TeamSpirit March 2012

TEAMSPIRIT The internal magazine aimed at keeping staff up-to-date with important council news, staff stories, events and promotions.

Send your article ideas, feedback or comments on Team Spirit to leemelanie@walsall.gov.uk or call her on 01922 658426.

March 2012 TEAMSPIRIT contents

Deadline for April 2012 Team Spirit: Monday 16 April 2012

Message from Paul Sheehan Colleagues, Welcome to the March edition of Team Spirit.

We have now entered the period of ‘Purdah’ which will run through to the local elections which take place on 3 May 2012. Purdah places restrictions on the publicity councils may issue during this period.

You can read the guidelines on Inside Walsall with this link http://inside.walsall.gov.uk/purdah_advice.htm Public health duties will return to local authorities by April 2013 following the government’s recent approval of the new Health and Social Care Bill which is in line to become law by Easter 2012.

For Walsall Council, this means that just over 35 NHS staff who already work closely with our officers will transfer over to the council. We already have great examples of collaborative working with NHS Walsall and our colleagues from occupational health, environmental health, green spaces and sports development. It’s a fantastic opportunity to deliver an even better service for residents with our collective expertise.

Team Spirit features highlights from the abseiling event organised by our occupational health team and NHS Walsall as well as other articles showcasing excellent team efforts across the council.

Hope you enjoy this month’s Team Spirit.

Regards

Paul Sheehan Chief Executive

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Taking the 80ft leap

It was National No Smoking Day on 14 March 2012 when colleagues abseiled down the 80 feet of the New Art Gallery Walsall to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

The first abseil was conducted by Richard Kirby, Chief Executive of Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, at 10am. Sarah Potter, Occupational Health Manager, and her team are photographed with Richard after his descent.

Sarah’s team worked in conjunction with Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and other health partners to organise this day of 100 charity abseils. The abseil idea was inspired by this year’s theme for National No Smoking Day, ‘take the leap’.

Sarah and her team started their abseil descent around lunchtime when the temperature was still a bit chilly with no sunny spells. They were well supported by their HR colleagues who gave them the encouragement they needed, down on the ground. Photographed below from left Manpreet Purba, Sarah Potter, Pat Tennant and Carli Warner prepare to take their leap for charity.

Sarah said: “The day was a great success and an opportunity to promote the nosmoking clinic that is available to staff starting in May. “It was fantastic to work in partnership with Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and support the regional health agenda. No smoking support is one of many health incentives that Occupational Health are promoting and rolling out over the next coming months.”

First to go over the edge were Pat Tennant and Carli Warner. Pat said: “Great day arranged by the NHS, glad we were a part of it.” Carli said: “It was a great experience for a great cause.”

Sarah Potter then descended with her colleague Manpreet Purba. Sarah said: “Thank you for the support and sponsorship, that’s the reason I took the leap.”

Manpreet said: “I got off to a slow start but I soon over took Sarah on the descent!”

Environmental health colleagues supported the event too. Deputy manager, Paul Rooney and his colleague Alastair Jenkins agreed to the abseil when their colleague Louise Fiddler asked if they could help out on National No Smoking Day. For their descent in the afternoon, the sun came out and it was a much more pleasant atmosphere to take the leap. They too were supported by colleagues from Environmental Health, down on the ground.

Paul, photographed left, said: “I jumped at the opportunity to participate in an event that simultaneously carried a No Smoking message and supported the valuable work of the British Heart Foundation. I now see Walsall from a different persepctive.”

Alastair, right, who is a Public Safety Enforcement Officer for the council said: “I am grateful to have been able to have the opportunity to support a high profile initiative in this way and am delighted to have raised the profile of both the British Heart Foundation and National No Smoking Day.

The Walsall No Smoking Day Abseil has so far raised £1,124 for British Heart Foundation. There target is £5,000. On top of that, Sarah and her team have raised £200 so far. Paul and Alastair have raised £370.

If you’d like to support you can use the JustGiving page to donate: http://www.justgiving.com/WalsallNoSmokingDay To take your own personal leap to quitting, please call Walsall Stop Smoking Services Helpline on 0345 2450786. The service offers free help and support to stop your smoking for good.

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Lyndon takes the leap as well

Area Manager, Lyndon Parks, also abseiled down 80ft of the New Art Gallery to support council and NHS colleagues.

