Latest news with #SuttonColdfield
The Guardian
2 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Should back gardens be sacrosanct, or are loud phones and speakers OK?
It's common these days for people to play music in their gardens on smart speakers or smartphones. But is it fair on the neighbours? Should gardens be quiet spaces without these kinds of sounds? Graham French, Sutton Coldfield Post your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@ A selection will be published next Sunday.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Veteran reunited with cadet 50 years on
When Neil Newman turned on the television on VE Day, he was shocked to see his former Air Training Cadet (ATC) warrant officer giving permission for the parade to start in London. He and other members of the 495 (Sutton Coldfield) Squadron had no idea that the man, Alan Kennett, who inspired many of them to go into the military as a career, was still alive. On Thursday, the men, both from Sutton Coldfield, were reunited for RAF veteran Mr Kennett's 101st birthday at his daughter's house in Lichfield, alongside an RAF cadets band who performed to mark the occasion. "We didn't know you were still alive… we wanted to get in touch with you, that's how much of an impact you had on us," Mr Newman told Mr Kennett. "As soon as he was on the TV, the phone didn't stop, it was a WhatsApp group that we were all in," he told the BBC. "We just couldn't believe that Alan was starting this parade, it's been 45 years since we last saw him." The men were aged between 12 and 14 when Mr Kennett oversaw them. "We had total respect for Alan because as long as we walked the straight path it was okay… I think that's why we're all still in touch now, because he gelled us as a team," said Mr Newman. "He came on the camps with us, took us flying, took us shooting." Looking back, Mr Kennett said: "I think the lads all knew that as long as they behaved themselves they were all right, but if they didn't, they were in trouble." "I must have done something right." Mr Kennett was in the RAF during WW2 and worked as a mechanic on Spitfires. Reflecting on his own contribution, he told the BBC earlier this month that it was a "job" he was doing, whereas those who died deserved the most recognition. He formally started the military procession of 1,300 members of the armed forces in London as part of events marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. 'I'm no hero, they're still out there' Red Arrows, royals, veterans and tea: VE Day at 80 in pictures Royal Air Force
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Sutton Coldfield WW2 RAF veteran reunited with cadet 50 years on
When Neil Newman turned on the television on VE Day, he was shocked to see his former Air Training Cadet (ATC) warrant officer giving permission for the parade to start in and other members of the 495 (Sutton Coldfield) Squadron had no idea that the man, Alan Kennett, who inspired many of them to go into the military as a career, was still Thursday, the men, both from Sutton Coldfield, were reunited for RAF veteran Mr Kennett's 101st birthday at his daughter's house in Lichfield, alongside an RAF cadets band who performed to mark the occasion."We didn't know you were still alive… we wanted to get in touch with you, that's how much of an impact you had on us," Mr Newman told Mr Kennett. "As soon as he was on the TV, the phone didn't stop, it was a WhatsApp group that we were all in," he told the BBC."We just couldn't believe that Alan was starting this parade, it's been 45 years since we last saw him." The men were aged between 12 and 14 when Mr Kennett oversaw them."We had total respect for Alan because as long as we walked the straight path it was okay… I think that's why we're all still in touch now, because he gelled us as a team," said Mr Newman."He came on the camps with us, took us flying, took us shooting."Looking back, Mr Kennett said: "I think the lads all knew that as long as they behaved themselves they were all right, but if they didn't, they were in trouble.""I must have done something right." Mr Kennett was in the RAF during WW2 and worked as a mechanic on on his own contribution, he told the BBC earlier this month that it was a "job" he was doing, whereas those who died deserved the most formally started the military procession of 1,300 members of the armed forces in London as part of events marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
25-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
MP 'left in the dark' over Birmingham bin strike negotiations
A Birmingham MP says he has been left in the dark over the progress of negotiations to end the long-running bin strikes in his Andrew Mitchell, who represents Sutton Coldfield, urged Birmingham City Council and the Unite union to be more transparent, claiming: "Everything is happening behind closed doors".The Conservative MP's comments came after Unite, which is representing the refuse workers, broke a near three-week silence on the ongoing City Council has previously thanked people for their patience as it seeks to resolve the issue, and says information for residents is available online. "My constituents are having to put up with a dreadful service, the sooner this is settled the better," Mitchell told BBC Politics Midlands. The city council had been granted a court order to stop waste vehicles being blocked from leaving the city's depots, after the authority believed more than 12,000 tonnes of rubbish had been dumped on the streets this all-out strike began on 11 March, however bin collections in the city have been intermittent since the start of has blamed government-appointed commissioners, who have been overseeing the council's operations since its effective bankruptcy, for the apparent lack of progress. "We don't really know what is happening."We don't know if any meetings have taken place," the Sutton Coldfield MP claimed. Labour MP for Wolverhampton West, Warinder Juss, responded to Mitchell and insisted the government were taking the dispute "really seriously". He added that talks were ongoing. In a statement Birmingham City Council said it was committed to ending the dispute, meanwhile the government urged Unite to suspend the strike blamed the council's "appalling industrial relations" for the ongoing dispute and said he hoped the government would consider holding "a judge-led inquiry". "We need to know how we've got into this terrible position," he added. Juss told BBC Politics Midlands: "Ultimately we need to think about the ordinary residents who are suffering". "They've got to be borne in mind," he councillor for Worcestershire County Council, Tor Pingree, said: "It's a Labour-led council, it's a Labour-led national government, surely you can work together with the refuse workers to come to some sort of pay deal". "Birmingham is being buried in rubbish while they all argue," Pingree added. Watch Politics Midlands on BBC One in the West Midlands at 10:00 BST on Sunday. The show will be available on iPlayer BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- BBC News
Driver dies after failing to stop for police in Sutton Coldfield
A driver died in a crash after failing to stop for Midlands Police said the 35-year-old man was driving a van that crashed on Lindridge Road, Sutton Coldfield, just before midnight on Thursday performed CPR but he later force is appealing for witnesses and has referred the incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
