The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022

CHAMPIONING DIVERSITY, EQUALITY & INCLUSION ACROSS ALL COMMUNITIES

JULY 2022

Connecting Communities - Inspiring A New Generation

Check Out The Specia l Supplement Pages 13-36

UP, UP & AWAY!

Honorary Air Commodore Dr Marcia McLaughlin steps into the cockpit of her new role in the RAF - Page 3

Jamaica Life Is Nice!

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LET’S GO OUT A CELEBRATION OF CREATIVITY IN THE WEST MIDLANDS

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erhaps it is true to say that every political leader experiences some major crisis in their country which might define their entire leadership.

For Tony Blair, it might be the war in Iraq, for Margaret Thatcher, it might be the introduction of the poll tax.

For Boris Johnson, however, there might be three inter-related reasons why his premiership could be under serious threat.

The first of these is party-gate revelations and the second is the parliamentary vote of no confidence.

The third issue is the economic crisis and rising costs of living.

Boris Johnson is known for his flamboyant manner and a never say die attitude.

For him to remain in office for the next two years, can he turn these three issues in his favour?

Surprisingly, just over a year ago, the prime minister’s position and overall rating was very different from what it is today.

In February 2021, his overall poll ratings surged in the wake of his Covid-19 lockdown roadmap. By contrast, according to the Mail on Sunday, Sir Keir Starmer’s ratings actually dropped to near Zero.

According to a report in the Guardian Newspaper in August 2021, Boris Johnson’s overall approval rating were slightly better than Keir Starmer.

At that point the Conservatives were about 5-9 points ahead of the Labour Party. Towards the end of the year, however, things began to change for the worse.

The catalyst for much of this was the reports of parties and social gatherings at Downing Street at a time when the country was still in lockdown.

Criticisms and fall outs within the Conservative Party and from sections of the public came thick and fast.

Recently, we saw the resignation of Johnson’s ethics adviser, Lord Geidt, who said, it is “reasonable” to suggest the prime minister broke the ministerial code.

This partygate revelations seem to reach a crescendo on 6 June 2022 when a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister was held in Parliament.

A vote of no confidence in a serving prime minister is a very serious stain on any leader.

Of the five previous leaders who experienced a vote of no confidence led by backbenchers, two, Ted Heath in 1975 and Sir

CAN BORIS JOHNSON SURVIVE THE TRIPLE CRISES AFFECTING CURRENTLY TESTING HIS PREMIERSHIP? Iain Duncan Smith in 2003, lost the vote, and had to immediately resign.

The third leader, Margaret Thatcher, resigned in 1990 even though she won her no confidence vote because the margin was so small.

Even though Boris Johnson won the vote, his margin was worse than Theresa May’s percentage.

Whilst Johnson had a 59% majority, Theresa May’s percentage was 63%. With 148 members of the Conservative Parliamentary Party voting against Johnson, this could make things difficult for him when it comes to attempts to pass legislations in Parliament.

The third issue that is affecting the prime minister is the

economic crises. Of course, it must be stated from the outset that these were mainly external events over which the prime minister had no control.

The war in Ukraine has resulted in increases in oil prices and certain food commodities such as wheat.

Although Boris Johnson insists the UK will ‘get through’ the cost of living crisis despite realterms pay cuts for millions, thousands have taken to the streets to protest against the soaring costs of living to demand that the government to tackle these issues.

With rail trikes taking place in the week beginning 20th June 2022, the first for thirty years, there seems to be a mood of discontent in the air.

Former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine has warned that Britain will experience a series of crises "fast and thick" as the country faces a "very nasty situation" in the coming months.

If the economy can experience an upturn in the next six moths or so, this will certainly go a far way towards strengthening Boris Johnson’s claim that we will get through this.

The question is, however, will his own party members continue to see him as an asset or a liability?

These three issues of: partygate, losing support in his own parliamentary political party and the economic crises need to be tackled very soon, or else Johnson’s premiership could be under threat.