When Lyndon’s colleagues from the NHS cancelled one of his meetings because they were doing the abseil for No Smoking Day, he just had to take part.

Lyndon, from the council’s Area Partnership, did his abseil during the cold morning slot. He has raised £155 for the British Heart Foundation.

Describing his feelings during the abseil, Lyndon said: “It was always something I was interested in doing and the experience is one I’ve realised I would now like to replicate as it was over far too quickly.

“It was nice to have work colleagues and my wife present giving me some moral support.

“I’m just gutted I forgot the milk tray chocolates on the roof as they were intended to be delivered to my wife on the ground!”

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Proud to be part of a flagship centre to wow Walsall residents

After months of preparation, Walsall’s flagship Independent Living Centre (ILC) has opened its doors and staff throughout social care can’t wait to show it off.

Photographed l-r are Vivek Krishan, Anne Draper, Lyn Morris, Naiyar Sultana, Sue LLoyd, Julie Bride, Nigel Marsh, Natalie Borman and Greta Allen.

The centre, which is open six days a week, showcases the latest technology, stateof-the-art equipment and wide range of support available for disabled people of all ages, their families and their carers.

It occupies three units along Wisemore created as part of the town’s regeneration, and incorporates Shopmobility Town Centre Walsall and represents a joint £300,000 social care and health investment.

For Anne Draper, service manager, the ILC provides a fantastic finale to her 30year career with Walsall Council.

Anne, who retires at the end of March 2012, said: “All of us who have been associated with the ILC, from its inception to its construction, are immensely proud of the centre.

“Residents have a wealth of information and support at hand

and the opportunity to try out new gadgets and sample the technology that will help them to remain living independently at home – and all under one roof.”

People can talk to sensory support staff, occupational therapists and other professionals about all aspects of daily independent living, from simple gadgets through to the latest technology.

Telecare and Telehealth systems which can transform the lives of people with long term conditions such as heart disease, respiratory illnesses, diabetes and dementia, will be demonstrated. These are also useful for people with a range of physical and learning disabilities.

And advice and information on everything from employment to health issues and workshops and drop-in sessions will be available.

The ILC improves upon the former Centre for Independent Living in Bridge Street.

Nigel Marsh, strategic lead officer, said: “We really have got something for everybody at the ILC – whatever their age, ability and need.

“While there have been some stressful moments, which come with the territory on any large scale project, the satisfaction of seeing it open far outweighs any of the challenges we have faced along the way.

“But most importantly, residents are the real winners with a fantastic facility that will make a real difference to their lives.”

Julie Bride, service manager, looks after the assistive technology side of things such as Telecare and Telehealth at the ILC. She said: “To have all of this expertise in one place will be of real benefit to the people who want to find out more about the services and support that is available to them.

“We are all extremely proud of the centre and how it is going to serve the people of this borough.”

The Mayor of Walsall, Councillor Garry Perry, officially opened the centre on Wednesday 21 March and its first full week of operation will be from Monday 26 March 2012.

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Home is where the help is, thanks to Occupational Therapists

Ask any occupational therapist about the skills they need for the job and they will undoubtedly talk about the ability to carry out assessments and an indepth knowledge of the equipment and adaptations that are available to residents.

Yet one of their strongest skills is something that doesn’t exist in any exam paper or text book.

It’s all about going into people’s homes and having the vision and creativity to work with people to come up with support that is tailor-made for their needs yet enables them to continue leading independent lives.

Sue Lloyd, team manager, pictured right with her colleagues, said: “I think a lot of people still have a fairly old-fashioned idea of what an occupational therapist does.

“Many believe it’s something that is only offered through hospitals, for instance, and also associate it with the elderly.

“We work with people of all ages, in all circumstances. It can be as simple as offering residents equipment to help them get in and out of bed or the bath or assessing people for major adaptations in their homes such as a through floor lift or property extension.

“Rehabilitation is also a major area of our work – helping people who have been ill or have a disability to become more independent.

“We work with younger people who have disabilities, people who have become disabled through accidents and older people too and have referrals from a host of sources including GPs, district nurses and Neighbourhood Community Officers.”

Occupational therapists all relish the challenges that each day brings, and while a lot of their work may be considered “routine” they genuinely enjoy making a difference to residents’ lives.

“There’s no greater feeling than being able to support people to improve their lives,” added Stephanie Poppitt, occupational therapy assistant.

“And they are so grateful they can often be in tears which is tremendously rewarding.”

