Latest news with #Lichfield
BBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Chess tournament held on moving train
Eight players from the West Midlands have taken part in what is thought to be the UK's first chess tournament on board a moving train, to mark International Chess Day. The competitors battled it out over two hours on a return journey between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent three-round event was organised by Chesscafe in Digbeth, Abdirahim Haji, said: "We hope this inspires more people to pick up the game, whether it's in a park, at a coffee shop, or even on their commute." Andrew McGill from West Midlands Railway said: "Isn't it nice to be able to engage with a fellow passenger, bring a chess board along, set it out on the table and enjoy your journey by challenging your minds?"Mr McGill said staff were used to seeing people do "all sorts of things" on trains, including reading and listening to podcasts, but this was event took place on Friday, following qualifiers at the winner was 24-year-old Paddy Mulvey, who said: "It was an interesting experience. A couple of times we went around tight corners, but I kept focus despite the lovely scenery going past."Mr Haji said: "People can socialise much easier when there's something in the middle of the table and people are interacting with it."One of the other players, Ondre, said it was good to be spending "hours playing this, rather than hours on your screen. "Interacting with a human being is always quite nice." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Protest against permanent closure of birthing unit
Residents from Lichfield took part in a walking protest to oppose the permanent closure of a maternity unit in Staffordshire. Campaigners said that "mothers need a real choice" and closing the birthing unit at Samuel Johnson Community Hospital for good would take away options for local families. Families took part in a pram push on Saturday after a public consultation was launched by the NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) last month. The freestanding midwife-led birthing units (FMBUs) at Samuel Johnson and County Hospital in Stafford were temporarily stopped due to the pandemic - the body is gathering views on whether they should reopen. Pregnant mothers have still been able to attend the hospitals for antenatal and postnatal appointments but have been unable to give birth at the units. While many have been waiting for the midwife-led services to resume, the ICB said the viability of the units was being questioned. Local residents, families who had used the maternity units in the past and pregnant mothers all gathered in the pouring rain in protest as they walked from Lichfield guildhall to Samuel Johnson. Hannah Weaver, who gave birth at the Lichfield unit before the pandemic, told the BBC her experience there was "empowering". She said: "I had an extremely positive and extremely empowering experience [at Samuel Johnson]. "I think it's important women have a choice about where they want to give birth, and that choice is being taken away from the residents of Lichfield. "The pram push is to show people we are against the proposal for closure and that we really make sure we keep safe births in Lichfield where there's choice. "That's the main thing - maternity choice." If services at the facility do not resume, the closest birthing unit for expectant mothers in Lichfield is at Queen's Hospital, in Burton. Speaking on the original decision to close the services, the ICB said it was made to ensure there was enough staff for the maternity departments at Royal Stoke University Hospital and Queen's Hospital in Burton-upon-Trent. Heather Johnstone, chief nursing and therapies officer, told the BBC if services were to resume, the midwives staffing the units would be taken away from the county's busiest hospitals. She said: "The units have been shut for five years, so the most recent data we have is from 2020. "There were around 18 births a month, so 220 births a year. It requires a lot of midwifery staffing to safely staff that unit. "It's taking those midwives away from facilities where they could be providing care to a broader range of people." The public consultation will run until 3 August and people have been urged to share their views on the ICB's website. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. More on this story Birthing unit closures could be made permanent Related internet links Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB Samuel Johnson Community Hospital
BBC News
3 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Protest against permanent closure of Lichfield birthing unit
Residents from Lichfield took part in a walking protest to oppose the permanent closure of a maternity unit in Staffordshire. Campaigners said that "mothers need a real choice" and closing the birthing unit at Samuel Johnson Community Hospital for good would take away options for local families. Families took part in a pram push on Saturday after a public consultation was launched by the NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) last freestanding midwife-led birthing units (FMBUs) at Samuel Johnson and County Hospital in Stafford were temporarily stopped due to the pandemic - the body is gathering views on whether they should reopen. Pregnant mothers have still been able to attend the hospitals for antenatal and postnatal appointments but have been unable to give birth at the many have been waiting for the midwife-led services to resume, the ICB said the viability of the units was being questioned. Local residents, families who had used the maternity units in the past and pregnant mothers all gathered in the pouring rain in protest as they walked from Lichfield guildhall to Samuel Johnson. Hannah Weaver, who gave birth at the Lichfield unit before the pandemic, told the BBC her experience there was "empowering".She said: "I had an extremely positive and extremely empowering experience [at Samuel Johnson]."I think it's important women have a choice about where they want to give birth, and that choice is being taken away from the residents of Lichfield."The pram push is to show people we are against the proposal for closure and that we really make sure we keep safe births in Lichfield where there's choice. "That's the main thing - maternity choice."If services at the facility do not resume, the closest birthing unit for expectant mothers in Lichfield is at Queen's Hospital, in Burton. Speaking on the original decision to close the services, the ICB said it was made to ensure there was enough staff for the maternity departments at Royal Stoke University Hospital and Queen's Hospital in Johnstone, chief nursing and therapies officer, told the BBC if services were to resume, the midwives staffing the units would be taken away from the county's busiest hospitals. She said: "The units have been shut for five years, so the most recent data we have is from 2020."There were around 18 births a month, so 220 births a year. It requires a lot of midwifery staffing to safely staff that unit."It's taking those midwives away from facilities where they could be providing care to a broader range of people."The public consultation will run until 3 August and people have been urged to share their views on the ICB's website. