregiongathered tomarkRemembranceSunday andpaytheirrespectstothena tion’sfallenheroes

Civicservicesand parades wereheldacrossBlackCountry andStaffordshireonSundayto honourmilitaryserviceperson nelpastandpresent

In Wolverhamptonthousandsturnedouttowatchthe traditional processionand drumhead serviceatthe cenotaphinStPeter’sSquare,followedbyacivic serviceatSt Peter’sCollegiateChurch.

Thesunbrokethroughthe cloudsshortlybefore11amas communitiesfellsilentforthe twominutes’silence.

Amongthose at theevent wasStephen Siverns, 66,of GoldthornHill,Wolverhampton,whoservedinthe42Heavy RegimentRoyalArtilleryinthe 1970swhichincludedtoursof NorthernIrelandandGermany.

He said:“We come every year.Myregimentlostalotof guys in NorthernIreland so I come to paymyrespects.RemembranceSundaydoesmean alottome

“It’salsonicetoseeparents bringing theiryoung children tothiseventbecauseitsimpor tantfortheyoungergeneration toknowwhathappenedinthe

wars,tounderstandwhy we shouldpayourrespectstothose lost.”

DenisJohnson,72,aretired metalworker, of RowanCrescent,Coseley,said: “It’safan tasticturnout.Wecametopay ourrespectstothosewhohave madesacrificesbecauseit’sthe rightthingtodo.Lotsofpeople havegiventheirlivesorserved

“It’slovelytoseetheyoung onescomingupandtakingpart in theparade. Iwasn’tsureif many wouldcome, butI was

pleasantlysurprisedtoseesuch alargeamountofpeopleinat tendance.”

Secretary of Wolverhamp tonbranchofthe RoyalEngineersAssociationTedCrutchley said:“It’s great, although fewerpeoplehaveturnedoutthis year.Numbers at ourbranch aredwindling,but10ofushave attended. We took part in the march.Ourmembersservedin NorthernIreland,Germanyand theFalklands.”

TheparadeledbytheRAF

CosfordPipeBandfolloweda routefromWulfrunaStreetvia LichfieldStreettothecenotaph Theceremonywasledbythe Rector of Wolverhampton, the Rev PrebendaryDavid Wright andcivic dignitariesincluded theMayor of Wolverhampton CouncillorSandraSamuels,who alsolaidawreath.

TheMayorofDudleyCoun cillor Sue Greenawaysaid: “It wasverymovingtoseesomany people gathered in Dudley on thisimportantoccasion.”

MayorSandraSamuels atthe Remembrance Day serviceinWolverhampton

Dadand daughter take show on road

Whenfather-of-twoJohnDix on startedstreaming DJ shows onlinefromhishomeduringthe firstCovidlockdown,itwasjusta bitoffun.

The41-year-oldhadbeentry ingtoraisespiritsafterpubsand entertainmentvenueswereforced to closetheirdoors andpeople weretoldtostayathometostop thespreadofthevirus.

Butwhenhe’dDJfromhome, usingonlinestreamingplatforms, hisdaughterPoppy would catch theeyesofviewersasshedanced cheekilyinthebackground.

Eventuallythepairdecidedto teamuptolaunchKidzClub,with Poppybecomingpartoftheshow Andafterlockdownlifted,they wereabletotaketheirshowonthe road.ThepairnowputonDJen tertainmenteventsforyoungsters at privatefunctionsand charity shows.

Theyarealsoavidfundraisers andhavebeenbusyraisingmoney forAquarius,acharityhelpingpeo pleovercometheharmscausedby alcohol,whichhashelpedJohnin thepastwithhisownpersonalis sues

SincethefirstCovidlockdown, theyhaveraisedaround£1,600for

thecharity andplantocontinue raisingevenmore.

“WestartedsellingKidzClub T-shirts,facemasks,hoodiesand otherthings. Poppyalsomadea charitysongandwewentonalo calradiostationtohelpbuildup ourfundraising

“AsI’ddoneforthelastsixor sevenyearsIvisitedlocalhomes meetingkidsandgivingthempre sents,raisingmoremoneyforour

charitycause.”John,whoalsonow hasapart-timejobworkingbehind thebar at theHogsheadinWol verhampton,said:“Poppyisnow 10andwehaveanextremelypop ularshowthatwetravelaround with.Wehostchildren’sbirthdays, christeningsandalsodoshowsfor charity.

“Meanwhile myself andPops arebookedinforafewChristmas parties.It’samazing.”

Expect to be caught

Policehavewarnedcarthieves to‘expecttobecaught’followinga spateoftheftsfromCoseleyrail waystationcarpark.

Localshavereportedcarsbe ingtakenfromthestationonafre quentbasisinrecentmonths,with somecallingformoretobedone

AWhiteFordFiestawastaken onOctober24,whileaBlackFord FiestaTitaniumisbelievedtohave beenstolenonSeptember13

Thefreetouse carparkis managed by Transportfor West Midlands.WestMidlandsPolice

confirmeditwasawareofthere centriseincartheftsatthesite, althoughtheforcedidsaythiswas notunique to Coseleyand train stationcarparksacrossthecoun try“havealsobeenaffectedbythe riseinvehiclethefts”

Sergeant Mike Sanders, from theDudleyNorthneighbourhood policeteam,said:“Weunderstand theconcernand frustration this causes people.Offenders canex pect to be caught or wokenby earlymorningpoliceraids for theiractions.Inordertorobustly

tacklethesecrimes,wealsoneed commuterstobetheeyesandears inthecommunityandreportany suspiciousactivityatstationcar parksimmediately.Wealsoad visemotoriststousewheellocks, heavy-duty chainlinkorbrake disclocks.”

Detective Superintendent JimMunro, whoheads up West Midlands Police’s VehicleCrime Taskforce,said:“We’llhaveplainclothedofficerssupporting our visiblepolicepresenceandwillact onintelligencewereceive.”

JohnDixon and daughterPoppy, 10,fromWolverhampton, set up Kidz Club during the Covid lockdown

£7mjackpot winclaimed

Thewinnerofanunclaimed £7.44millionlotterywinhasfinally comeforward–almostfivemonths afterthewin.

National Lotteryoperator Camelotconfirmedaclaimhadbeen lodgedjustweeksbeforethedead lineforreceivingthejackpotwould haveexpired.

Thewinning ticket hadbeen boughtintheWolverhamptonarea onJune18

Thewinnercameforward followingahigh-profilenewspaperfea turingWolveslegendSteveBull.

Theticket,whichmatchedallsix mainnumbersinthedraw,hadpre viouslyremainedoutstanding.Itis thethirdmulti-millionpoundLotto jackpottobeclaimedinthespaceof aweek.

AWednesdaynight£12.8mwin wasfollowedbya£3.8mjackpotthe followingSaturday.

Theclaimwillnowgothrougha processofvalidationtoensurethe termsandconditionshavebeenad heredto.Oncethetickethasbeen validatedandpaid,theticket-holder willthendecidewhetherornottogo publicandsharetheirnews.

AndyCarter,seniorwinners’ad visorfortheNationalLottery,said: “Whatamazingnewsforthislucky ticket-holderwhohasclaimedtheir prize.”

Warmemorialinspires powerful work of art

Aself-taughtartistfromWord sleyhascreatedapowerfulcanvas painting of Brierley Hill’s recently restoredwarmemorial.

NamedAtThe GoingDownOf TheSun,theacrylicpainting,byJa netEdwards,showsthememorial’s soldierfacingoutagainstabackdrop ofadeepsunset

Inspiredbyaphotographshared withJanetbylocalcouncillorAdam Davies, Facebookusers described thepaintingas“verymoving”and commented“Janetyounevercease toamazemewithyourpaintings”, and“I’veyettoseeapaintingbyJa netEdwardsthatIdidn’tlike.Beau tiful.”

Janetsaid:“Ifeelveryproudof thispaintingforthereasonthatit representsapermanent reminder ofthesacrificemadebythosewho servedtodefendourcountry

“Ireallyenjoyedpaintingites peciallyasithassomuchmeaning–andthankyoutoAdamforinspiring metopaintthisscene.”

CouncillorDaviessaid:“Iwasal mostlostforwordswhenIsawjust

howbrilliantlyJanethasmanagedto capturethispoignantscene

“It’ssoimportantthatwecon tinuetorememberourfallenheroes andthankthosewhohaveserved, andstillserve,todefendourfree domandwayoflife

“Thebrilliant workoftalented

localartistssuchasJanethelpsusto dothat.”

Aswellasbeingavailabletobuy from BlackCountry HubShop at MerryHill,printsofJanet’spainting areavailabletoorderinsizesA3,4, 5&6fromtheartist’sonlineEtsy shop

Bear down on backlog

Illegalimmigrationisbecoming “impossibletomanage”,anMPhas warned–assheurgedministersto regaincontrolofBritain’sborders.

StourbridgeMPSuzanne Webb saidthehugeriseinasylumseekers wasthenumberoneareaofconcern forherconstituents.

MsWebbsaid:“Wehavethou sandsofeconomicmigrantshoused inhotelsacrossthecountry.Itisa hugeexpenseanditisbecomingim possibletomanage

“Migrants–oftenyoungmen–continuetopaythousandsforaplace inaboattocrosstheChannelfrom France.Theyarenotfleeingdanger

“Theywishtocometothiscoun trytofindwork.Someevenendup incriminalactivityorarevulnera bleandareexploited.Thisneedsto end.”

MsWebbsaidthatwhileshewas infavourof“modestnetimmigra tion”andofferingsupporttorefu gees,thenumberscomingintothe UKhad“notbeenmodestformany years.“Unprecedentednumbersare claimingtobemodernslaveswhen infacttheyareeconomicmigrants coming from safe countries,”she added.

TheConservativeMPhascalled foramendmentstotheModernSlav eryActandforBritaintoleavethe EuropeanCourtofHumanRights

Report by Nathan Rowe

Self-taught Wordsley artist Janet Edwards with herpainting

Appeal fordad with incurable cancer

AWolverhampton family haslaunchedanappealtoraise £25,000forurgenttreatmentafter afather-of-twowastoldhehasjust monthstolive

AndyDalton,41,fromFinch field,butnowlivinginNewZea land,wasdiagnosedwitharare incurablecancerafew weeks agoafterinitiallygoingtovisita doctorbecauseofashortnessof breath

Nowhisfamilyandfriendsare organisingafundraiserinthecity tohelpsupporthischildrenand payfortreatmentthatmaypro longhislife

Backing

AndithasthebackingofSlade guitaristDaveHill whowill be makinganappearanceattheevent thisweekend

Andy wasdiagnosedwitha rare andaggressiveanaplastic thyroidcancerafteritwasfound tobeblockinghisairwayandit wasunabletoberemovedduring surgery.Thefathernowhasatra cheostomymeaninghecannottalk andistoopoorlytotravel.