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HELLO MA'AM!

l Group Captain Anne-Marie Houghton, Deputy Head of RAF Media and Communications presents a

I

commissioning scroll signed by Her Majesty the Queen to Honorary Air Commodore Dr Marcia McLaughlin.

t was a day of firsts for 7644 Squadron’s new Honorary Air Commodore Dr Marcia McLaughlin in her inaugural visit to the Reserve unit's HQ at RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire.

Dr McLaughlin, whose appointment was approved by Buckingham Palace in May, was delighted that her first official task was to award the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee medals to squadron personnel, the first medal being presented to Corporal Agy Rudel, who has served for seven years as a digital media specialist with 7644.

In her “day job” Cpl Rudel is a multi-media manager for a Harrogate-based company. These medals mean a great deal to Reservists who must have given at least 1862 days of service and maintain their operational efficiency for 5 years in order to qualify, a fact not lost on Dr McLaughlin who was impressed with the dedication of the unit personnel who all have civilian careers but lend their spare time to serving our country.

The deputy head of communications for the RAF then presented Dr McLaughlin with her official Commissioning Scroll in which Her Majesty the Queen clearly states the duties

Dr McLaughlin will be asked to undertake during her 5 year appointment.

Squadron members were enthralled with Dr McLaughlin’s address during which she related stories from her own awardwinning career, spanning more than 30 years in the media.

Dr McLaughlin said: "I believe that communication is key to the harmonious co-existence of communities. Knowing and being able to understand your neighbour breaks down barriers that can cause conflict.”

She added: "The media is the most influential platform we have and we must utilize it to reach the individuals that make up each community.

"Ever since signing the Armed Forces Covenant, I have been trying to put into practice the promises I made on that night, and this role is a direct extension of those promises.”

Each of the 26 Royal Auxiliary Air Force Squadrons across the country have an Honorary Air Commodore, chosen by each Squadron for their military or professional expertise to learn about the work of the RAF and its Reserve Squadrons and become ambassadors for the units and help to improve public understanding of the work the RAF does in the defence of our country and its allies and partners.

Air Vice Marshal Ranald Munroe, Commandant General of the RAuxAF said: “Our Honorary Air Commodores, working in a purely voluntary capacity, bring to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force vast experience from their military or civilian backgrounds, are a priceless source of advice and knowledge in their fields of specialism and greatly extend our network of key contacts to assist the service to continue to grow and improve its contribution to defence and civil society in our country”.

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 3

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Dr McLaughlin was appointed because her background as a life-long journalist and publisher is entirely compatible with the work of a busy specialist media Squadron whose subject matter experts contribute greatly to the communications work of the RAF. 7644 Sqn reservists are regularly deployed to accompany the RAF where ever it is working and gather video footage, imagery and editorial content to help to tell the vast range of stories about the work that RAF personnel are doing.

This can be anything from training with partner nations to offering military and humanitarian assistance in times of crisis.

As a working journalist herself, Dr McLaughlin well understands the pressures of operating in challenging environments and delivering to a deadline and is full

l Dr McLaughlin's awarding the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee medal to Corporal Agy Rudel

Her Birmingham-based publication, The Phoenix Newspaper, boasts the mission statement ‘Connecting Communities - Inspiring the Next Generation’ and focuses on social cohesion and has strong echoes to the guiding ethos and practises of the Royal Air Force.

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of admiration for the Squadron members who she will be working with in the months and years ahead.

She said “These are very skilled media practitioners who are dedicated to the public service they give in their spare time and I am honoured to be a part of the unit”.

She added “I believe my role will be an opportunity to promote common good and excellence in service.

"Decency and respect, togetherness and humility. I feel the work that I will be doing as Honorary Air Commodore, is almost a mirror of what I feel is needed to get the message across to young people, and to the wider community as a whole, that there is a good career to be had, and dreams can come true in the RAF, regardless of your background or upbringing."