Occupational therapists will be working at the newly opened Independent Living Centre and as well as their area of work, they have a vast knowledge of the many other groups and organisations that can help Walsall residents.

Some of the aids and equipment that can make life easier at home as displayed and demonstrated within the new Independent Living Centre.

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A team with a real sense of satisfaction

It’s hard to imagine the impact upon someone’s life after they have been given the devastating diagnosis that they are losing their sight.

Aside from the practicalities of how to continue carrying out the tasks and routines that would previously have been taken for granted, there’s also the emotional fallout from such a revelation to deal with.

Sensory Services at Walsall Council, works with residents of all ages who have both hearing and visual impairments, and officers all work towards supporting people to live as independently as possible.

Richard Carter, left in photo, is team manager, with rehabilitation officers Atul Aggarwal, Viv Krishan, Maxine Cox and Rachel Welch. Karen Hayes, Zoe Bell and Ruth Allden are rehabilitation facilitators.

Maxine, photographed next to Richard, explains: “From cradle to grave is a phrase you’ll often hear workers within social care use and it’s certainly true in the work of sensory services.

“We can be working with children who have visual impairments and need to be able to travel to and from school and get around while they are at school to those residents who’ve lost their sight later in life.

“While the difficulties of the sensory loss itself may initially dominate a person’s outlook, our role is holistic as we provide support and training to help people enjoy as fulfilling a life as possible.”

Officers visit residents in their homes, or at schools, to really understand their environments and analyse and assess their situations.

Viv, right in photo, says: “The range of support varies from person to person but the ultimate goal is to enable people to grow in confidence and achieve their capabilities.

“I had one case where a lady had been a very good cook and at the centre of her family. When she started to lose her sight, the thought of not being able to get around her own kitchen and cook all the meals that her family was used to was incredibly upsetting and frustrating for her.

“But we started with simple tasks such as making a cup of tea and progressed to an omelette and so on.

“One day I went to see her, with the intention of supporting her to bake a cake and she proudly greeted me with a cake she had made all by herself. It was an incredible achievement and her confidence has continued to grow.”

Richard Carter, team manager, said the importance of helping people grow in confidence could not be under estimated. “There are aids that people might find helpful but encouraging their confidence is by far the biggest boost they can have.

“Years ago people with a sensory impairment would have felt very limited but nowadays the sky’s the limit – whether that sky’s just around the corner or thousands of miles away!”

As well as working on a one to one basis, sensory services also offer support groups, a volunteer befriending service and a family project for parents and carers of profoundly deaf children.

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Sharing best practice with the Canadians

Lorraine Boothman who works for Trading Standards and Licensing is looking forward to a cultural and vocational visit to Canada in May. Lorraine is a member of the Rotary Club of Rugeley and has been selected to lead a team as part of the Rotary International “Group Study Exchange Programme”. This is a programme where teams of young professionals have the opportunity to learn about their vocation in another country as well as the culture and life there. During the visit, the team will tour the Saskatchewan and Manitoba Provinces in central Canada, staying with families. A team from Canada visited our region last October.

“It is a privilege to be going on this trip and I am getting really excited as we get nearer the departure date. It gives me an opportunity to see another country from a perspective you don’t normally get on a holiday.

“And the bonus is that I will also get to see how the Canadians provide trading standards and licensing services. I will hopefully see some great ideas that I can bring back to Walsall.”

The Trading Standards Service, which Lorraine manages, is responsible for such things as dealing with counterfeit goods, ensuring the goods you buy are safe and accurately described, ensuring food meets labelling and quality standards and dealing with under age sales of goods such as alcohol and tobacco products. The licensing service deals with applications for a wide range of licences from taxis, through to pubs, betting shops and street collections as well as investigating

complaints. The officers do this by giving advice to business and consumers, dealing with complaints and if necessary taking prosecutions to court. In 2011 they dealt with over 4200 complaints and enquiries and made over 1500 visits to businesses.

Also on the tour are team members Victoria Talbot, Laboratory Manager at Harper Adams University; Kelly Jones, Events Manager at the Trentham Estate; Jayne Lawrence, Information Manager at the Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals Trust and Alex Gore, Graduate Apprentice working on Business Change at Shropshire Council.

There is more information about the team on their blog site www.gsecanada2012.wordpress.com. You can also find out about where they will be making presentations before they go and after they return home. There will be regular updates too on their experiences whilst they are actually on their travels.