Andy’s family saythe treat ment he requires to prolonghis lifeisnotfundedonthehealthcare systeminNewZealandandwould needtobeprivatelyfunded.They

hopetoraise$50,000,whichisthe equivalentofaround£25,000.The fundaywilltakeplaceonSunday attheVictoryHallinGreyhound LaneinLowerPennbetween2and 5pm.Allarewelcome.Meanwhile, theDaltonfamilycontinuetheir onlinefundraisingcampaign.

Theyalreadyhavemorethan 50raffleprizesincludingaweek endaway,three£100Smythstoys vouchers andseveral restaurant andbeautyvouchers–alldonated

bycompaniesacrossWolverhamp ton.DaveHillwillmaketheGrand Raffledrawandannouncethewin ners.

Currently,Andyisundergoing radiationtreatmentandstartinga newtreatmentplan.

Fulldetailsoftheeventcanbe foundonFacebook:facebook.com/ events/1278285619694967

Donate to thefundraiserat givealittle.co.nz/cause/doing-itfor-dalton

Beard campaign forcause

Cancer charitygroup Bowel CancerUKisencouragingmento grow abeard this December to raiseawareness aboutthe UK’s secondbiggestcancerkiller

With Christmasaroundthe corner,BowelCancerUKisencour agingmentobringtheirfamilies, friends, andcolleaguestogether andgetsponsoredtogrowtheir bestbeardthroughoutDecember

To getinvolved, allthatis

requiredisacleanshaveonNo vember30andletyourfacialfuzz grow

Anyone with afullbeard al readycandye,ditchordecorate theirfaceaccessorythejoininthe campaign

VickyMartin, community fundraisingmanager at Bowel Cancer UK,said: “Whether you growaVanDyke,agoatee,oraGar ibaldi–wewantyoutogetspon

soredtogrowyourbestbeard.All weaskisthatyoupledgetoraiseat least£100perteammemberand allthemoneyyouraisewillhelp stoppeopledyingofbowelcancer byfundingoutvitalservicesand life-savingresearch.”

Thoselookingtotakepartin thecampaign,oranyonelooking formoredetailscanvisitthefund raisingwebsiteatbowelcanceruk org.uk/decembeard

Andy Dalton withhis childrenEmmy, four, andZavier, eight

Thelockdownchickens are nowcominghome to roost

Wasitreallysuchagoodidea? Ihavealwaysarguedstronglythat thefirstlockdownwasinevitable andI defy anyone to claim they knewwhattodo.Therefore,lock downwastheonlygameintown, givingtimetoassessthesituation However,followingthatandin spiteofthefiguresshowingexag geratedrisesinCovid,Ibelieved theeffectbothonlivingstandards, mentalhealth,thetrashingofthe

economy andmostimportantly thedeathsdue to othercauses whichremaineduntreated,meant thereshouldbenofurther lock downs.Inanycase,mightitnot haveoccurredtothemedicalge niusesthatoncealockdownends, theproblemstillexists?

Thankgoodness,jabshave greatlyeased thesituation with thecaveatthatwedonotknowthe long-termeffectofthisuntested

Consequences of bill beingignored

AstheGeneticTechnologyBill racesunhinderedthroughparlia ment,thepotentiallyseismiccon sequencestotheUKfoodindustry aresimplybeingignored

This deeply troublingbill re movesanylabellingandtraceabili tyrequirementsforahypothetical sub-class of GMO, theso-called ‘precision bred organism’.These exempted organisms will effec tivelybehiddeninthefoodsystem

TheRegulatoryPolicyCom mittee hasalreadyraisedared flag, statingthatthe bill failsto considertheimpactofcreatinga newclassofGMO.Initspresent formthisbillwillfailbusinesses, consumersandtheenvironment

Organic Farmers&Growers

believes theGovernment must urgentlymakeprovisiontomin imisethe financial impact to all foodbusinessesbyestablishinga comprehensiveco-existencere gime.The worrying alternative isthatbusinesseswouldneedto undertake theirown traceability testing,acomplexandexpensive processaddinganestimatedcost ofaround£500,000patoSMEs.

HidingGMOswithinthefood system will have immeasurable long-termconsequencesonanal readyreelingUKfoodindustry.It also failstosafeguard ourbasic righttomakeaninformedchoice aboutwhatweconsume

RogerKerr, chiefexecutive, OrganicFarmers&Growers

science. Thelockdownchickens arenowcominghometoroost Thousandshavealreadydied duetonotbeingabletohavethe earlystagesofcancerflaggedup andanother20,000areawaiting tests, etc. That is just onekiller ignoredanduntreatedduetothe policy.Wedonotknowtheextent ofdeathsfromothertreatableal iments.

AlanMEtheridge,Dudley

We must save NHS

IrecentlyattendedtheBeynon CentreatNewCrossHospitalin Wolverhamptonforanoperation

Iwasanxiousandafraid.My treatmentwasexcellent

Thankyoutoallthenursing staff, reception staffand health professionalsinvolvedinmycare.

Thestafflistenedto,andad dressedallmyfears.

IfeltthatIwasplacedatthe centreofmytreatmentandwas abletoobservethatthesamelevel ofcaregiventoalltheotherpa tientsontheward.

TheNHSisthereforallofus,it isthesoulofthiscountry

Wemustallfighttokeepitin thesedifficulttimes

Nameandaddresssupplied

Time to volunteerwithBHF

Withthefestiveseasonfastap proaching,theBritishHeartFoun dationisencouragingeveryoneto donatethegiftoftimeandvolun teerintheirlocalBHFshop.

Ourshopsneedyoursupport morethaneverbefore. Whether youcanspareafewhoursordays, everysecondyou cangifttous helpsfundlife-savingresearch Withavarietyofrolesavail

able,frommerchandisingonthe shop floor, creatingwindow dis plays,orinthewarehouse,you’ll findafunandexcitingroleyou’ll

SarahBoardman, retail vol unteering operationsmanager, BHF

Housepriceshaverisenbyalmost 12percentinthelastyearintheWest Midlands–thehighestincreaseinthe country.

Theaveragehousepriceinourregionlastmonthwas£254,962,anin creaseof11.7percentonlastOctober.

Buttherearesignsthattherisein housepricesisbeginningtostallinthe lightofrisinginterestratesandthecost oflivingcrisis

Whilefiguresareupyear-on-year, they have startedtodip in recent months.

FiguresfromHalifaxrevealOcto berrecordedthebiggestmonthlyfall inpricesacrosstheUKsinceearly2021

Theaveragepropertyvaluefellby 0.4per centbetweenSeptemberand October, markingthe third monthon-monthdropseeninthepastfour months,Halifaxsaid.

Thelatestmonth-on-monthdecreasefollowsmonthlyfallsof0.1per centinbothJulyandSeptemberanda 0.3percentincreaseinAugust.Annual housepricenationallygrowthslowed to8.3percentinOctober,from9.8per centgrowthrecordedinSeptember

WalesjoinedtheWestMidlandsat thetop of theannualgrowth figure, withan11.7percentriseyear-on-year to£222,852.Theslowestgrowthwasin London,up6.8percentto£551,320

AcrosstheUK,theaveragehouse priceinOctoberwas£292,598,which wasthelowestfiguresinceMaythis year,althoughtypicalpricesremained nearrecordhighs,Halifaxsaid.

Annual pricegrowthamong homemoversfellto8.9percentinOc tober,from10.3percentinSeptember Thepricegrowthslowdownforfirst timebuyerswasmorenotable,Halifax said,slowingfrom10.1percentinSep temberto7.5percentinOctober.

Giventhe greaterchallengesfor first-timebuyersindeposit-raising, plus tighterrequirementsfor higher loan-to-valuemortgages,the faster slowdowninpricesisnotsurprising, Halifaxsaid.

Butestateagentsinourregionre main bullish, saying thereisplenty ofdemandouttherefrombuyersfor housingacrossthe West Midlands, ShropshireandStaffordshire

LeeCooke,aseniorlocaldirector forConnells,whoisbasedinWolver

hampton, said saleswerestill very good across theregion,although the riseininterestrateshadseenbidding warsslowdown

Hesaid:“Sincerateswentupthat hasdisabledalargeamountofbuyers whowanttobuybutcan’taffordtonow becausemortgagepaymentsarehigh er.”

Headdedthatthevolumeofpotentialbuyershaddriedup,butsaleswere still“fantastic”.

Popularlocationswerestillgetting ‘bestoffer’pricesbutinmediumareasthemultipleofferswerenolonger there,hesaid

“Weintroduced64houseslast monthandsold92percent,”saidMr Cooke.“Inthelastthreeweekssales havebeenbetterthanthesameperiod last year.Instructionshad increased lastmonthwithsomepeopleneeding tosellinordertodownsizebecauseof therisingrates.”

Inevitable

NatalieHines,founderatWestMidlands-basedPremierOneMortgages:“A fallinhousepriceswasinevitableafter thetumultuouspastsixweeksorso. Sincethemini-Budget,therehasbeena definitiveslowdowninpurchaseactivi tysoI’mfullyexpectingadropinprices duringtheyearahead

“Sentimenthasbeenhithardbyrisinginterestratesandpeople’sbuying powerisnolongerwhatitusedtobe.

“Icertainlydon’tthinkwe’llseethe 20percentplusdropinhouseprices somearepredicting,asthatwouldput theentireeconomyonthebrink,but pricesarewithoutdoubtcomingdown.

“A correction in house prices is what’s needed to help get first-time buyersonthepropertyladder.

“Formanyfirst-timebuyers,pric eshavebeenoutofreachforsolong.A housepricecorrectioncouldgivethem theleg-up onto theladderthatthey need.Howthejobsmarketholdsupin thenextyearorso,astheHalifaxpoints out,willbekey.”

KimKinnaird, director of Halifax Mortgages,said:“It’simportanttokeep thisincontext,withaverageproperty pricesrisingmorethan£22,000inthe past12months,andbyalmost£60,000 –or25.7percent–overthelastthree years,whichissignificant.”

Demand for property isstill there,say bullish estate agents

‘80s hithelps campaign

Apopular1980shitsongbyaWest Midlandsreggaebandisbeingusedto raiseawareness of keepingshowers shorttosavemoneyonutilitybills.

