Perton Pages January 2015 by Kay Garrison

Perton Pages

JANUARY 2015

MAGAZINE ▪ ONLINE ▪ SOCIAL MEDIA ▪ MOBILE DEC

YOUR LOCAL GUIDE TO BUSINESSES, EVENTS & GROUPS Search & Find Local Businesses...........

Word from your MP...........

What's on at your Library?.........

Wild About Perton?...........

Tips from your Local PGA Pro.....

Charity Fundraiser.....

We partner with a range of great local businesses. Our As the New Year dawns find out what Gavin directory will help you find what you need, when you Williamson has to say about the year just gone and the need it.......... p2 year ahead .......... p21

There is plenty on at Perton Library this January. Check If you have an interest in the local wildlife then read out the list to see if there is something your and your what Wild About Perton have to say this month and family would enjoy.......... p8 maybe join them for a wildlife walk.......... p22

Jeremy Harold from Perton Park Golf Club has set out Hair & Beauty by Shelleys are putting on a charity fund some pointers for improving your game this raiser for the Kelli Smith appeal by offering hair cuts winter.......... p13 and treatments in return for donations.......... p24

Perton Business Index Home& Garden Ala rms/CCTV/Home Security 9,18 Blinds 4,13 Builders 16 Ca rpe ntry 8 Ca rpe t & Inte riors 4,8 Clea ning Se rvices 19,22 Dome stic Applia nces & Repa ir 4 Electricia ns 9,10,19,24 Ga rden Centre 3 Ga rdening & La nds ca ping 3,17,19 Kitchens 14 Lighting 9 Locks mith 6 Oven Clea ning 7,10 Pa inter & Decorator 4,7,17,20,22 Pla s terer 10,19,23 Plumbing & Hea ting 5,6,7,10,20 Prope rty Ma intena nce 14,17,19,20 Roofing 8,14,17,21 Tree Surgeon 24 Windows, Doors & Conservatories 7,11,12,20,23 Window Clea ning 21 Eating & Drinking Pubs 23 Resta ura nts & Takea wa ys 4,6,16 Motoring & Transport Bodywork 12 Ma intena nce 19 Minibus Hire 8 Ta xi Service 8 Classes, Groups & Events Da nce Cla s se s 7,16,18 Events 8,10,24 Slimming 1,2,3 Thea tre & Performing Arts 22 IT, Finance & Property Computers & Re pa ir 19,23,24 Fina ncia l Advis e r 10 Office Letting 17 Prope rty Sa le s & Lettings 3 Lifestyle, Leisure & Retail Ba la nce Bikes 18 Childca re 15 Community Ca re 2,5,18 Footca re 13 Funeral Directors 5,7 Gifts & Homewa re 16 Golf Clubs 21 Ha ir, Hea lth & Bea uty 12,13,17 Ironing & Alterations 13 Toy Shop 1 Animals & Pets Pet Grooming 6,18 Pet Shop 6 Veterina ry Clinic 5

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Perton Parish Council: News Update January 2015 Perton Parishioners interested in local affairs and activities are advised to regularly check local notice boards around the area and, for full details the Parish Council website on www.pertonparishcouncil.gov.uk or call 01902-745971

Parish Council Meetings: Monday 12th January, Monday 9th February & Monday 9th March: Perton Civic Centre @ 7pm Perton Good Citizen Award 2014-15 – Nomination forms available from Perton Civic Centre & Library Help make Perton an even Safer Place to Live; Join 'Neighbourhood Watch' now. 'Flicks in the Sticks' Movie Magic: Coming soon Senior Citizens admitted Free of Charge, all others £3.50 intermission refreshments @ 50p per person • Jersey Boys: Tuesday 13th January 2015 @ 2pm PERTON PARISH COUNCIL: SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

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Perton Library January 2015................ Gadget Clinic - Friday 9th January - 10:00 – 11:30 - FREE Recommended Ages 7+ If you’re having any trouble with your new tech, be it smart phone, tablet or handheld console, bring it along and well see what we can do. Pokemon Gym Challenge (Stone Badge) - Sunday 11 th January - 13:30 – 15:30 - FREE Recommended Ages 7+ Swiss style tournaments for ORAS/XY players. Calling the Cosmos - Thursday 15th January - 19:00 – late - £3.50 (£3.00 Library Members) Recommended Ages 7+ Andrew Lound takes us on a voyage to discover if there are other intelligences out in the depths of space, tracing the history of S.E.T.I and posing several questions to the audience in an interactive finale. Minecraft Hunger Games - Saturday 17th January - 11:00 – 13:00 - FREE Recommended Ages 7+ Will you volunteer as tribute? Xbox 360 Edition. 4 Player Rounds. Pokemon Gym Challenge (Knuckle Badge) - Sunday 25 th January - 13:30 – 15:30 - FREE Recommended Ages 7+ Swiss style tournaments for ORAS/XY players.

