Willow restaurant opens it doors in Mere Green

This week I had the great pleasure of performing the official opening ceremony of Willow – a brilliant new eatery in Mere Green.

Part of the Paragon Group, this bright new Mediterranean-inspired restaurant is already doing well, and it is clear local people are delighted with this new addition to our community.

The team at Willow also handed over a cheque for £3,340 to St Giles Hospice – money donated by customers who attended five ‘soft launch’ events at the restaurant to help them prepare for their big opening. For helping the Willow team get ready, these lucky customers were treated to reduced prices, but they still donated £10 per table to the local charity.

Since the ribbon was cut, the restaurant has reported very brisk trade, and I would urge you to go along and sample their wonderful food – while supporting the local high street.

Visit  https://willowrestaurants.co.uk/locations/mere-green/

Above: The team from Willow present a cheque to St Giles Hospice.

Above: With Richard Colclough, Managing Director at Paragon Group.

Backing Anja and John at public meeting

Above: With John Cooper and Anja Pawson.

Next week, I’ll be taking part in a public meeting in Boldmere, which is being organised by community campaigners Anja Pawson and John Cooper.

Anja and John are leading the fight to save Boldmere Library from cuts, as well as getting involved in community issues like road safety.

They have organised a public meeting at the Sutton Rose Care Home, in St Michael’s Road, on Wednesday, March 12, and I’ll be going along to support them and offer my input on any issues or questions that are raised.

We are very lucky to have such motivated and energetic community activists, and I would urge anyone to come along and support them.

For more details, see the poster in the ‘further information’ section at the end of this message.

A warm welcome from Sea Scouts

Above: With Sutton’s Sea Scouts.

I had the great pleasure of visiting the 1st Sutton Sea Scouts at their home near Boldmere Gate last Friday evening.

This brilliantly run group, led by parents and friends, has more than 120 members and a lengthy waiting list.

I was accompanied by campaigners John Cooper and Anja Pawson – taking time off from their tireless fighting to stop Boldmere Library closing.

We received the warmest welcome, being escorted to the Sea Scout headquarters by one of the group’s fantastic young leaders. I was lucky to witness the Sea Scouts’ traditional “Flag” parade, a wonderful ritual showcasing the discipline and camaraderie of the young Scouts.

I then spoke extensively to the young people and the dedicated adult volunteers who keep the group running. I even had the honour of presenting the Chief Scout’s Gold Award to Patrol Leader Jacob – the highest award in scouting.

It was fascinating to see all the activities and equipment the group have on offer – and I loved learning about the incredible community and charity work the Sea Scouts do for our local community, such as their beloved Scout Café and their brilliant boat push at last year’s Fun Run.

It was clear to see that all the young people involved had learned invaluable life skills with the Sea Scouts – both on and off the water!

Sutton’s oldest school to host concert celebrating local heritage

Above: Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School is to host a variety show to celebrate the town’s history.

The countdown is on to the 500th anniversary of Sutton’s Royal Charter, and next month will see the first event to celebrate this momentous event in our history.

Sutton Coldfield Heritage Network is putting on an incredible display of Sutton talent on Saturday 5 April 2025, for their Royal Town Charter Quincentenary Royal Variety Concert & Exhibition.

Funded by the Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust, this fantastic event will fittingly take place at Bishop Vesey Grammar School – two local institutions, which, of course, also trace their history back to the Tudor era, 500 years ago. It will begin with an exhibition at 6.30pm in the school’s main lobby with the concert at 7.30pm in the main hall.

As the first event in the run-up to the Royal Town Charter’s 500th anniversary in 2028, it will bring together Suttonians of all ages from local community groups to present a stunning programme celebrating the creative arts in our Royal Town.

The fundraising event, run by local people for local people, includes displays of dancing, singing, music, comedy, drama, history, literature and art, in celebration of the vibrant arts community our Royal Town had fostered for nearly 500 years.

It is set to be an evening of spectacular variety celebrating the Royal Town we all love – it’s something you won’t want to miss.

For more details, see the ‘further information’ section at the end of this message.

You can book tickets online at the link below.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/royal-variety-concert-and-exhibition-tickets-1257493509939

The sorry state of historic Midland Lodge

Above: Midland Lodge in Sutton Park, as show in Savills’ sale particulars.

Many Sutton residents will be dismayed to read of bankrupt Birmingham’s ‘fire sale’ of Midland Lodge, the historic building in Sutton Park, which was once the home of Sir Benjamin Stone, the Royal Town’s first mayor.

The city council’s property agents, Savills, describe the lodge as a ‘unique Victorian gothic revival cottage property’ with ‘significant potential’.

However, according to the sale particulars, it will need around £250,000 spent on it to bring it up to standard. £250,000! This illustrates the shocking state of disrepair that Birmingham has allowed this historic building to fall into.

While this sale is down purely to Birmingham’s desperate need to plug the black hole in its accounts, I accept that the best thing for Midland Lodge is for it to find the right buyer, who can hopefully return it to a suitable use.

However, I am shocked by the state of the building.