Data from Severn Trent andthe Consumer Councilfor Water(CCW) showsthatcuttingashowerfrom10to fiveminutescouldsaveafamilyoffour usingawatermeterupto£700ayear ontheirutilitybills.

Severn Trent hassaidthatMusical Youth’s1982hit,Passthe Dutchie,whichreachednumber1inseven countries,clocksinatjustunderfive minutes,makingittheidealtunefor customerstotimetheirshower

PasstheDutchietakesprimepo sition on aspecial Spotifyplaylistof

five-minutesongs,whichhasbeencom piledbySevernTrentforcustomers.

ThebandalsoturnedupinaSev ernTrent TV advert throughoutthe autumn,appearing in acustomer’s bathroomtoprovideasurpriseshower-timeserenadeofPasstheDutchie.

DennisSeatonfromMusicalYouth, said:“Everyonecoulddowithalittle bitofsupportwiththeirbillsatthemoment,andit’sfantasticthatwecanplay apart.Cuttingbackonshowertimeis asmallstepthatcanmakeabigdiffer enceandwe’rereallypleasedtobea partofthiscampaign.”

Fordetailsonwaystosavewater, gotostwater.co.uk,andsearchsaving watermadesimple.

Theeagle has landedathome

Keepersarethankingthepublicfor theirhelpintrackingabaldeaglethat wentmissingfromazoo

Cremorne,a13-year-oldbaldeagle, wastakingpartinherdailyexercise withkeepersatWildZoologicalPark inHalfpennyGreen,aweeklastFriday when shebecamespookedbycrows andflewoffcourse

Thekeeperslaunchedintoaction, trackingthebirdonfootandcallingon socialmediaforpeopletokeepaneye outforthemassivebirdofprey

AliceSpark,headkeeperatWildZoologicalParksaid:“ShedidhaveaGPS tag,whichweweretrackingforawhile butthebatterymusthavebeenfaulty

“Wewereprettycertain she wouldn’tgotoofar.Itwasjustacaseof keepinganeyeonher,waitingforher tobesomewhereitwouldbeeasytoretrieveherfrom.”

Thepublicreportedseveralsightingstothezoo,includingoneoverthe M54servicesinShifnal.

Then last Tuesdaya member of thepublicreportedthebirdhadbeen seenperchingonStCuthburt’sChurch in Donington, near Telford. Keepers rushed to thechurch, around seven milesfromthezoo(astheeagleflies), whereCremornewas waiting. “She seemed really happytosee us,” said headkeeperAliceSpark

Monumentprogressing

WorkhasbeguntoproduceapermanentmonumentofthankstoCovid heroesinDudley

Themonumentprojectwasstarted byCouncillorKeiranCaseyattheheight ofthepandemicandreceivedsupport fromawiderangeofpeopleandorgan isations.Thesculpturetakestheform ofarainbow,animportantsignofhope throughoutthepandemic

It will be basedoutside thebor ough’smainhospital, Russells Hall, actingasapermanentreminderofthe

workdoneacrosstheboroughduring thepandemicbyNHS,key workers, publichealthofficialsandthosefrom community andvoluntary organisations.

Therainbowhasnowtakenanoth ersteptobecomingareality,withthe lasercuttingtothematerialsnowbeingcompletedbyMidthermLaserLtd andthecolouredglasswhichwillsit insidethesculpturebeingcutbyWater JetMidlands,bothofwhichareDudley companies.

Zoo workerAmber Jordanisglad to have Cremorne back

Anew life

WhenformerspecialistnurseSheila Haycock finally found asolution for her failing teeth she quite literally receivedaprescriptionforanewlife... andsodidherhusband,Dave.

Emotionally broken by acatalogue of dental disasters, for awhole year she suffered pain every day and her confidence plummeted.“Eachdaywasanightmare

“Every day I’d have anew ulcerinmy mouth.Icouldn’teatproperly,stoppedgoingoutandcouldn’tfacelookingatmyself inamirror–infact,I’dcoverthemup.

“I’d speak and laugh with my hand in front of my mouth,avoid having my picture taken and couldn’t chewproperly –if Ididgoout,I’dalwayshavetoorderlasa gnebecauseitwassoftfood,”sherecalls

Sheila’s problemsbegan when her natural teeth became mobile and braved her worstfears,having afull clearanceto makewayforanupperandlowerdenture.

Terrified of the dentist, she adds: “I thoughtitwas impossible for things to get worse, but nothing could haveprepared meforthenext12months.ThefirsttimeI tookmyteethoutandlookedinthemirror, psychologically,Iwasbesidemyself

“I’d been so preoccupied with master ingmyfearofthedentist,Ihadn’tworked through the impactoflosingmyteeth wouldhaveonme.Itwasdevastating.”

Initially,Daveconfessesto“notbeing that helpful,” explaining her native teeth “neededtogoandtodealwithit.”

“I know, Itoldhim,” says Sheila, “but theyweremine!”

Even the loss of asingle tooth is now

Sights seton double award

Astate-of-the-artindependentop ticianshasbeennominatedfortwona tionalawards.

Samantha HagueOptometryin Tettenhallisupfortwoaccolades–the IndependentPracticeoftheYearand TechnologyPracticeoftheYear–inthe

OpticiansAwards2022,whichwillbe heldattheLondonHiltonParkLaneon November30

Samantha Hague, whoownsthe clinic,said:“Wearethrilled.It’sahuge honourtohavebeenshortlistedintwo categories.”

Networking events back

Acharityisbringingbackitswom en’snetworkingeventsjustintimefor Christmas.

TheHavenWolverhampton,which supportswomenandchildrensubject ed to domestic abuseand homeless ness,willbebackatTheMountHotel

Retired nurse Sheila got anew smile after ayeaarofdental misery,husband Dave admits he too is now enjoying the e esit’sbrought about.

onNovember24forthefirstofitsnet working eventsfor businesswomen Ticketscanbebookedviahavenrefuge org.uk/event

ChloeEvans,fundraising officer, said:“Wearereallyexcitedtoberelaunchingthisevent.”

had received a recommendation from a work colleague that North Street Dental and Implant Clinic could help, Sheila headedforDudley

“Within 15 minutes of walking in to the surgery Steven [practice principal Steven BurchellDipCDTRCS(Eng)]washelping me,”shesays.

My experience with Steven and his team was the best. Getting the implants really is money well spent.

-Roy Phillpott

Steven’sprofessionalism gave me the confidence and assurance that they could resolve my problem.

-Norma Aston

When Ifirst saw my teeth Ithought they looked just like my realteeth.

-Vicki Ball

’ ’ ’

clinicallyrecognisedasapotentialprecur sorforamourningprocess.

Adds Dave: “She was upsetand Ifelt utterlyhelpless. The guilt of it all ...I wanted to help, but couldn’t. Icould eat what ever Iwanted, but she couldn’tand everyday –every day–there was anew problemtoaddress.”

Sheila, who specialised in wound dress ings, admits she felt trapped, having been

assured her jawbone density would be too poortosupportimplants.

“My dentures seemed to be rotating and rolling around and Ihated the denture glue. I’d use it and as soon as I’d try to eatsomething,within15minutesmyteeth would be unstable again.Iwas mortified by having to use it over and over again. I wasnotcoping.”

Taking advicefromher daughter,who

Asatemporarymeasure,anoralimpres sion was taken and her painful dentures lined with asoft material that would help easethediscomfortandimprovefit.

Sheila was prescribed atraditional top prosthetic and alower over-denture, retained on two implants. The sur gery was carried out under sedation by North Street’sclinical lead, Owain Rees BDSDGDP(UK) Dip Imp Dent (UCL) GDC61576.

“All Ican say is that it has completely changed my life. There’s nothing Ican’t eat and the implantprosthetic doesn’tfeel false. It’scomparable for me to my own teeth.WhenIfirstsawmynewteethinthe mirror, Ithought who’sthis person?They looked natural, just like real teeth,” says Sheila.

Dave, aformer civil engineer,adds: “She’scompletely different. It’sbeenlifechanging for me too and we can now get onwithourretirement.”

Both keen gardeners, they agreethe financial investment is in aquality life choice.“It’sthe best thing she’sever had done,”addsDave.

SamanthaHagueOptometry has been nominated fortop awards

Festival settoreturn

Eurovision runner-up SamRyder, chart-toppersSophieEllis-Bextorand East17,andformerSpiceGirlMelanieC willjoinrocklegendsPrimalScreamat afamilymusicfestivalnextyear

Ella Henderson, synth-popsuper starsTheHumanLeagueanddrum–and-bassbandRudimentalwillalsobe appearingatCampBestivalShropshire, atWestonParkwhenitreturnsinAugustnextyear

About17,000 revellers flocked to thevenuefortheWestMidlands’first CampBestivalinAugustthisyear

Aswellasthemusic,thefestival willinvolvecomedy,children’senter tainmentandwellbeingevents

Theevent,runningfromAugust17

20,isorganisedbyformerRadio1DJ RobdaBankandhiswifeJosie.

Robsaidhewasdelightedwiththis year’sevent,andhopedthe2023event wouldbuildonthatsuccess

“Wecouldn’thavebeenhappier withthesite,theweather,thecrowd, andthevibes,”hesaid.

“We’re back for2023hopingto rampupthelevelsevenmorefromintroducingabrand-newfancydresspa rade,raftbuildingandloadsofcoolnew littlepop-upstomegapopstarsandindiegiantsonthemainstage.

Tickets,startingat£70,goonsale today(Thursday).Formoreinforma tionvisitshropshire.campbestival.net

Additions to ‘at risk’buildings

Morethanadozenbuildingsacross theregionhavebeenaddedtoalistof thosebeingpotentiallylostforever withthesamenumberbeingremoved fromit

HistoricEnglandrevealed13buildingshavebeenplacedinjeopardyin theannualHeritageAtRiskRegisterfor 2022,while13othershavebeensafe guarded.Thelistprovidesasnapshot ofthe“criticalhealth”ofhistoricplaces andthosemostatriskofbeinglostdue toneglect,decayorinappropriatede velopment

Sitesadded to theregister– and atrisk–includesHallFarmhouseon ChurchStreet,AlstonefieldintheStaf

Hall in Middleton, near Tamworth TheBirminghamMidlandInstitutein thecity,alongsidetheHolyChurchof theNewTestamentonOughtonRoad, areatrisk,alongsidetheWalfordHall FarmhouseonSolihullRoadinHamp toninArden–aswellasStJohnthe BaptistinBromsgrove,Broadstone ChapelinBroadstoneinShropshireand theChurchofStJohninStoke-on-Trent LouiseBrennan,fromHistoricEng land,said:“ItiscentraltoHistoricEng land’smissionthatwepassontofuture generationstherichlegacyofhistoric buildingsandplacesthatwehavein heritedfrompreviousgenerations.”