We are also looking to recruit members for next year’s trip to the Bangalore region of India. If anyone is interested and wants to know more, they can contact Lorraine at boothmanl@walsall.gov.uk or on 01922 652226, contact any Rotary Club or visit www.rotary.org . You can also use these contacts if you are interested in finding out more about Rotary or how to become a member.

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Greenspaces secure funding for Nature Improvement Areas Caroline Spelman MP, secretary of state for the environment, visited Moorcroft Wood Local Nature Reserve on 27 February 2012 to announce that Birmingham and the Black Country had been become one of just 12 pilot Nature Improvement Areas (NIA) across England.

The area will receive £650,000 of Natural England funding from April 2012 to March 2015, whilst the designation will increase opportunities to attract further grant aid. The NIA partnership consists of nearly 50 organisations – priority projects and how the funding is to be allocated will be determined shortly.

Our collective aims are to achieve long-term environmental gains for the wildlife and people of Birmingham and the Black Country by delivering targeted, on the ground, biodiversity projects at a landscape scale.

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Comms Room cake sale raises over £300 for charity

A grand total of £314.50 has been raised for Birmingham Children’s Hospital thanks to a cake sale which was held in the Communications room.

Press officer Natalie Greenway organised the cake sale as part of a fundraising campaign which her family set up called Henry’s Heroes. Natalie’s nephew Henry was born with life-threatening heart defects and staff at Birmingham Children’s Hospital saved his life by performing open heart surgery when he was just 3 days old. Natalie and her family wanted to start a fundraising campaign to show their gratitude to the hospital.

Natalie and her colleagues in Communications baked and brought in a number of delicious cakes to sell on the day – from cupcakes and flapjacks to chocolate fudge cake and Victoria sponges.

“The cakes went down really well and I’m absolutely delighted that we managed to raise so much money thanks to the generosity of staff within the council. I would like to thank my colleagues in the Communications Unit for helping me to raise so much money on the day,” said Natalie.

Natalie is now urging people to take part in a ‘Guess the Name of the Teddy’ competition for a chance to win a large ‘Me to You’ bear. It costs £1 per guess and all of the proceeds will go to Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Anyone who wants to take part should take their donation along to Natalie in the Communications Unit, Room 34 of the Council House.

Henry’s Heroes has now raised over £3,000. To make a donation to Henry’s Heroes visit www.justgiving.com/henrysheroes Read Henry’s story here: http://www.blackcountrynews.com/the-news/2003-parentsof-wolverhampton-heart-baby-raise-funds-for-birmingham-hospital-that-saved-theirson-s-life

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Fostering good relations with Bulgaria

Walsall’s fostering and adoption team have been sharing ideas and good practice with colleagues from Bulgaria.

The borough has opened up its doors to the country that is developing its fledgling fostering service. Last year Mary Banks, the team manager of Walsall's fostering recruitment and assessment team, visited Sliven in Bulgaria to provide information and initial training to 15 social workers, their team manager and team psychologist.

And earlier this year the woman who has the job of shaping Sliven's developing fostering arrangements, Hristina Petkova, spent a week in Walsall, meeting members of the team, shadowing them in their day to day work, and looking for ideas to take back home.

Traditionally looked after children in the former Communist country are cared for in orphanages. But last year the Bulgarian Government decided to set up a fostering service and close all its orphanages by 2015.

That means foster carers need to be found for the 7,000 children currently in institutions across Bulgaria. That's no easy task in a country that has no culture of fostering.

Walsall has a great track record for recruiting and retaining foster carers. Over the last 4 years we have steadily increased the number of new foster carers approved each year from 9 in 2007 to 22 in 2011. For the past two years we have had a net increase of foster carers which is unprecedented across the Black Country.

Mary said: "We're proud of our fostering service in Walsall and although we don't say we have all the answers, it was a great opportunity for us to showcase what we are doing and help Bulgaria in what is a very ambitious but exciting step forward in caring for looked after children.

"It has been very exciting for us to have Hristina here and the partnership we have developed will have benefits for us here in Walsall too. It forces us to rethink how we do fostering and ultimately will help us improve our services here."

It was following Mary's trip to Sliven last year that she started working with Krasif Aid, a Walsall based charity, to set up a one year secondment for Hristina Petkova to work exclusively on establishing fostering in Sliven, Bulgaria.