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CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

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THE EDUCATION, FUNERALTRAINING OF MOMMA AND JEN RECRUITMENT

g n i t o Prom xcellence E A

family has made a generous donation to support medical researchers in their early careers at the University of Wolverhampton, in memory of their sister.

Surjit Singh Gangar and his siblings, Ratti and Bakhsisho and the late Mohinder from Wolverhampton, have made a donation of five thousand pounds to the University’s newly established Early Career Researcher (ECR) network to support medical researchers.

The donation has been made in memory of the family’s sister, Malkito Kaur Gangar, who died at just 10 years old from a medical complication.

Originally from Chak Guru,

Hoshiarpu based in Punjab, India, the Gangar family migrated to the UK in 1966 and settled in Bilston as young children, with their parents, Amar and Kartar, to make way for better educational opportunities and aspiring careers. Sadly, Malkito passed away shortly after arriving in the UK and before having the opportunity to go to university or choose a career.

Surjit, Founding Partner of Gangar & Co Solicitors, states he made the donation to help education and research in medicine that could help save lives. He said: “We have no photos of our sister, only childhood memories and the love in our hearts.

“As a family, we wanted to do something positive in Malkito’s name that we know she’d be proud of. Donating to our local University who are carrying out life-changing research on our doorstep is the perfect way to honour our sister. We hope our donation will make a difference to those with similar medical complications and hopefully contribute towards research that will save lives in Malkito’s memory.”

The donation will contribute towards the annual Early Researcher Award Scheme (ERAS) with an additional pot of up to five hundred pounds each year, to go towards PhD or Post doctorate research projects in medicine.

As part of our ongoing commitment to promoting the positive and inspirational individuals and organisations in our communities, The Phoenix Newspaper presents Promoting Excellence - a closer look at our role models, entrepreneurs, community figures and success stories.

GENEROUS DONATION TO SUPPORT RESEARCHERS IN SISTER’S MEMORY UoB appoints new Pro-Vice-Chancellor Education

The Vegan Society Announces The World’s First Vegan-Inclusive Education Conference THE VEGAN SOCIETY is laying claim to a ‘world first’ as it announces its inaugural vegan education conference taking place later this year.

The first event of its kind aims to help vegan learners and their parents, as well as teachers looking to be vegan inclusive, who may not know where to start.

Members of the society’s Educational Network (EN) a voluntary group of vegan professionals - will address challenges to vegan-inclusive education, describe their experiences as educators, parents and guardians and those of children, and look at how equality

and inclusiveness principles can be applied to vegans whose ethical views are protected by law.

The charity is also welcoming guest speakers from the education sector to submit presentations ahead of the conference, at the Training and Conference Centre in Speke, Liverpool, on 1 October 2022.

Examples of topics covered include: how traditional resources can be improved to promote animal compassion, inclusiveness around extra-curricular activities and school trips, and the provision of vegan food and plant milks, to name a few.

THE UNIVERSITY of Birmingham is delighted to announce that Professor Deborah Longworth has been appointed as its new Pro-ViceChancellor Education.

Professor Longworth is currently acting as Interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor Education, following the departure of Professor Kathy Armour at the end of last year. She was previously Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Student Academic Experience), and before that served for four years as Head of the Department of English Literature.

Announcing the appointment, University of Birmingham ViceChancellor Professor Adam Tickell commented: “Under Deborah’s leadership, we are well placed to continue to develop our education provision and ensure our offer to students is truly outstanding. She is committed to continuing our efforts for the University of Birmingham to be recognised as an innovative, exciting and rigorous place to learn.”

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The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 5

FUNERAL OFRECRUITMENT MOMMA JEN EDUCATION,THE TRAINING AND

T

o help provide a warm and uniquely Brummie welcome to this summer’s Commonwealth Games, a special ceremony will be performed by local students and Birmingham based theatre professionals when the 6,500 athletes and team officials from the 72 nations and territories arrive at the three Birmingham 2022 campus villages located across the region.