Brewerysell-offplans

Estrella

Eagle’sbeers

Thesaleisexpectedtocompleteby

SADammisknownintheUKfor

CMBC’slogisticsoperationwillcontinueatthecurrentlocationinBedford

EaglewaspartoftheCharlesWells businessthatwasboughtbytheformer Marston’sbrewingoperationin2017

The Birmingham MidlandsInstituteisonthe at-riskregister

domestic abusevictims in theWest Midlandsduringthecost-of-livingcri sishasbeenraisedwithashadowmin isterinParliament

Victims’CommissionerNickyBren nanhashandedoverherinvestigation intothecrimeandthefinanciallinkto ShadowMinisterforDomesticViolence JessPhillips.

Ithighlightstheimpactoftheissue intheregion–withonevictimsaying theycan’tleavetheperpetratordueto beingstuckwith“nomoney(and)no placetogo”

Thereportcontainsnumerousac countsfromfemalevictimsofabuse, whosesituationhasbeenmadeeven worsebyspirallingbillsandescalating outgoings.Manyofthosewhotookpart intheinvestigationsaidtheywerenow unabletoleavetheirabuserorhadbeen furthercontrolledbyeconomicabuse

MsBrennan,whohasnowcalledon theGovernmenttotakesixstepstohelp victimsofabuse,said:“Thisreporthas beenbasedonthereal-lifeexperiences andvoicesofwomenwhoarevictimsof abuselivingintheWestMidlands

“Theirharrowingstoriesandcries forhelpcannotbeignoredorbrushed

asidebyGovernmentanylonger,”she added. “Inthefourmonthsithastak entoresearchandwritethisreport we have hadthree PrimeMinisters. Thechaoticandshambolicleadership hasdelayedaction,causedfurtherin stabilityandconsequencesforvictims in whichthe Government must take responsibilityfortheharmtheyhave caused andmovequickly to address thisbeforeissuesgetworse.”

Thesixcallsincludeanincreased uplifttovictims’services, acommit menttoprovideamulti-yearfunding strategyinlinewithinflation,overhaul ofchildmaintenanceservice,commit mentforincreasednumberofspecial istrefugebedspacesintheWestMid lands,overhaulhowUniversalCredit worksforvictimsofdomesticabuse–andacommitmenttoworkingtowards awholeculturechange.

Shadow Domestic Violence and Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips, whoisMP forBirminghamYardley, said:“IdoallIcantosupportvictimsof domesticabuseandwillusethisreport infuturework.”

MedicAnantaawarded ‘doctorofyear’ accolade

Amedichasbeenhonouredwitha prestigiousaward DrAnantaDave,chiefmedicalof ficer forthe Black CountryIntegrat edCareBoard(ICB),hasbeennamed “DoctoroftheYear”atthisyear’sBrit ishAssociationofPhysiciansofIndian Origin(BAPIO)Awards.

ShewasawardedBAPIO’shighest accoladeinrecognitionofheroutstand ingleadershipanddedicatedserviceto theNHS

Establishedin1996tosupportIn diandoctorsintheNHS,BAPIOisthe largestbodyforIndiandoctorsinthe UK

Itsannualawardcelebrationaims topromoteprofessionalexcellenceand leadership,withawardsgiventopeo

plewhohavegivenlife-timecommit menttothewellbeingofmembersof minorityethniccommunities,inboth medicalandnon-medicalfields.

MarkAxcell,chiefexecutiveofficer ofNHSBlackCountryICB,said:“Weare delightedthatDrAnantaDavehasbeen honouredwiththeprestigioustitleof DoctoroftheYearfromBAPIO,whichis thoroughlydeserved

“I wouldpersonallyliketosay a hugethankyoutoAnantaforherded icationtoimprovinghealthoutcomes forpeopleacrossthe BlackCountry Sheisaninspirationtocolleaguesanda brilliantambassadorfortheICB.”

DrDavetookupthepostofchief medicalofficerwhentheICBlaunched inJulythisyear

Report by Thomas Parkes

Victims Commissioner Nicky Brennanhands thereport to MP JessPhillips

Deadlydangers on ruralroads

“We’relivingalifesentence,”says JohnMcSherry

“EverytimeIgointomykitchen,I thinkwhatwouldhavehappenedifI hadturnedleft,insteadofturningright, whenIwenttogetthattakeaway.”

MrMcSherry,70,andhiswifeMi chelle,58,sawtheirliveschangeforev erin2009whentheywereinvolvedin acrashonthebusycountryroadclose totheirhomeinClaverley,nearWolver hampton.

Thecrashleftthembothdependent oncrutchestowalk,sometimesthey needawheelchair.

They hadtoclose therestaurant theyhadbeenrunningforthepastfour years,andneedhelpforbasichouse holdchores

“Ihavetohavesomebodyintohelp with thegardening,which Iusedto love,”hesays

It comesas little surprise to Mr McSherry that newresearchshows therewere78percentmoredeathson ruralroadsintheMidlandscompared tourbanhighways.

Areportpublishedthisweekbyin surerNFUMutualrevealstherewere 71fatalitiesonruralroadsacrossthe WestMidlandslastyear

Thenumberoffatalitiesshoweda 37percentincreasecomparedto2020, withthenumberofseriousinjuriesalso increasingbysevenpercent

Theinsurerfoundthat23percent ofpeoplehadbeeninvolvedinacolli sionoraccidentonaruralroad.

JadeDevlin,ruralroadsspecialist atNFUMutual,said:“Theselatestfig uresconfirmourfearsthatanincrease inruralroadtraffichasresultedinan increaseinthenumberoffatalitiesand casualtiesoncountrysideroads–with vulnerableroadusersgenerallybear ingthebruntofit.

“NFU Mutual analysis also shows thatinthepastfouryears,over4,000 peoplehavebeenkilledonruralroads, comparedtojustunder2,500onurban roads.”

It is asimilar picture across the

country. Ironically,MrMcSherryhad beencampaigningforroadsafetyim provementsinthe area around his homeforthreeyearsbeforethefateful nighthewenttonearbyWorfieldtocol lectatakeawaymealinJuly2009

Before thecrash,the McSherrys’ Poplar TeaRooms business hadjust turnedaprofitforthefirsttimesince theystartedoutfouryearsearlier

Mr McSherry hadpreviously workedasanentertainer at Pontin’s holidaycamps,andhadbuiltupafol lowingwithhisentertainments,which includedimpersonationsoftelevision characterFrankSpencer.

Thecoupleweredrivingalongthe A454 Bridgnorth to Wolverhampton roadinHiltonwhentheywereincolli sionwithaVauxhallAstratravellingin theoppositedirection

ThedriveroftheVauxhall,37-year oldTonyGordon,diedatthescene.He wasfoundtohavebeenoverthedrink drivelimit.

Safety

Atthetimehewasgivena10per centchanceofsurvival,andbothMr McSherryandhiswifeweretemporari lywheelchair-boundimmediatelyafter thecrash

“Ithasleftusbothdisabled,ithas affectedmykids,”hesaid

Fivemonthsbeforethecollision,Mr McSherryhadpresenteda1,000-signa turepetitiontoShropshireCounciland MPPhilipDunne.

Itcalledforsafetymeasuresalong theB4176‘RabbitRun’fromTelfordto Dudley,whichpasseshishome

Theroadhasbeenthesubjectof sevendeathsoverthepast18years.

MrMcSherrysaysthereneedstobe achangeofpolicyallowingtheuseof hiddencamerasthatwillproveamore effectivedeterrent

“Carsare bigger andmorepow erful,andthespeedlimitsaresimply ignored,”hesaid.“Thesedayspeople drivebiggercars,andruralroadswer en’tdesignedforthem.”

JohnMcSherry,who won acampaignfor speedcameras on the B4176 ‘Rabbit Run’ near Claverley.

Afterthe 12 monthsthathave justgone,thisyearChristmas is more importantthanever,and we’regoing to getthe celebrations startedrighthere.

Over thenextfew weeks, seasonal cheerisset to take theregionby stormwithawealthoffun events on theway

Entertainment

Spearheading theseasonalenter tainment, Christmas lights switch onsare settoringinthe festive spir it across thearea, andherewe’ve gotdetails of allthose coming up near you that everybodycan enjoy Hoping to help you alltohavethe best Yuletide season possible, in side this supplement you’llalso find detailsoflocal businesses whoare aiming to help make yourChristmasperfect.

We hope you allenjoy thefes tive season,staysafeand have the happytimeyou alldeserve. Merry Christmas to you all– let’smakeit agreat one!

Familyfestive funall across theregion

Believeitornot,Christ masisjustaroundthe corner.And thereare plenty of events taking placeacrossthe region to help youget into the festive mood.

n By taking part in theBeacon Centre’s annual SantaRun,you can have funand also raise money fora good cause.

Theeventpromises funfor all thefamily, includingyourown little ‘Santa Paws’.

People canrun,jog or walk the 5k routeatWolverhampton’sWest Park

Adultrunnersget theirown Santa suit to wear,children will receive ahat andfour-legged friendswill getagift as well

TheSanta Runtakes placeon December 4withregistration from 9.30am.

At Beacon’s inflatable grotto, children will be abletowrite a Christmas wish letter andmake reindeer food readyfor Christmas Eve, whilst they wait fortheir turn with Father Christmas.The cost is £5 perchild includingasmall gift The grotto will be open 10am-12pm.

To find outmore, seewww.bea convision.org/santa-run-2022

n Followinglastyear’shugely popularinaugural event, Himley’s MagicalChristmas Portal is back Setinthe beautifulcourtyard of

Himley Hall,families canenjoy a spectacular, enchanting Christmas experience.Theywill be takenon journeythrough themagic portal to speakdirectlywithFatherChristmaslive,via alarge screen.

This year’s storybeginswithAla baster Snowball,FatherChristmas’ most trusted elfand he needs your help to save Christmas!

Find outhow Father Christmas andthe elvesuse magictomakethe toys,receive abespoke Himley Hall gift,enjoy theChristmas market,

food andrefreshment stalls,festive children’s entertainment, andtra ditional funfairrides

Theshow,including the interactive meetingwithFatherChristmas, alltakes placeonalarge screen.Thisevent,which runs from December 14 to 18,isset in thegrounds of HimleyHallsowrap up warm

Seewww.himleyhallandpark. co.uk/christmas-portalfor moreinformation.

n It’s themostwonderful time of

theyearand Santaiscomingtothe SevernValleyRailway –plus, those mischievouselvesJingleand Jangle arejoining himfor morefestive fun.