And staff in Walsall's fostering team even held a Christmas hamper raffle to raise money for Hristina's flights to the UK where she could learn first hand about the running of a fostering service.

"I was very interested to come to Walsall to find out how you find foster carers and how you work with other agencies and institutions. I met Mary when she came to Bulgaria and was very interested in finding out more about fostering."

Hristina is taking back to Bulgaria an overview of how a fostering service can operate right from the initial point of enquiry, to approval as carers and ongoing support and supervision. She has become more aware of the wide range and different kinds of ordinary everyday people who can foster, which will inform her recruitment strategy.

Hristina was also impressed with the commitment, knowledge and experience of the fostering service social workers, an ethos she hopes to take forwards in Sliven.

Hristina's other main goal is to establish support groups for new foster carers, she was able to see the benefits of this from visiting our own excellent Foster Carers Association.

Hristina is photographed outside the Council House with Assistant Director of Children’s Service, Michelle Whiting (left), and Mary Banks (right).

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Backing Donell all the way to the 2016 Olympics

Social worker, Allanda Peterson, is backing her son Donell Osbourne to the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and then the Olympics in 2016 with a little help from her colleagues and friends.

Allanda and her colleagues from Vulnerable Children’s Services (VCS), based at Essington Lodge, have started a fundraising campaign so as Donell can continue with his demanding 23 ½ hours per week gymnastics training to qualify, firstly, for the Commonwealth Games.

Donell is only 12 at the moment and he is already under the watchful eye of the England National Squad’s coaches. He’s a gymnastic all-rounder and competes in all 5 pieces; rings, parallel bar, high bar, vault and floor.

It all started when Donell joined an after school gymnastics club when he was at primary school. Allanda said: “The instructor called me in one day and told me he was showing a good range of techniques. So the club trialled him in October 2009 and we haven’t looked back.”

During his first year of competing in 2010, the England National Squad chose Donell to represent the Great Britain Team. This is quite an accolade as the squad normally monitors performance over a 3 year period. So, in 2011, Donell competed

internationally in Milan for the under 14s and the team came in 2nd with Donell ranking 3rd as an individual. When he returned from Milan, the Express and Star featured his story.

Allanda is a qualified social worker and gained her degree in BA Honours in Social Work in 2006 and has worked with Walsall Council since 2009. Allanda’s work can be very stressful and involves meetings with families and professionals, writing letters, home visits, phone calls, report writing and court attendance. Allanda gives an example: “We’re the long term leg of the service. If a neighbour was to inform the council that a child had been left home alone, the response team would investigate and it could be that the parent is an alcoholic.

“This is then referred to us and we take over.

We would advise the parent to engage with alcoholic services and then monitor and review it over the long term.”

Allanda works in VCS Team One made up of child protection social workers and child support officers. “I work with a great team and they have been so supportive of Donell”, said Allanda. “Considering their workload, they all want to help me with the fund-raising. My line manager, Mike Haywood, is a keen cyclist and he’s hoping to do a sponsored cycle ride for Donell. Another colleague, Emma Brown, wants to do a sponsored swim.”

The costs associated with competing do mount up. There are competition entry fees to pay, sports kit to renew and then there’s the travelling expense. Allanda and her partner accompany their son to all his competitions. This year they’ve been to Newcastle, Kent, Great Yarmouth and they’ll be at the London Open at the Europa Centre on 30 March 2012. And there’s still another 5 competitions to attend by November.

Whilst Team Spirit interviewed Allanda, Donell was training with the England National Squad at the Centre for Excellence in Lillieshall, Shropshire alongside senior Olympians Beth Tweddle, Becky Downing, Kristian Thomas and Louis Smith who compete this summer. “It’s a fantastic opportuntiy for Donell to interact with the seniors and learn something from their experiences”, said Allanda.

In the meantime, the British Gymnastics Association has started its review of potential gymnasts for the Commonwealth Games in 2014. Donnel will know this time next year if he’s been chosen.

You can contact Allanda at petersona@walsall.gov.uk. Look out for Allanda’s fund raising events in the Weekly Bulletin.

You’re hired! College’s Apprenticeship Programme supports people in Walsall

Earlier this week new figures emerged showing that UK unemployment has risen by 28,000 to 2.67 million. For young people who are looking for work and are of working age, the situation is particularly grim.

The unemployment rate is always significantly higher for 16 to 24 year olds than any other age group. In Walsall there are around 3,500 people aged 16-24 who are out of work.