To book your place on any of these events, contact Perton Library on 01902 755794 or perton.library@staffordshire.gov.uk 8

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J D Plastering High quality work from a clean and reliable company Competitive rates & free quotes Plastering, Rendering, Coving, Tiling and Painting

contact James on 01902 758547 07786 176057

Fully Insured

SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE LOCAL GROUP WILDLIFE TRUST INDOOR PROGRAMME 2015 January 29th 2015: Wildlife of the Scottish Islands - Craig Round - Photographer and tour leader works for Speyside Wildlife. Craig shows us the wonders of the Scottish isles. February 26th 2015: The Value of Hedges - Dr. Peter Thomas - A lecturer at Keele University, Peter is an expert on life in the hedgerow. March 26th 2015: March Hares - Derek Crawley - Head of the Staffordshire Mammal Group with a very appropriate talk for March. April 30th 2015: River Wye (Part 2) - Brian Draper (MBE) The always popular Brian completes his journey down the beautiful River Wye May 28th 2015: Flora of Staffordshire - Sue Lawley - Sue is from Staffordshire Wildlife Trust HQ and shows us the wild beauty all around us. All talks are held at Wombourne Community Centre (Library) –Church Road –Wombourne –WV5 9EZ commencing at 7.30pm. Entrance fee £2.00. A membership scheme is offered for our talks programme costing £10 per person for the years programme. For further details, please contact Fred Davies

01902 892776 or fred.davies1@btopenworld.com Registered Charity number 259558 10

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Words of Wisdom from Rev Julia Cody.......... Happy New Year! Does Christmas feel a long time ago already? How’s the diet? - don’t ask about mine! Are the decorations all away till next Christmas? As I took down lights and baubles and vacuumed endless pine needles, there was something satisfying about tidying for the new year. But as I boxed up the beautiful olive wood nativity that I had the privilege of buying in Bethlehem, I realised I was quite sad; it seemed a shame that something so lovely is only seen for a couple of weeks’ each year. I was tempted to keep it out - but, the tidying urge won! But that did make me ponder about how we ‘do’ Christmas and then pack it away every year. But we can’t pack away a baby… As I wrote last month, at the heart of Christmas lies a newborn baby. At the heart of Christmas we celebrate Jesus’ birthday. When a birthday party’s over and the tidying’s done, we don’t forget about the birthday boy/girl for the year until their next birthday… do we?! This new year, as many of us seek to set good priorities, can I encourage you to consider exploring more of the spiritual part of your life; to discover more about Jesus and the Christian faith - finding out what happened to the baby whose birth lies at the heart of Christmas. I’d love to chat with you over a cuppa if this is the year you want to explore your beliefs about God. 01902 750232 www.churchatperton.net

Visiting Foot Care Service NOW available in this area Nails Trimmed Corns Removed Painful Toenails Verruca Treatment Fungal Conditions Cracked Heels Hard Skin/Callus Reduction

Call 01902 687814 for appointments

VILLAGE BLINDS

NEW SHOWROOM AT 1 FINCHFIELD ROAD WEST 3 vertical blinds supplied for £75 up to 5' width.

Individual blinds supplied from £20 each ________________________________

Fitting service offered Free home visits with pattern books. ________________________________

All blinds are made to measure. We supply and fit roller blinds, aluminium venetian, wooden venetian, roman blinds etc.

CALL US FOR A FREE QUOTATION 01902 766755 OR EMAIL village.blinds@hotmail.co.uk

Tips From Your Local PGA Pro at Perton Park..... Lower your score in 2015....

Jeremy Harrold, Perton Park Golf Club 01902 380073 or email jeremy@pertongolfclub.co.uk www.pertonpages.com ♦ pertonpages@gmail.com ♦ 07734 461934

Do you know of any Local events? Are you involved in any Local Groups/Classes Do you have Local Information to Share? If so contact us on 07734 461934 or email pertonpages@gmail.com

SUDOKU â&#x20AC;&#x201C; JUST FOR FUN

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Codsall Pop-Up Restaurant This really began when we moved house in 2013 and I was able to build my dream kitchen/diner and Sal had the space to grow a range of fruit and vegetables. Since I can remember I have loved cooking and eating interesting food and we both love entertaining. Over the years friends have said ‘Why don’t’ you open a restaurant?’ but the thought of earning a living from a really enjoyable hobby has never appealed. Then we started to read about pop-up restaurants run from home and some friends went to one in Essex and said our new kitchen/diner was tailor made for one, and we are both retired – so here we are ready to have a go! A ‘taster’ menu allows us to present an array of flavours and combinations to excite the taste buds and impart some of the passion we have about food. The table seats 10 so come and join other people who will also welcome the opportunity to explore the pleasures of food. Bon Appetite!! Please take a look @ our website: www.codsallpopup.co.uk