SantaTrainswill runverySatur dayand Sunday from November26 to December 18 andfromTuesday, December 20 to Saturday,December24.

Visitors canmeettwo Christmas characters at thebeautifullydec orated stationat Kidderminster, then travel by vintagesteamtrain in reserved seatstoArley andsee

theirfavourite characters in an allnewpantomime. Afterbeing entertained by Jingle, Jangle andfriends, they’llre-boardthe train wherea present foreachchild awaits Seehttps://www.svr.co.uk/events/ santatrains22

n AChristmas fair will take place at St Peter’sChurchinUpper GornalonNovember26and runfrom 10.30am to 1.30pm

Variousstallsselling arange of items– includingchocolate –will be on offerand refreshments will be available.

n As thefestive season rapidly approaches,the SevernValley CountryParkatAlveley is gearing up forits Christmascraft fair

Theevent will runfrom10am to 3pmonNovember 26 and27in thevisitor centre andwill includea rangeofitems

Aspokesman forthe venuesaid: “There will be handmade itemsby ourvolunteers andKeith Dawes will be here with aselection of his wood turning.

“Alveley ArtSocietywill have a displayoftheir workfor sale and Bill Smithwill be here with his walkingsticks.

“There will be some handmade textilecraft itemsaswellascandles made forSevernValleybeeswax,” said thespokesman

“Ifyou arelooking forsomething abit differentfor Christmas,do come down andsee us.”

Recyclethe treeand help ComptonCare

ComptonCarewillbe ‘Treecycling’ your real ChristmastreesfromJan uary 7to12.

Followingthe success of last year’s campaign,which raised£6,000and sawthe team collectnearly500 trees, this year staffwill be collecting trees in allWVand DY3postcodes.

Aspokesman said:“Forjusta£10 minimumdonation, yourtreewill be collected,shredded, andrecycled, thanks to Compton’selves–aka WolverhamptonTreeService Ltdand GreenCoTree& Hedge Specialists–whoare giving up theirtimetohelp Compton, whilealso caring forthe environmentbydisposingofyourunwanted trees andturning them into biofuel.

Positive

“Sowhy not turn theslightlydepressing part of thefestivities –the brown, needle-deprivedtreelooking rather sadinthe corner –intosome thingpositive?

“It’sawin-win situationasyou’llbe helpingustocarefor localpeopleliv ingwithincurable illnesses, andeasily disposing of yourunwanted treeinan environmentally-friendly way.”

Allyou need to do is book yourslot at comptoncare.org.uk/treecycle,leave your treeoutside yourhouse by 7am on January7*, then sitbackand relax

with amug of somethingwarmwhile staffdothe rest.The team of volunteerswillget to workonshredding and composting yourtree, whichwill be re turned to localfarmers

Thespokesman added: “Thank you foryourkindsupport,and best wishes for2023. Keep an eyeonour socialmediapages andour websitefor detailsof upcoming ComptonCareevents–vis it comptoncare.org.uk or getintouch with us by calling 0300 3230250.”

*All trees will be collected by January 12

Don your Santa suitfor theSantaRun at West Park or meet thebig manonboard theSevern Valley Railway

Treesare shreddedand composted

Switch-on eventskickoff festivities

Thecountdown to the festiveseasonwillbein full swingatChristmas lightswitch-on events across theregion.

Wolverhamptonalwaysputson ashowinthe city centre,and this year promises to be no different, with theQueen Square switch-on plannedfor November19.

Thefun will startat3pm with a funfairand festivemarket on DudleyStreet featuringrealreindeer, face painting,food anddrink and much more BBCstarHey Duggee will entertain thechildrenand singer Tony Christie will serenade thecrowd with hits includingthe famous ‘Is this theWay to Amarillo’ before joiningthe Mayor of Wolverhamp ton, Councillor Sandra Samuels OBE, andFatherChristmas to switch on thelightsat6pm

Councillor SteveEvans,WolverhamptonCouncil cabinetmember with responsibility forcityevents, said:“Afterafantastic year of events in thecity, theChristmas lights areagreat waytoend the year

“The crowds have been growing year on year in each location with families enjoyingthe lights being switched on to mark thestart of the countdowntoChristmas –theyre-

ally aregreat free events forall the family.”

Thefun doesn’tend with switch on events either,withSanta’s Grot to settoreturntothe LowerMallof theManderCentre betweenDecember3and 23

Andfor thoselooking forsome festivecompetition,aNutcracker Trailwith14full-sizeNutcracker Soldiers to find will take over the streetsofWolverhamptoncitycen tre.Peoplecan head over to www nutcrackertrail.co.uk to find out more andregistertoplay. TheNut crackerTrail runs from Novem

ber19until December 22 andhas prizes includinga£1,000, £500 and £250 loaded EnjoyWolverhampton Gift Card that canbespent in city centre businesses Switch-oneventsacrossWolver hamptoninclude:

n WolverhamptonCityCentre, November19, 3pmto7pm –switchon at 6pm

n Wednesfield, High Street, No vember24, 4:30pm to 7pm–switchon at 6:30pm n Bilston, Church Street, Novem ber25, 4:30pm to 7pm–switch-on at 6:30pm

n Tettenhall,Upper Green, No vember26, 4:30pm to 7pm– switch on at 6:30pm

n BantockHouse,Finchfield, No vember27, 4:30pm to 7pm– switch on at 6:30pm

n Thelights will be switched on in Somers Square,Halesowen,on Saturday,November19, with festiv itiesrunningfrom10amto5pm

ITVweatherman, DesColeman andBritain’s GotTalentrunner up,Eva Ableywillpushthe plunger afteraday offun andfamilyenter tainment.

Theeventhas been organisedby

n It will be Stourbridge’s turn on Saturday,November26, where entertainmentwill runfrom9am until5.30pm

Therewillbefestive funwith BlackCountry Radio.

n Switch-onevents will also take placeinDudleyand Brierley Hillon December 3.

n In Kidderminster,the town centre will be litupat 5.15pm on November19withfestivities startingat2pm

HalesowenBID,inconjunction with Dudley Counciland BlackCountry Radio.

Crowdsgatheredatswitch-oneventsacrossthe region last year,including in Halesowenand at BantockHouse,toenjoy music andfestivefun

Watchyourpetsin theholiday season

WhileChristmascan be a magicaltimetospend with ourpets, it canalsobea worrying andsometimes dangeroustimefor them.

From seasonal treatsand decora tionstoChristmas gettogethers,it’s importanttobeaware of thefestivities that couldleadtoaccidents or impact yourpet’shealth.

Vets4Petshas shared tips forhow to keep ourfurry friendssafeand happy over theholiday season:

KEEP THESWEET TREATSTOYOURSELF

Oftenwithalittlemorefreedom to roam unsupervisedduringthe busy festivities, it’s notunusualfor cats, dogs andrabbits to find themselves accidentallyeatingsomethingthatis harmfultothem. Some of themost popularfoodsand drinkatChristmas such as chocolate, macadamia nuts, sultanas,raisins andalcohol areall poisonous to pets, so trytoput edible giftssafelyout of theway –and keep that Christmaspudding outofreach!

BEWARE OF BONES

Although it maybetemptingtoinvolve them in Christmasdinner,avoid the temptation to give your dogany cooked turkey or chickenbones.Small bones cansplinteroff andcause seriousis-

Keep your petssafe atChristmas

sues likegetting stuckinyourpet’s intestines, so never allowyourpet to chew on them.Ifyou do want to involve them in thefun,PetsatHome hasa rangeofpet-friendlyalternativessuch as bone-shapeddog cookiesand chew able treats.

BE CAREFULWITH CHRISTMASTREES

Although most types of Christmas trees arelow in toxicity,theycould causeastomach upsetifchewed. Try to regularlyclean up fallen treenee dles so that they don’tget ingested. Cats in particular arecuriouscreaturesand canbeeasilyfascinated with sparkly decorations, tinselorchoco lates. Avoidhanging low down

Family-runtaxi firm offers reliable service

At WednesfieldRadio Cars, staffalwaysaim to provide theveryhighest standards of service.

The firm is alocal familybusiness that you cantrust andhas been in business,serving thecommunity,for 30 years.

Thecompany is proudtohavebeen theofficialtaxicompany of Wolver hamptonWanderersFCand works hard to provideanefficient, prompt andreliableservice to alloftheir customers

Requirements

The firm realises that everyone’s needsare differentand thereforepro videsanextensive rangeofprivate hirevehiclestosatisfy allcustomers’ requirements

To meet these varyingdemands,the firm hasacomprehensive anddiverse fleetofvehiclesincluding saloon and estate cars,multi-seatpeoplecarriers andvehicleswithwheelchairaccess

Theoffice operates around theclock, 24-hours-a-day,365 days ayear. All driversare licensedand CRBchecked Staffcan arrangecorporate ac counts if required andprovide an ex ecutivetravelservice forall yourbusiness needsand special occasions in andaroundthe Midlands

Thespokesman added: “Asyou wouldexpect, Christmas andNew

Year is obviously averybusytimefor us anddemandishigh, butbusyornot we will be working extremely hard to ensure that allour customersreceive thereliableand efficientservice they have come to expect from us

“Wewould liketotakethisopportu nity to wish averyMerry Christmas andaHappy NewYeartoall ourcus tomers oldand newand we look forward to keepingyou on themovein 2023!”

Enjoy flavours from around theworld

This Christmas, whynot tuck into flavours from across theglobe at Red Leaf VillageinWestBromwich?

TherestaurantinHighStreet brings you an ever-changingvariety of dishes from acrossthe world –English, European,Caribbean,Chinese,Indian,Mexican,Thai.

Aspokesman said:“Fancya meal, butstrugglingwithcuisine choice? Explorethe vast arrayoftastesin ourdaily buffetselections, including speciallyprepareddishesbyRed Leaf chefs.Wehaveafullylicensedbar and

ourfriendlyteamiswaitingtowel come you.Whether it’s drinks after work, whetherit’smeetings or staff training or maybeyou have areason to celebrate.

“We’ve been servingthe localcom munity since2013and we areproud of ourreputationasa friendly andwel coming venue.”