Against this backdrop however, a ray of light is emerging in the borough. Walsall deserves a great workforce and living up to that mantra is Walsall Adult & Community College (WACC).

The college, which provides learning opportunities to over 8,000 students every year, has launched a range of apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programmes for young people and adults who are aged 16 years and over who are not in full time education or work.

By means of its Employer Gateway programme, WACC is currently running a range of apprenticeship schemes in Business Administration, Management, Health & Social Care, Sport and Youth Work.

Plans are underway for the college to run a Marketing Executive Apprenticeship scheme with the council.

Make no mistake about it. This is not just work experience but real job opportunities with the council and other local employers.

A new cohort of around 20 apprentices who are studying Health & Social Care began earlier this month and candidates are currently being interviewed for the Sports Apprenticeship scheme, in collaboration with the council’s Sports Management service.

In addition, WACC is helping young people who are aged 16-24, who are not in work, in education or in any form of training, to take up the opportunity of developing new skills, gain real work experience with a local employer thanks to a new PreApprenticeship Learning Programme.

The college has launched four new academies in the following areas:    

Construction & Green Skills Health & Social Care Sports & Leisure Business Skills

These pre-apprenticeship programmes will begin in April 2012 with completion later this year. The council’s Walsall Works scheme is supporting three of the academies.

190 young people will be supported through a Walsall Works funded preapprenticeship programme with a training allowance to give them the basic skills and employability techniques required to meet the entry requirements of a full apprenticeship.

Under the new Walsall Works programme, 550 young people aged 16-24 will be offered the skills to become apprentices, while employers taking on these young people will be offered a wage subsidy of up to £3,000 to employ an apprentice.

The scheme has been launched by Walsall Council to help play its part to tackle youth unemployment in the borough and to create sustainable jobs in a number of growth sectors.

In addition, the college is continuing to see an increase in the number of enrolments for its other courses.

As a result of its new WACC Shack store in Walsall Town Centre, the college has recently achieved a record number of enrolments in a single week. Since its launch in January this year, nearly 200 new learners have enrolled in English, Maths, IT, Childcare and Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools.

Part of that success is down to Helen Boden, the college’s Guidance Worker who has recently transferred across to manage the shop.

Helen has been with the college since 2003 and has a career background in recruitment, training and helping people to return to work.

“I was looking forward to working at the WACC Shack because I was drawn to the challenge. It’s a great location to enrol new learners. Many simply pop in and peruse our courses and subjects. We’re happy to help and provide more information, so having a good knowledge of our curriculum has helped.”

The shop is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm and on Saturdays from 9.30am to 5pm.

Thanks to a new partnership network with seven other local organisations, the college provides hundreds of courses in a range of professional subjects including Bookkeeping, Business Administration, Childcare, Education & Learning qualifications and many more.

To download a 2012 Course Catalogue info@wacc.ac.uk or on Twitter @Walsall_WACC.

visit

www.wacc.ac.uk,

email

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Residents tell us what they think of Walsall green spaces From litter crackdowns to new cafes – residents have been telling us what they’d like to see in the borough’s parks, play areas and greenspaces.

Ten thousand households were randomly selected to comment as part of the Walsall Council Greenspace Service’s efforts to develop a new Greenspace Strategy and wider planning policy.

Views were sought at the end of last year on parks, play areas, recreation grounds, village greens, playing fields, woodlands, nature reserves, allotments and open spaces.

Gareth Perrins-Seedhouse, manager of the Greenspace Improvement Service, said: “We have a wealth of more than 200 parks and green spaces in the borough and it is important for us to capture people’s experiences and suggestions to shape future provision.

“Some suggestions made included more visible patrols, more wildlife areas, better lighting and a crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

“People also told us that Walsall Arboretum is the most frequently used site and they tend to visit their favourite spot almost every day in some cases or at least once a week.

“Residents are also very keen to receive more information about parks, events and activities and it is important for us to maintain this contact with them and ensure they’re actively involved in further consultation work.”

New powers of enforcement were introduced to the ranger service earlier this month which will calm the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour in borough parks.

Park rangers have the authority to issue on-the-spot fixed penalty notices as part of ongoing efforts to tackle dog fouling, graffiti, fly tipping and fly posting.

Gareth added: “This survey has been informative and we will now review these findings against a comprehensive survey we have also undertaken with more than 500 children and young people and over 20 of Walsall Friends and User Groups.