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
14-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Council to run Lichfield Food Festival as organiser banned
A local authority has announced it will step in to run a food festival after it banned previous organisers from running events in the District Council rejected Cocker Hoop Creative Limited's application to hold the Lichfield Food Festival in August and that it would also reject any future applications from the follows the cancellation of other events run by the same company, including the Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival.A spokesperson for the firm said it would be seeking legal advice regarding the council's decision to ban it from running events in the Lichfield district. It previously said it had organised the festival for 10 years, attracting thousands of visitors to the city. The council said any trader that had already booked and paid for a pitch at the Lichfield Summer Food Festival via Cocker Hoop Creative would be offered a free pitch at the authority bosses said they would also be speaking to retailers in the city centre about how they could be part of the said it would not be exactly the same as previous food festivals, but that they were committed to organising "a vibrant and enjoyable event".Council leader Doug Pullen said the spectacle was really important to residents and businesses."It brings thousands of people into the city and provides an opportunity to showcase Lichfield as a visitor destination," he said."We want to do all we can to support those traders who we know have already made significant financial outlays in preparation for the Lichfield Summer Food Festival."Traders were advised to contact the council regarding booking a pitch, and the authority said further details would be announced shortly. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Guardian
10-07-2025
- The Guardian
Self-serving Post Office bosses deserve nothing short of prison
So now we know – the Post Office Horizon scandal has not been about senior management's incompetence and their struggles to recognise that an expensive software programme might not have been all that it was cracked up to be. It has been a fundamental illustration of man's inhumanity to man, or, more precisely, it has shown just how self-serving and lacking in regard for employees senior managers have been and continue to be. Marina Hyde (Innocent subpostmasters went to jail, but now it is clear: the Post Office boss class belong there instead, 8 July) chilled my blood to the bone in describing how a postmistress made 256 calls to the helpdesk, but was still prosecuted and incarcerated, and missed her daughter's 18th birthday while in prison. She then had to endure her daughter's death a year later. Who on earth was so uninterested in the reason for so many calls, was so callous that they sat by while the postmistress was prosecuted? Hyde says the Post Office bosses should go to jail. This one example of their failure to question why so many employees were experiencing serious Horizon problems, their callous indifference, the industrial-scale cover-up, not to mention their collective amnesia of events during the inquiry, leads to only one conclusion – those bosses must be prosecuted and RobinsonLichfield Commentary on the Horizon scandal has focused on the shortcomings of Fujitsu and of the Post Office. I suggest the British judiciary must also take some responsibility. Something like 1,000 people were brought before the courts, charged with stealing huge sums of money. There was no direct evidence against them. No one could show where the money had gone; there was no sign of the accused people developing an expensive lifestyle – most could not even afford lawyers to defend them. The only evidence came from a software system that could not be cross-examined. Why did the judges allow these cases to proceed? They must, or should, have known about the hundreds of almost identical cases being prosecuted across the country. What has become of the principle of being judged guilty beyond reasonable doubt?Alan RobinsonGriffydam, Leicestershire This debacle has ruined so many lives and the perpetrators have yet to face any meaningful sanctions beyond public ignominy. Do we really have to wait for completion of the public inquiry before criminal proceedings can be started? The government should be ashamed at dragging its feet and further punishing the victims with the snail's pace of agreeing compensation. David FeltonWistaston, Cheshire Wasn't there at least one person in the Post Office hierarchy who thought, 'Hang on a minute, aren't there a disproportionate number of people suddenly apparently stealing?' Or were they all so in thrall to new technology, and being courted by Fujitsu, that common sense flew out the window?Terry StoneSouthend-on-Sea, Essex Marina Hyde's review of the scandal was, again, upsetting. A year or so ago, I felt it necessary to email Fujitsu's CEO, Takahito Tokita. I said his company should provide immediate and substantial compensation as a matter of honour, but primarily because it was at fault. I'm still awaiting a reply. Paul GarrodSouthsea, Hampshire What we didn't learn from the inquiry report – where did the money go (Post Office Horizon IT scandal: five things we learned from the report, 8 July)?Sarah Walker and Barrie de LaraNorwich Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