Therestaurantalso provides Sundayroastsand achildren’s menu

Therestaurantisopenall overthe Christmas period, includingChristmasEve,Christmas Day, Boxing Day, NewYear’sEve andNew Year’s Day. To find outmorevisit www.redleaf village.co.ukorcall01215536948

RedLeaf Viillageoffersawhole hostofcuisinesfromaroundthe world

Working at Wolverhampton Wanderers

DUDLEY BOROUGH

HALLS

ONE NIGHT IN DUBLIN

AcelebrationofIrishmusicwithTheWildMurphys

Tuesday 29 November

THE UPBEATBEATLES

Backbypopulardemand;leadingtributetoTheFabFour Friday 2December

JIVE TALKIN’

TheoriginalandverybestBeeGeestributeshow Saturday 3December

SALLY-ANNE HAYWARD ToursupportforSarahMillicanwithhersolostand-upshow Saturday 3December

EAST17- STAY ANOTHERDAY

PlusspecialguestsSClubAllStarsandBlazin’Squad

Friday 9December

THE CHRISTMAS BIG SING

FestivalCommunityChoirinaidofBlackCountryFoodBank

Sunday 11 December

CHRISTMASWITH THERAT PACK

Backbypopulardemand;smashhitmatineevarietyshow Tuesday 13 December

CHRISTMASFILM SCREENINGS

SeriesofsixfestivefilmscreeningsatStourbridgeTownHall Thursday 15 -Tuesday 20 December

THE SNOWMAN LIVE!

Twoscreeningsofthefilmclassicsynchronisedtoaliveorchestra

Sunday 18 December

THE KING’S VOICE

StarringleadingElvistributeartistGordonHendricks

Friday 23 December

THE D-DAY DARLINGS BGTfinalistswiththeirwonderfulshow‘AChristmastoRemember’ Friday 23 December

THE DIANA ROSS STORY

ThepremiershowincelebrationofDianaRossandTheSupremes

Saturday21January

HENRYBLOFELD

Legendarycricketcommentatorwithhisshow‘MyDearOldThings’

Thursday 26 January

AN EVENING OF BURLESQUE

SparklingentertainmentwithUK’slongest-runningburlesqueshow

Saturday 28 January

Tips forChristmas on budget

Christmas canbean expen sive period formanyhouse holdsascosts canquickly rise with family gatherings, office gift swapsaswellas theprice of decoratingthe house.

Getting theChristmas treeahead of De cember andusing Secret Santafor cheap er gift exchanges aresome of theclever ways to help the financialburden of festive spending

RebeccaBebbington, online consumer expert from NetVoucherCodes.co.uk, said: “The holidayseasonistypically amore expensiveperiodfor many familieswant ingtoenjoy allthe festivitiesthroughout December

“Butthisyearismoredifficultfor peo pleduringthe rising cost-of-living crisis with supermarket food prices rising as well as householdbillsand expenses.

“Wewanted tohelppeoplebyoffering them some useful tips to have awonderful Christmas on abudgetbyadvisingthemto make arealistic budgetplanner andoffer ingsmart ways to secure discountsonline.”

Here areNetVoucherCodes’s money-sav ingtipstoprepare forChristmas on a budget:

STARTWITH BLACKFRIDAY

Before theChristmas period begins, the Novemberdiscount dayisalwaysa smart waytocross offlotsofitems on thepresent list whilesnaggingupadeal. Have alook at whichoutlets areofferingthe best deals andifyou haven’t gottimeonthe day, use

Keep costsdownthisChristmas

formorepeopletoget thebesttypes of discounts. Download allofthe legitimate, availableappsand make sure to askin storetoo if they accept studentdiscounts.

BLUE LIGHTCARD

If youhavea blue lightcard, have alookon theapp to find outwhich discountsare eli gible. This is also abonus during the week ly food shop, with more supermarketsthan ever before having introducedbluelight discountsduringthe cost-of-living crisis to help people stretchtheir cash even further.

STARTAFESTIVE SAVINGS POT

Many virtualpotscan be decoratedtomake budgeting easier by having it more visually appealinginthe traditional redand green colours. Popthe extra cash you’reableto save acrossthe late autumn months up untilit’stimetodothe Christmas dinner shop

SECRET SANTA

MAKE AN EARLYCHRISTMAS LIST

Getpreparedearly by creating aChristmas list with avisible budgettomonitor the costsofgifts.Don’t leavethe presents until thelastminutewhenthe prices areattheir highest, figure outwho you need to buyfor, when’s best to buyfor them andwhatyou’ll be giving them

STUDENT DISCOUNTS

During the firstfew monthsofthe academ ic year,studentdiscount apps provideextra dealsinthe run-uptillChristmas to allow

It’s agrowing trend amongfriends andin theworkplace,but Secret Santaisahelp fulway to cutthe costsoff thebudget. If thebudgetisaround£10 it canslash the expenses in half,comparedtohow much it wouldtypically cost to geteveryone asmall gift

GETTHE CHRISTMASTREEEARLY

Whileit’softenconsideredbad luck to put up thetreeearly,there’s no harm in getting agreat deal in advance. Search forChrist mas trees earlybeforetheygoout of stock.

n Formorewaystoenjoy Christmason abudget, head over to NetVoucherCodes. co.uk

Plan aheadand help environment

Christmas canbeatimeofexcess, but with alittlebit of planning,you canmake this festiveseasonamoreenvironmental ly-friendlyone

RecycleNow haslotsofhandy tips to help you have amoresustainable Christmas this year

Firstly, it suggests steering clearoffoil gift wrap andanythingwithaddedglitter

If you’renot sure if it canberecycledor not,try thescrunch test.Crumpleapiece of wrapping paper– if it unfoldswhenyou open yourhand, it can’tberecycled. Paper that staysscrunched up in aballissafeto putin therecycling .

Anothersuggestion is to pass on anyun wanted gifts. Youmay notwantthatthird

pair

Wasted

Over four million Christmasdinners are wasted during thefestive season which doesn’tjusthaveanimpactonyourwallet, it hasanimpactonthe environmenttoo To save on food waste, always shop with a list and find clever recipestouse up your leftovers

It canbeeasytoforgetwhenyou’re Christmas shopping,but taking enough re usable shoppingbagswithyou will stop the need foremergency plasticones.

Youcan also help theenvironment when buying yourgifts.Lookfor fair tradeoror ganicversionswhere possibleand remem bertobuy giftsthatcome with minimal plasticwrapping. Andifyou want to try somethingdifferent,why notgivethe gift of an experience?

Finally, thereare lots of ways that you canrecycle oldbatteries.Since 2010,any shopsselling more than32kgofbatteries must providerecycling points in store. Also, many localauthorities nowcollect batteries as part of theirusualrecycling offer.

Andifyou want to double-check what fes tive things canand can’tberecycled, take alookatRecycle Now’sguide at www.recy clenow.com

CyberMondaytosearchfor

Celebrating 50 years of valueand service

Nowoperating from apremises just afew doorsawayfromits original site,the storetakes itsnamefromits originalowner RonGroves, whoestab lished thefamilybusiness in 1972.

Thecompany builtits enviable repu tation on theservice andrelationshipit haswithits customers, many of whom kept coming back andbackwhilst at thesametimerecommendingRon’s Furnishers to familyand friends. The

Unbeatable

Thecompany’s showroom in Marsh Lane Parade in Fordhouses on the StaffordRoad, Wolverhampton, offers an unbeatable rangeofcarpets,vinyl flooring andbeds at highly competitive prices

They also specialise in superbly craftedmotorisedreclinerchairs.

FollowingRon’s retirement in 2009, Jill Burton,who hadworkedfor Ron formanyyears, firstlyinanadminis trative role,theninsales,later took overthe company.

RonstayedontohelpJill forthe first12monthstoensure asmooth changeover andtointroduce herto thecompany’s suppliers. Jill’s husband Leehas also workedfor thecompany

since1998onthe deliverysideofthe business

To complete thefamilyline-up,they were joined by theiryoungestdaugh terAlexandra in 2013,who helpsher fatherdelivering, having successfully completedathree-yearcollege course in mechanics.

This trulyfamily-runbusinesscon tinues to take pride servingthe people of Wolverhamptonand hasa 50-year reputation builtontrust andservice, combined with an unbeatable range. If you’reinthe market forcarpets,bed ding or areclinerchair,why wouldyou choose to go anywhere else?

Save moneywitha refurbisheddevice

Wheredorefurbished de vicescomefrom?

It’s that time of year again. Christ masshoppingisinfull swingand with billsand prices increasing,weare all on thelookout forbargains.

MirAhmed,Wolverhamptonand So lihull Pocket Geek Tech repair store owner, explains:“Oneway to save is to buyrefurbished tech, whereyou can save up to 40%comparedtobuyingthe same or similaritembrand new. But, canrefurbished devicesbetrusted? Andwhere do they even come from?

“Devicereturns andtrade-insare themostcommonsources of devices beingresold as refurbishedstock,also knownascertified pre-owned. They go through rigorous checks,repairs and cosmetic upgrades before reaching the shelves.

“Pocket Geek Tech Repair by As surant is an exampleofanationwide retailer whostock high qualityrefur bished devices. We tapintoAssurant’s global supply chain, meaningwehave access to pretty much anydevice. All stockwesellis100%working,freeof customerdataand you prettymuch geta brandnew phone,minus originalpackagingand more importantlya hefty pricetag!

“The latest models of majorsmart phonemanufacturers cancostaround £1,000 andasanalternative you could baga previous generation refurbished device for£100to£500. Theprice tag

mainly dependsonthe generation of thedeviceand itscosmeticstate.For example, you maywanttolookfor a ‘like-new’ conditionand paymoreif you’rebuyingfor agift.

“Ifthe retailer is atrusted andrep utable company, then youhavenothingtoworry aboutwhenbuyingrefurbished. Butmakesuretodoyour ownchecksand ideally, go into store to inspectthe devicesyourself before purchase,”Mir advises

Pocket Geek Tech Repair stocks a varietyofpre-owned iPhones, MacBooks, iPadsand Androiddevices Popintobrowsetheir currentBlack Friday dealsat54-55 Dudley Street, Wolverhampton, WV13ER (outside Mander Shopping Centre).

Thecompany hasagreat reputation

Pocket Geek Tech RepairinDudley Street,Wolverhampton

Garden centre aChristmas wonderland

WelcometoChristmas WonderlandatCodsall & WergsGardenCentre.

Christmas at Codsall &Wergs is biggerand better than ever this year.As soonasyou enter, you will be transported into aChristmas Wonderland,setting thescene for allthe festivedelights you cansee this Christmasseason.