“The Greenspace Strategy is an important piece of work and it is vital that Walsall’s communities play an active part in its ongoing development.”

The new Greenspace Strategy, which will incorporate these findings, is due to be adopted in June 2012.

Walsall boasts two Green Flag Award-winning parks, Palfrey and Willenhall Memorial, and a Green Flag has also been awarded to Merrions Wood Local Nature Reserve.

The Greenspace Service has received both local and national recognition.

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Teams working together to help create jobs

Taking a look at how to re-shape Walsall are planning officer Andy Thompson (left) and regeneration development and delivery officer Richard Chadwick.

Newspaper headlines may talk of a £1.8m project to help create jobs, however what they don’t mention are the teams from across the council who are working innovatively to help to deliver the good news.

In fact, regeneration staff are working hard to help develop and deliver the project backed up by officers from finance, legal and communications.

Simon Tranter, Head of Development and Delivery, said: “It’s a really exciting project that’s really making a difference. Officers have worked hard to develop a programme that will help stimulate investment activity in the economy.

“Basically, the council is offering loans and in some cases grants to developers to re-start housing projects which have stalled because of the economic downturn.

“With financial loans, using the New Homes Bonus funding, the projects can re-start again. Within the region of £700,000 of grants we have been able to re-start several hundred residential units that are part of a £20 million package of funding.

“That’s really good news and a feather in all our caps but it’s been done by officers from across the council working together to come up with innovative and deliverable solutions.”

Simon, who has led the project, paid tribute to those who have helped deliver the project.

Richard Chadwick within Development and Delivery and Neil Hollyhead supported

by Rashida Hussain from Housing have worked on the project, working closely with Sian Porton from legal and Suzanne Letts from finance have done much of the ground work.

In planning, David Elsworthy has been key while in communications, Dan Slee has helped tell the world about the project.

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It’s the best news – Barr none!

After months of waiting anxiously for news, the Heritage Lottery Fund has confirmed that Walsall’s landmark Barr Beacon will soon be restored to its former glory.

A grant of £440,900 has been awarded to the project ‘Raising the Barr’ – the restoration of the site’s historic features and community pride.

The three year project, to be run by Walsall Council in partnership with owners, the Barr Beacon Trust, aims to reinstate the well known landmark as a shining beacon of community pride.

This will include a full restoration of the site’s heritage features – including a rare design of flagpole, an historic tree plantation, and its landmark war memorial.

The monument will be restored and re-dedicated as a memorial to servicemen and women throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, while the grant funding will also play an important role in bringing the site to life as a valued community resource for Walsall.

The project will see more activities on offer for visitors, schools and colleges including wildlife walks and fun days, a Time Team-style archaeological dig, astronomy events and services of Remembrance, while a Community Liaison Officer will be put in post to encourage positive use of Barr Beacon and help ensure a lasting legacy beyond the lifetime of the project.

Jamie Morris, Walsall Council Executive Director (Neighbourhoods), said: “This is fantastic news and a testament to the hard work and commitment of many council staff who have been working on the bid.

“An important part of the bid is the close working we will be doing with local community organisations over coming months. There is a great deal of support in the local community for this project and we want to build on that support and involve local people in the many exciting things we are planning for this landmark site.”

Barr Beacon is one of the highest points in the West Midlands, boasting views on a clear day that can stretch from Wales and Shropshire in the west and Staffordshire in the north, to Warwickshire in the east and Birmingham in the south and beyond.

Mentioned in the Doomsday Book, it has been a site for community celebration for centuries, with beacon fires lit to mark historic milestones such as Sir Francis Drake’s defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 and again in 1988 for the 400th anniversary of the event. In 1918 the site was gifted to the community by Lieutenant Colonel Wilkinson who purchased Barr Beacon after the break up of the Great Barr Hall Estate, and in 1933 a monument was erected in his memory and as a permanent memorial to those from Staffordshire and Warwickshire who lost their lives during the First World War. The Raising the Barr project also aims to bring Barr Beacon into the 21st Century with the development of a dedicated Smartphone App, facebook page and twitter feed so people of all ages can keep up with developments.

Reyahn King, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund for the West Midlands, said: “I’m delighted that HLF can support this project and create greater public awareness of the special role the Barr Beacon plays in its community.”

Reyahn is photographed with pupils from Barr Beacon.

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