Sutton Coldfield Adventure Unit

A few days ago I dropped in to the Sutton Coldfield Adventure Group – an independent youth group based in St Nicholas Church in Boldmere.

The Group, which is run by John and Jo Garvey, caters for children between the ages of 7 and 18, offering these youngsters an array of different activities designed to challenge and engage them.

The activities range from party games to archery, walking in the park to leadership exercises, mountain biking to visiting the Christmas Market.

With 200 members and a waiting list, it’s fair to say it is hugely popular!

The Group is always keen to welcome new members. To find out more, please contact: enquiry@scau.co.uk.

Save the Children Visit

Last week I reported on my visit to the Save the Children shop in our Royal Town in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Syria and Turkey. The catastrophe was at the forefront of our discussions, but there is no shortage of desperation in other parts of the world which need our attention too.

I spoke to volunteers and local activists about their concerns on the current situation in East Africa. One person is dying of acute malnutrition every 48 seconds and currently around 20.2 million children are now facing the threat of severe hunger, thirst and disease, as food shortages resulting from climate change, war and inflation, devastate the region.

I saw first-hand the devastating impacts during my recent visit as Minister for Development in my trip to Somalia.

I will continue to support charities such as Save the Children as they work to try to find long lasting solutions to stop preventable deaths.

Unemployment Continues to Fall in the Royal Town

Following last week’s encouraging economic news, I am pleased to report that over the past year unemployment in Sutton Coldfield has fallen by 250. The number of people on jobseekers’ allowance locally has steadily declined in past years, and the latest figures confirm the continuing downward trend. Given the economic difficulties we continue to face, this positive news is another cause for optimism.

GPs on the Rise in the Royal Town!

Opportunity Knocks

Hot on the heels of last week’s apprenticeship week, HS2 have announced their biggest ever apprenticeship recruitment drive with 300 new apprentice jobs added to the HS2 project, 200 of which are in the West Midlands.

Over 400 apprentices from the region have already begun their career journey on HS2, and this week’s announcement shows the jobs boost generated by HS2’s construction is showing no sign of slowing down.

The first round of jobs to be advertised include opportunities at HS2 Ltd within their procurement, project management, HR, IT and land and property teams. HS2’s construction partners, and companies in the wider supply chain, are also recruiting for over 50 new roles and seeking applicants with an interest in tunnelling, civil engineering, stakeholder engagement, scaffolding and plant operations.

More information on all the live vacancies and details of how applicants can apply, is available at hs2.org.uk/careers

Tackling Knife Crime

The Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, informed me this week that West Midlands Police force have been selected to take part in a 2-year pilot of a new scheme designed to tackle knife crime, particularly targeting those with a record of carrying offensive weapons who go on to reoffend.

The Serious Violence Reduction Order (SVRO) is a new civil order that can be issued to convicted offenders by the court and will give police officers the power to stop and search a person, subject to an order, to look for knives or offensive weapons.

The orders are intended to deter offenders from carrying weapons as there is a greater likelihood of being caught and brought to justice; and provide them with a credible basis for distancing themselves from weapon-carrying and other criminal behaviour. The pilot will commence in April 2023.

Royal Town Council Meeting - 1st March 2023

Staying on the subject of policing, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Simon Foster, is due to attend a Meeting of the Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council on 1st March at 7 pm.

The meeting is open to all and will be held at The Trinity Centre, Church Hill, Mill Street, Sutton Coldfield B72 1TF.

The PCC will make a short presentation and there will be a public session to enable residents to ask questions or make comments.

Residents will be able to ask questions about Policing in Sutton Coldfield and the proposed closure of Sutton Coldfield police station directly to the PCC Simon Foster during this session.

The agenda for this meeting will be published on the Town Council website on Friday 24th February 2023.

Kellogg’s Breakfast Grants – Now Open

Kellogg’s is offering grants of £1,000 to school breakfast clubs in the Royal Town to help them provide breakfast to those children who need it most. A limited number of grants are available so priority will be given to those schools that have 35% and above of children in receipt of pupil premium funding.

The grant can be used by schools to invest in any aspect of their breakfast clubs, from equipment and food to volunteer pay and learning materials. I would encourage eligible schools to apply for a grant here.

Breakfast clubs are critical for many schools, with research finding that 60 per cent of teachers think they help children settle before class. A further 97 per cent of teachers agree on the importance of children having something to eat in the morning before school.

As Parliament was not sitting this week, I used the opportunity as part of my ministerial responsibilities to visit Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world, where Britain has security, development and economic interests.

I met President Mohamed Bazoum to discuss UK-Niger cooperation, which directly reflects our own security here in the UK, and which is having a good impact in helping the people of Niger and beyond.

The UK was a significant donor to the Global Education Summit in 2021 and Niger is one of the largest recipients of our pledge. I visited some of the schools that have opened as a result of our support, which provide children in conflict zones with the education they deserve.

I also met aid workers from International Rescue Committee, who are working to save children from malnutrition and providing safe spaces for women and girls at risk of violence.

In another meeting, I received a demonstration of how UK-funded programmes are providing Niger’s security forces with the specialist training needed to deal with terrorist explosive devices as part of an effort to deliver peace and stability which are vital for the country’s development.

Despite much of the progress, insecurity is proving a barrier to Niger achieving its full potential. One alarming fact is that climate change and desertification are wiping out agricultural land across Niger to the tune of 500 football pitches a day.

In response to all these challenges, I announced on behalf of the UK the Sahel Regional Fund, with financial support from the UK over the next 3 years, to support vulnerable communities in the Sahel region (which includes Niger), who are suffering from rising violence, displacement and food insecurity. Tackling migration issues there directly help us to tackle migration issues here.

Connecting the dots of education, security and climate stability will help unlock potential and deliver prosperity for all.

Geneva – Education Cannot Wait

My final stop this week was in Geneva for the ‘Education Cannot Wait’ conference which Britain co-founded, and strongly supports in order to protect and educate children affected by conflict and crisis.

More Support for Turkey and Syria

The UK’s response to last week’s devastating earthquake continues at pace. As I wrote in this week’s House magazine (https://www.politicshome.com/thehouse/article/uk-stands-ready-help-move-rescue-recovery-turkey-syria), we are moving into a new phase of the mission.

We are seeing thousands of families left homeless by the earthquake, packed into crowded tents or lined up in the streets queuing for hot meals.

The crucial objective is ensuring our support reaches these people. Our Emergency Medical Team are on the ground, treating people who have sustained injuries, as well as people suffering from the secondary effects of the earthquake.

An RAF Critical Care Air Support Team of over 100 personnel has arrived in Turkey to provide vital medical support - including an anesthetist, five nurses, three medics, a paramedic and a medical equipment technician - in addition to RAF flights delivering vital disaster relief and humanitarian supplies

This will ensure that life-saving medical support reaches those most in need, and we stand ready to provide further support as is needed.

Useful Information

Forthcoming Mobile Household Recycling Centre locations:

Fri 03/03/2023 Calder Drive B76 1GG 07:00 12:00 Sutton Walmley & Minworth

Mon 20/02/2023 Avery Road B73 6PX 07:00 12:00 Sutton Vesey

Roadworks: The southbound carriageway between J6 and J5 will be closed 7 nights a week, between 22:00 and 06:00, from 20 February-25 March. Diversion routes will be in place.

Royal Sutton Coldfield’s Orchestra: Young Soloist Concert, 4 March