VisitSanta in hisGrottoHouse in theForestand then you cango forrideonhis MagicalSleighwith the4DVirtual RealityChristmas Experience

Aspokesman said:“VisitSanta’s Secret HQ where allthe elveslive andthe Christmas magichappens! Slip,slide, flyand glidethrough Laplandand make sureSanta doesn’tspotyou!Seating up to eight people,thisvirtual realityexperienceoffersaperfect family attraction during thefestive period!

“Onceaboard,you’llbeseamlessly transported into thevirtual bayusing HD VR headsets.Your intrepid journeywill soon begin, alongwiththe incredible rangeof motionsour sleigh hastooffer;two frontfansand surround soundfor afullyimmersive 4D experience Tilting forwards,backwards and side to side,the sleigh’s movements have been specially designedto mirrorthose of thefull 360-degree

experience,creatinga trulyfestive feastfor theeyes!” Youcan book on line now.

Thereare many otherexciting Christmas events availabletobook online on thecentre’s website,includingthe Kids ChristmasAfternoon TeaParty on December 19 from 4pmto5pm.A£9.99 child ticket includes afternoontea,anactivity pack,the chance to meet The Grinch andthe Elfonthe Shelfand

ahostofparty fun. Adulttickets arefreeand includeacup of teaor coffee

Or whynot enjoy breakfastwith SantaonDecember 4, 11 or 18 Ticketsare £11.95 forchildren and £8.95for adults.Tuckintoahearty breakfastwiththe maninred AndonDecember 22,The GreenhouseKitchen presents aChristmasAfternoonTea between4pm and6pm.Enjoy an afternoontea

with singing, dancing, crackerpull ingand much more.Tickets are £19.99 adultand £9.99for children

TheGreenhouseKitchen serves hotand cold drinks,ahugeselec tion of cakes, brunch, lunchand lite bites.Festive afternoonteasare availableinthe garden centre for £14.99 and£19.99 with Prosecco

If yourdecorations need arefresh, Codsall &Wergs Garden Centre hasa wholehostofbaubles,

stars, garlands,wreaths andlights in stock. Andwitharange of crackers, cards, gift bags andwrapping paper, glasswareand Christmastableaccessories, yourfestive celebrationsare covered

Thespokesman added: “Whether you arelooking forsomethingtra ditional or some more modern,we have everything to please everyone We also have an extensivegift and homeware department full of af fordable gift ideasfor everyone in thefamily.

“Findwhatever you need foryour familypet in ‘Fur &Feathers’ De partment,which nowstocksanew rangeofpet beds,and petclothing andthere areplentyofChristmas goodies, treats andtoysnow in stock.”

Thereisalarge selectionof Christmas houseplantsand wreathsavailable andrealChristmastrees will be on sale from No vember26, includingall varieties andpot grown. Allnetted and blockedfreeofcharge, with adeliv eryservice available.

Thegarden centre in WergsHall Road is open seven days aweek.

Codsall &Wergs Garden Centre, in WergsHallRoad, is open seven days aweekand benefits from free, safe parkingand is an easily ac cessible one-stop shop forall your Christmas needs.

Enjoya4DVirtual Reality Christmas Experience at Codsall&Wergs GardenCentre

Washington on amission

Strictly’s by seasidein

Towerballroomreturn

SATURDAY

Man on Fire(2004) (Channel 4, 11.45pm)

FormerCIAcounter-terroristoperativeJohnCreasy(DenzelWash ington)movestoMexicoCityand reluctantlytakesajobasaprivate bodyguardforprecociousnine-year old Pita (DakotaFanning), whose family’swealthmakesheratarget forkidnappers.Whenthenightmare happensandthelittlegirlisabductedandthenkilled,hemakesithis life’sworktotrackdownthosere sponsible.

SUNDAY

Surge (2020)

(BBC2, 10pm)

This unnervinglyclaustropho bic characterstudy is thefeature debutofacclaimedshort-filmdirec torAneilKaria.A sociallyawkward loner,playedby BenWhishaw, loosensthehinges onhisfragilemen talstate andspi rals sickeningly outofcontrol

Strictly Come Dancing: Blackpool Special (BBC1, 7.45pm, Saturday)

It mayusually be filmedat Elstree Studios, butthere’sno doubtthatStrictlyComeDancing’s spiritualhomeisintheTowerBallroomatBlackpool.

TheBlackpool episodehas be come aStrictlytradition –and an importantmilestoneforthecontest ants.Thecelebritiesoftensaythey wanttomakeittoHalloween,then Blackpool,andthenafterthat,they cantruly startthinkingabout the glitterballtrophy.Butinthelasttwo years,theannualjaunthashadtobe abandoned.Nowthegoodnewsis thatthisyearStrictlywillonceagain bebesidetheseaside

Thelasttimetheymadethetrip wasin2019, when KarimZeroual andKelvinFletchertiedatthetopof theleaderboardwithaCharleston anda jive respectively,while Mi chelle Visage left thecompetition afterher CouplesChoicetoVogue failedtowinovertheviewers.

Butwhowillbestruttingtheir stuffonthefamoussprungdance floorthisweek?

Theremainingcoupleswillhope tocomeupwithmoreshow-stopping routines tonightthatwill impress judges Shirley Ballas,Craig Revel Horwood,MotsiMabuseandAnton

DuBekeand,moreimportantly,the votingpublic ThenonSundaynight,TessDaly andClaudiaWinklemanrevealwho’s madeitthroughandwhohastoperformagain,whilethere’salsoamusi calinterludecourtesyofEurovision heroSamRyder

Janineinfall down stairs

EastEnders (BBC1)

AfterattendingascanwithMick, Janine (Charlie Brooks)returns to theVictowindLindaupaboutthe pregnancy.However,theexpectant mumhaslesstogloataboutwhen shelaterfallsdownthestairsatthe tube station.Ben warnsLolashe needstotellLexiaboutthediagnosis andAlfiereceivesbadnews.

Coronation Street (ITV)

Hopepockets£75fromthesale ofthebooksaboutJohnStapeshe foundintheshedandannouncesto herclassmatesthatshe’splanninga specialtributetoherbiologicalfa ther–involvingareadingandaham mer. Nick accompaniesSam to his meetingwithHarvey,StephanieBeachamreturnsasMarthaandLeanne triestoscupperthebistrosale.

Emmerdale (ITV)

ChloeaccusesPriyaofbeingAl’s mysterywoman. Mackenzieismore worried about Chloespillinghis secretsand Liam andLeyla decide they aren’t good foreachother

Editor’s weekend pick

Films for the weekend

Your guide to the soaps

The Strictly class of 2022.Onlyeighthave madeittoBlackpool.

ManonFire

Charlie Brooks

SENIOR JOURNALISTS

The Midland News Association, publisher of the Express &Starand Shropshire Star,islooking forsenior journalists to join itsteam.

This is theideal role forambitious, dedicated and enthusiasticjournalists with aproventrack record of digging out the bestoff-diarynewsstories, features and analysis.

As amulti-media journalist, youmustbecomfortable producingcontent forall of our printand digitalplatforms –fromin-depth news features forour newspapers, to breaking news articles forour websites, as well as covering stories as theyhappen on liveblogs.

The ideal candidateswill be abletocome up with ideas and deliver compelling stories on aconsistent basis.

We arelooking forNCTJ-trained journalists, able to deliver accurate, entertaining copy to meetstrict deadlines. Afull,clean drivinglicence is required.

We will also consider NCTJ Diploma trained journalists who areworking towardstheir NQJ.

This is abrilliantopportunity to join our newsroom, covering adiverse,vibrant andbusypatch.

Benefits include acompetitive salary, 25 days’annual holidayand the chance to develop your career at Britain’s largest independentregional news company.

If youare interested in this role, please send a copy of your CV and coveringletter forthe attention of the editor-in-chief, MartinWright, to: hr@claverleygroup.co.uk

Hunter hailsa ‘special group’ after finaldefeat

England captainSarah Hunter sa luteda“specialgroup”ofRed Roses afterthe heartbreakofWorld Cup finaldefeatagainst NewZealand England went down 34-31, having playedmorethananhourwith14 on the fieldafter Stourbridge-born LydiaThompsonwas sent offin the 18th minutelastSaturday.

Despitefacingthe tournament hostsinfront of asold-outEden Park,Hunterwas convincedher side,who ledfor much of thematch, would find away to come outontop Former LichfieldplayerHunt er said:“Ihad absolutebeliefthat they woulddoit. Therewas never anydoubt that we wouldn’t find a waytowin

“There wasno panic, we just had absolute faithinwhatweweredo ing. Unfortunatelyitdidn’twork outour way.

“We’re as one. We wintogether andlosetogether. Thereisnoblame culturein this team.

“Wecan be proudofthe squad we have become.The girlsleft everything outonthe field. Our backsagainst thewallfor 60 min utes of thegame. To be in with a shot of winningrightatthe end.

“Thisisaveryspecial groupand we canbeimmensely proudofwhat we have done

“One game doesn’tdefine you.”

ANSWERS

Dales decides it’s time his taleswerebrought to book

When Tony Daleybecame Wolves’ record signinginJune1994, he believed hispeakyears were ahead.

Instead, they hadalready been andgone.

DaleyarrivedatMolineuxhav ingplayed290 gamesand scored 38 goalsduringnearlyadecadeat Villainwhich he also earned seven England caps

Andyet thewingerwould make only 49 more appearances as apro fessional, afterbeing hitbya series of seriousinjuries.

Revealed forthe firsttimeinhis recently released autobiography, TheDaley Record,isthe fact the ill-fated £1.25million move across theMidlandsshouldpossiblynot have happened at all.

“I foundout yearslater therehad beensome concerns aboutmyknee during themedical andthe doctors wanted to take acloserlook,”explains Daley. “ButGrahamTaylor, Wolves manager at thetimeand whoI’d obviouslyplayedunder at Villa, waseager to getthe deal done andtoldthemhewas happywith it.”

Troublebegan in pre-season when it emerged Daleywas suffer ingwithacruciate ligament injury sustained unknowinglymonthsear lier whilestill at Villa. Afterseveral months rest he madehis debutoff thebench during a3-3 draw with Millwall in late October, only forhis knee to give wayand forcehim off within minutes.Sidelined forthe rest of theseason, Daleywould then suffer arupturedpatella tendonthe followingsummer.

“You wouldn’t mind so much if it wasa fewnigglinginjuriesbut to be

Behindthe

hitwithtwo massiveonesinsuch ashortspace of time,thatwas in credibly tough,”hesays.