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Spread the Word Let local residents know about; Your Business Your Event Your Charity Your News AREAS COVERED – PERTON, CODSALL, TETTENHALL & WOMBOURNE Multi Media Approach: * Magazines distributed to residents doors * Access to our social media groups * Listings in the electronic ‘i-mag’ readable on smartphones, tablets and laptops * Special offers on our brand new app Packages start from just £18 per month

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PP/JANUARY

A Word From Your MP............... As we come into a new year, we inevitably think about the events of the year that has just passed us by. We’ve had a royal visit, huge successes in many campaigns and played host to many fantastic events, not forgetting Perton Carnival earlier this year. I have been busy campaigning throughout South Staffordshire, whether it be on Gypsy and Traveller sites, fly tipping or calling for more apprenticeship opportunities for young people in Perton. The constituency had a visit from the Prime Minister in February and then the Queen in November. Having Her Majesty visit South Staffordshire has always been a dream of mine since becoming an MP, and being able to show off such a fantastic achievement for the constituency, was a very special moment indeed. The plant goes from strength to strength, hiring new apprentices, equipping the next generation with invaluable skills, making both the company and South Staffordshire extremely proud. I am extremely fortunate that my role as an MP allows me to visit many volunteer led clubs and groups and schools throughout the constituency. Each place I visit reinforces the fact that the community here in South Staffordshire is incredibly kind and supportive of one another, especially those that are less fortunate than ourselves, which makes me feel extremely proud. I try and visit as many as I can to be able to say a small thank you for the extremely important work that they do, whether it be visiting the Perton Guides coffee morning or running a group supporting people that suffer from Dementia. Although the next few months leading to this year’s General Election will be extremely busy, I am looking forward to spending every minute I can, continuing to pound the pavements of South Staffordshire and speaking to and spending more time with local residents. The past year has been one of many challenges, but also several triumphs. As we enter into the New Year, I feel that we have so much to celebrate and I hope that 2015 will prove to be an even better year than the last. I wish you the best of luck with your endeavours over the year ahead.

To contact Gavin Williamson call 01902 846616 or 0207 219 7150 www.pertonpages.com ♦ pertonpages@gmail.com ♦ 07734 461934

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Wild About Perton in January..... Honey bees, bumblebees and the less well known solitary bees are having a hard time because so many of the pollen and nectar-rich plants they need to survive, are disappearing from our countryside. They’ve also been hit by a host of diseases, and then there’s the devastating impact of pesticides – the silent killers. One type of pesticide, the neonicotinoids, used to control pests on oil seed rape and other crops, have been singled out as particularly damaging to bees' brains. Bees need to find and learn the location of food plants, and then navigate back and forth from the plants to their nests with the pollen and nectar they’ve collected. So chemicals which damage their brains, damage their ability to learn and navigate. There have been calls by many for an outright ban on their use in agriculture. All bees are a critical part of our natural environment, pollinating many of our important crops; without them we would face higher food costs and potential shortages. It is vital that we take action to help save these charming creatures from any further decline. But what can we do? One of the answers is to plant bee friendly plants in our gardens, which flower from spring to late summer, when the bees are most active. Thirty plants recommended by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust include: betony, bugle, alkanet, comfrey, clovers, buddleia, field bean, foxglove, knapweed, thistles, lavender, viper ’s bugloss, verbascums, woundworts, white deadnettle, chives, borage, single larkspurs, nasturium, rosemary, catmint, toadflax, figwort, marjoram, curry plant, snapdragon, sage and mints, cranesbills, agastache. And, leaving part of the garden to grow wild will also help. Visit the Bee Kind tool at http://bumblebeeconservation.org to see how your garden scores, and for guidance on a bee-friendly garden. So for a New Year's resolution that will make a real difference in 2015, why not take personal action to support our bees. Wild About Perton’s Spring Festival 2015, with all that’s best about local wildlife and the environment is on Saturday 25 April, in and around Perton Library. There’s always something to see and enjoy in Perton’s wildlife. Why not join us for our monthly wildlife walk leaving Perton Library at 2pm on the first Saturday of every month. For more information contact Keith Elder on 01902 754245.

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Useful Numbers Lakeside Surgery: 01902 755329 Tamar Surgery: 01902 755053 Perton Dental Practice (Anders Square): 01902 758120 Dental Surgery, Tamar Medical Centre: 01902 756114 Perton Funeral Directors: 01902 756830 Perton Clinic : 01902 758150 Perton Civic Centre: 01902 745971 Perton Library: 01902 755794 Church at Perton: 01902 750232 Lakeside Community Church: 01902 753595 Neighbourhood Police: 0300 1234455 Staffordshire Police: 08453 303132 MP: Gavin Williamson: 01902 846616 Souths Staffs District Council: 01902 696000 Staffordshire County Council: 01785 223121 Parish Council Office: 01902 745971 24