This week, a spokesperson for Birmingham City Council warned: “We know the community has fears over the future of the future of Midland Lodge. However, as a Grade-II* listed building, any future refurbishment or alteration proposals will need to respect the property’s listed status and adhere to any specific requirements and planning consents.”

Frankly, it’s a bit rich for Birmingham to be now pointing out the importance of Midland Lodge’s listed status, when they have clearly ignored it for many years – and let it fall into an appalling state.

Lots to look forward to at Highbury Little Theatre

Highbury Theatre has an impressive programme of shows and events lined up for the coming weeks.

Highbury Theatre is a non-professional theatre in Sheffield Road, Wylde Green. It is one of the oldest, established amateur theatres in the city and a founding member of the Little Theatre Guild of Great Britain.

From 10 March – 15 March at 7.30 pm, you can catch the Highbury Players’ drama Little Wars, which celebrates the iconic whodunnit genre with an intriguing mystery. It is suitable for ages 14 and over.

Local poets Linzi Winterburn, Phil Astle and Laurence Inman will be joining vocalist and guitarist Andy Jenkins in Highbury’s intimate studio space, for an evening of spoken and sung words, from 27 March – 28 March at 7.30 pm. The Train Rattle Poets, as they are called, will share their words followed by an opportunity for the public to get involved, with a limited number of open mic slots available which can be booked before 7.15 pm on the night.

Then the Highbury Players will be putting on the fairy tale fantasy The Heartless Princess from 8 April – 17 April at 7.30 pm, and also 12 April at 2.30 pm. Suitable for ages 5 and over, it promises fun for all the family!

Lastly, on Sunday 13 April at 7 pm, the Theatre is rescreening the Pixar classic Wall-E.

You can book tickets online using the following link:

https://highburytheatre.co.uk/buy-tickets/

Watch out for latest leaflet

Over the next few weeks look out for a brilliant leaflet highlighting the progress being made on my four key priorities for Sutton Coldfield – the Town Hall, Town Centre, Cottage Hospital and Sutton Park.

It’s always good to be able to report good news, and this leaflet highlights how millions of pounds are now being spent to improve these landmarks, with more to come.

Being delivered now across Sutton, the leaflet also covers the work being done by your Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council – and how our city councillors are fighting to hold bankrupt Birmingham to account for the tax rises and service cuts that are hitting residents.

This week in Parliament, I welcomed the Government’s ongoing commitment to Sutton’s Towns Fund payment and invited the Minister to visit the Royal Town.

I said:

“The Minister will understand that in the royal town of Sutton Coldfield, we were delighted to receive the Towns Fund money from the last Government, and we are grateful to him for — in his words — honouring that commitment from the Dispatch Box. May I also thank him for the courtesy he has shown in the discussions that he and I have had about this? As I have said to him before, I hope that he will pay a state visit to the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, where we can show him not only the delights of the town, but how well we will ensure that this taxpayers’ money is spent.”

Alex Norris, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, replied:

“I am grateful for that, and for the conversations that I have had with the right hon. Gentleman. The difference between his area and the other 74 is that in his case, the connection is with a town council, rather than a local authority. As he knows, I am a great proponent of town and parish councils. He bears a heavy weight as a result, but we want to demonstrate that this is a model that works and could be used again in the future. I look forward to working with him, and I will of course pay that visit.”

Showing a united front on Ukraine

Concerns over Ukraine continue. I urged the Prime Minister this week to consider the combined economic strength we have with our European allies.

I said:

“The Prime Minister should surely be commended both for the meetings that he held in the White House last week and for the effective leadership that he showed over the weekend. Will he bear in mind, as he seeks to forge this coalition of the willing with urgency and vigour, that the GDP of Russia is some $2 trillion, while the GDP of the six European members of NATO that are the most committed is more than seven times that, at $15 trillion? That should surely add to the effectiveness of the deterrent and the work that he is now doing with European allies.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer replied:

“I thank the right hon. Gentleman for raising that point. We must not lose sight of the fact that the Russian economy is being damaged by the measures that we are taking collectively, particularly on sanctions, and we should have self-confidence in the ability of Europe to pull together, whether that is on military or financial issues, for the collective security of the defence of Europe. We have said many times that Europe needs to step up. Now is the time to step up; now is the time to lead. That is why I was pleased that in the last few days we moved things on a little in that regard.”

Getting answers on car crime

In the wake of recent car thefts in our Royal Town and across the West Midlands, I asked the Home Office what they were doing to tackle this terrible spate of crimes in the region.

Dame Diana Johnson, Minister of State for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention, replied:

“This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and we are working with the automotive industry and police – taking a national approach - to ensure our response is as strong as it can be, including working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime.

“Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced measures to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying them.

“We are also providing £250,000 funding this financial year to help support enforcement at the ports to prevent stolen vehicles and vehicle parts being shipped abroad, including additional staff and specialist equipment.

“Via the recently established National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership and the police-led National Vehicle Crime Working Group, we are focusing on prevention and deterrence of theft of and from vehicles; this includes training police officers on the methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles, and working with industry to address vulnerabilities in vehicles.”