Whilethe situationwas frustrat ingfor Wolves andtheir supporters, thephysicaland mental impact on Daleywas considerable

Failing to talk more about his struggles was, he claims, the big gest regret of hisplaying career

“Itwas differentthen,”hesays. “There wasa fear that if you admittedyou were struggling it wouldbe seen as asignofweakness. Team mateswould tell you to just geton with it

“I wasfortunatetohaveGra hamTaylor, whowas veryforward thinking andat one pointprovided me access to asport psychologist That helped butatthe time it was keptquiet.”

Daley’scandidnesswhendiscussinghis experience at Wolves may come as asurprise to thosewho know himasanalmostuniversally positive spirit anditneedspointing outthat, whilenever less than honest, hisbookisfor themostparta happystory about aboy whomade hisdream come true throughmax imisinghis naturaltalent.

“I stillremember as a10-year-old beingasked what Iwanted to be,” says Daley, whogrewupin Newtown,Birmingham,ashortbus ride from VillaPark. “Myanswerwas always afootballer.”

Daleyhas lovedeverything about football foras long as he canre-

member.As achild, theonlything whichrivalleditwas tapdancing, in whichhebecameproficientenough to appear in astage show starring ToyahWilcox.

As ayoungster,Daley idolised Mark Walters, anotherwingerwho grew up near VillaParkand became a professional at his boyhood club. He canstill vividlyrecallsitting on olderbrother David’sshoulders on theHolteEnd as they watched VillaplayIpswich late in the198081 title-winningseason. Barely four yearslater he wouldbemakinghis senior debut, in April1985, aged just 17

Whilethere will always be adebate as to howmuchinjuriespre vented Daleyfromrealising his full potential, thefactmanyVilla supporters whowatched himplay wouldlisthim amongtheir favourite-ever players says everything about hislegacyasa true cult hero

That is somethingwhich hashit home whilepromoting thebook, the writingofwhich he describesasbeingboth‘humbling andcathartic’

“Peoplehad been asking me to do onefor yearsbut it wasn’t some thingI hadreallyconsidered,”he says.“Butthenone daymyson was showingmyeldest granddaughter, Maia,some clipsofmeplaying and shekeptonturning roundand look ingatmeand saying:‘That’s not you,Pops!’.

“Itwas then Ithought,why not leavesome historyfor my familyto

read, to letthemknow thestory?

“Ithas been humbling to look back.Whenyou areinthe middle of it all, it is just yourlife. Butwhen youstart rememberingsomeofthe storiesand realise thethingsyou achieved,you think: ‘Wow,whata greattimethatwas’. Ithrived off getting people offtheir seats.”

Therehas also been thechanceto reconnectwithformerteam-mates andcolleaguesincluding Walters, Andy Townsend andMickMcCar thy, thelatterofwhom hiredDaley in 2007 as Wolves’headofsport scienceand conditioning,aposthe wouldholdfor nearlyadecade.

They have writtenthree of the11 testimonials whichfeature at the endofthe book,whileRon Atkinson andSteve Bull have both penned forewords in tributetoaman generally regarded as oneofthe nicest in thesport

Hisfriendlypersona,however, should never be viewed as aweakness.Now coaching eliteand amateur athletes as part of his7Daley healthand fitnessbusiness, Daley hasthe same determinationand steelaswhenhewhenhe firstjoined Villaasa14-year-old apprentice Daleybelongs to agenerationof players whosecareers seem so re cent andofwhich highlights can be viewed within secondsonline Andyet hisbookalso serves as a reminder of how much sportand society haschanged.Daley’s first professional contract,signedafterhehad made hisdebut,was for £150-a-week, afar cryfromthe thousandsnow earned by academy players

TheDaley Record,co-written with SimonGoodyear andpublished by MorganLawrence, is availableto buynow.For more informationon 7Daley visit7D-fitforlife.co.uk

Englandneed to have Kane fitand firing

Never mind whodid or didn’t make theEnglandsquad

Thebiggestworry forGareth Southgatewiththe WorldCup just10daysawayisthe fitnessof hisstarplayer.

“Really, really tired” is how TottenhambossAntonio Conte described Harry Kane after Wednesday’s2-0 Carabao Cupdefeat at NottinghamForest.

It is unlikelySouthgate appreci ated theItalian putting thefocus on hiscaptain’s health butConte wasonlyspeakingthe truthand in anycase, whyshouldn’t Kane be feelingthe strain?

Wednesday’smatch washis 22ndin95dayssincestartinghis season on August 6and he is far from theonlyplayerfromclubs competinginEuropetohaveexperienced aheavy workload.

Yetheisby farthe primecon cern forSouthgate. Kane is the oneplayerwho wouldget into everyother team in thetournament andEngland’shopes of progressingtothe latter stages, realistically, depend on himbeing near thetop of hisgame.

Solace forSouthgatecomes from thefactheishardlythe only managerfretting on the fitnessof

players thanks to theludicrously shorttimebetween thepause of thedomestic season andthe start of thesport’s biggestshowpiece.

Everypreviousedition of the WorldCup hasstood aloneinthe calendar,asitshould. Rightnow this one feelsahugeinconven ience, wedgedintothe middle of theseasonand acause of stress forplayers whoknoweven aminor knockatthisstage couldruin theirdream.Thoughmostsquads have nowbeennamed,every managerfaces anervous final weekendofdomestic action,hop ingtheir picks emerge unscathed.

It is not 18 months sincefour players operatinginthese parts were called up forEuro2020but whileJackGrealish, SamJohnstoneand Conor Coadyhaveall movedontopasturesnew,Tyrone Mingshas lost favourand Ollie Watkinsfailedtobuild enough of acase.

At leastinStourbridge-born Jude Bellingham,Southgate has pickeda playerwho hasthe po tentialtobeone of thestars of the tournament

YetitisKaneuponwhomso much of theThree Lionshopes rest

Englandstriker HarryKane

Tony Daleykickedoff hiscareeratVilla, inset, andhad stints as aplayerand fitnesscoachatWolves

LOPETEGUILOOKS TO LIFT WOLVES

JulenLopetegui wants to forgea‘newhistory’ at Wolvesafter makinghis ‘dream’move to Molineux.

The56-year-old hasbegun hisera at theclubafterbeing officiallyun veiled at Molineux to themedia.He joinsWolveswiththe club rooted at thebottomofthe PremierLeague tablebut theSpaniardisconvinced that he will change theclub’sfor tunes in themonthstocome

“I know it is the worst position in thetable nowbut Iamconvinced we have time to change that.We trytoconvincethe players,which is themostimportant thingfor me, that they arebetterthantheyhave shownand that we startbuildinga newhistory

“Thisismydream.Thisismy firstand main goal.But allthishis tory is step by step andnot speak ingabout thebig things,onlythe next matchand trytochangewhat we seeonthe pitchand ourperfor mance.

“That’swhy we arehere, to com pete with the best andtry to show we areabletobeatthemand to play face to face butalwaysthinking about us

“Alwaysthe big motivation is to be with thebest, in thebestcon test with thecoaches, theplayers andorganisationofthe Premier League,the country, theenviron ment,the atmosphere,thisisfor me adream to be here.”

Meanwhile, Lopeteguirevealed he does notwantRaulJimenez to traveltothe WorldCup afterbeing called up by Mexico

Thestriker hasnot playedfor the clubsince August 31 duetoagroin problembut hasbeennamed for thesquad andwill traveltoQatar LopeteguibelievesJimenez is not readytoplayand made hisfeelings knowntothe forward– butnow hopes he will return fitand firing.

Lopeteguisaid: “Ofcourse,ifhe washerefor onemoremonth work ingwithus, Iwould be happier. But it’s possible that he’s fit, playsvery well andcomesbackstronger

“I thinkthathe’snot at theright pointtobe fitand it’s better to fin ishhis processwithus, but, Iunder standthatit’shis decision andit’s hisright.It’shis decision,noprob lemand Iunderstand, butofcourse Itoldhim my thoughts.”

Bicycle-kick Brandon’sRoo reminder

Albion wondergoal starletBrandon Thomas-Asantewas thrilled to recreateone of WayneRooney’smemo rable strikesasthe Baggiesmadeit threewinsfromthree Thomas-Asante’sbicycle-kick, thesecondinAlbion’s 2-0win over StokeonSaturday, drew compar isons with Rooney’s spectacular 2011 effort againstManchester City.CarlosCorberan’s Baggies signed offfor theWorld Cupbreak

in thebestpossiblestyle by chalk ingupathirdwin andclean sheet on thespintomoveout of therele gation zone

Askedabout comparisons,Thom as-Asantesaid: “I remember that To be fair Iwas thinking aboutthat oneafterwards because hishit off hisshinand mine hitoff theend of my toe! Very similar

“The boys were really happyand just supportive

“HopefullyIcan repaythemwith moremomentslikethat.”

Thomas-AsantejoinedAlbion from League TwooutfitSalford City,owned by thelegendary Man chesterUnited‘Classof‘92’, so ad mitted Rooney’s RedDevilsheroics wasnever farfromconversation.

“Tobefair, yes(aherogrowing up),”saidthe Albion striker. “I thinkhe’severyone’s hero,whathe hasdonein hiscareerisamazing.”

Unai thrilled by Villawill to win

DelightedbossUnaiEmery saluted Villa’s fighting spirit aftertheybat tled back to winatBrighton.

Villaovercame concedingafter49 secondstocome back andbeatthe Seagulls2-1 thanks to DannyIngs’ double. Thewin wastheir firstaway from home in thePremier League this season andtheir firstsince go ingbehindonthe road in nearly 18 months

Emerysaid: “Inthe last minutes we didn’t keep ourmentality like we wanted andIwanttocreate.

“Our mentalitywas different. We were strong defensivelyand hadto be.Weweretogetherand we hadto be so focusedonset-piecesfromcor ners.Wehad some playersout but, really,the jobwas fantastic.” Defender

Harshwords worked –Liam

TheSaddlersgot apoint on theroadina0-0 draw at Carlisle buthad to soak up lotofpres sureinthe firsthalf.

He said:“Idon’t thinkthe firsthalfwas goodenough, we keptitto0-0 andmaybe it took us awhiletosettledownata dif ficult placetocome

“Butinthe firsthalfwewere poor andweknewwehad to raise thestandards whichwe did.”

Liam Gordon admits words were said at half time in theWalsall dressing room– and it wasthe catalyst forimprove ment

BrandonThomas-Asante

LIAM KEEN liam.keen@mnamedia.co.uk

JulenLopetegui hasbeen unveiled at Wolves newheadcoach