Multidisciplinary performance company LYNNEBEC and students aged between 16 and 18 from Birmingham Ormiston Academy, BOA Stage & Screen Production Academy, will present ‘A Thousand Welcomes’ which will offer a colourful welcome to competing athletes and team officials.

Celebrating Birmingham’s innovation, community and diversity, the welcome ceremonies will showcase the city’s heritage of dance and cuisine, as well as share stories that have inspired the people that make Birmingham their home.

The 30 minute performance will include a dance party, featuring Birmingham’s famous rag markets and Bullring, unsung heroes of the city, iconic Birmingham dishes and a fusion of physical theatre and traditional dance.

The welcome ceremonies will reflect the diversity and youth of the host city and region, delivering a fun and fully accessible experience (which includes audio

50 New Jobs Created As Green Energy Group Secures Funding

UNIQUELY BRUMMIE WELCOME FOR COMPETING ATHLETES

l L-R back row: Louisa Davies, Senior Producer at Birmingham 2022 and Project Lead for Welcome Ceremonies, BOA Student, Principal of BOA Michael Painter, BOA Student. Front row left to right: LYNNEBEC Creative collaborator and performer Vidya Patel, LYNNEBEC co-founders Jess Barber and Cat Butler and BOA Student description for visually impaired audience members), ending in an invitation for the athletes to join the party.

The ceremonies will take place at one of the campus villages and will include a welcome speech from the

Chef De Mission (the team leader) and the raising of the nation or territory’s flag whilst their national anthem is played.

Performing the ceremonies will be 28 students aged between 16 and 18 from BOA Stage and

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Screen Production Academy, who are studying acting. Students will also work on the set design, stage management, props and costume for each performance.

Performing students will be accompanied by a cast of five

professional dancers including Birmingham born, Vidya Patel, a former finalist of the BBC Young Dancer of the year competition.

The professional dancers will help support the students to develop their talent and expertise.

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THE UK’S leading energy solutions company is set to expand in response to increasing demand following a £8.2m funding deal with HSBC UK. Project Better Energy, a group of energy businesses that specialise in renewable energy, EV charging and energy savings, will use the funding to develop a new 35,000 sq. ft. office at its headquarters in Burton on Trent. Building upon its existing 13,000 sq. ft site. The new premises will enable the group to meet increased demand while creating up to 50 new jobs for the local area.

Having experienced an increase in demand for its services as the UK works to achieve its net-zero targets, Project Better Energy has switched its banking to HSBC UK to also secure access to commercial facilities that will help streamline the company’s stock infrastructure.

The company has used £4m in sales finance and trade capital from the bank to fund product capacity and quickly increase sales, taking the business from a turnover of £31 million to £58 million in 12 months, bringing total financial support from HSBC UK to £8.2m.

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Page 6 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022

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Business & Finance RETAILERS AND ENERGY PROVIDERS MUST DO MORE

W

ith the Bank of England having just announced a fifth consecutive interest rate hike, the co-founder of ZIPZERO is calling on David Buttress, the Government’s new ‘cost-of-living tsar’, to work with energy providers and retailers to double down on the support provided to customers right now, rather than leaving it up consumers to manage the challenging economic climate alone: Mohsin Rashid, co-founder of ZIPZERO, said: “That's now

five interest rates hikes since December. While designed to curb spiralling inflation, in reality this will only place a greater strain on many households' finances in the months to come.

"Anyone with debts, most notably mortgages, could now see their repayments increase, eating further into their budgets for the everyday essentials.

“Action is needed, and fast. But leaving it up to Britons to 'take control of their finances' is too lazy. Rather, public and private sector collaboration is needed – the Government, energy providers

a n d retailers must respond quickly, doubling down on their commitments to help people through this challenging economic climate.

“It’s telling that, according to ZIPZERO's poll of 2,000 UK adults just this week, 84% think energy providers should be doing a bit (25%) or a lot (59%) more to help people through the cost-of-living crisis, with 81% saying the same of the Government and 70% wanting

UK Black Business Show Descended On Birmingham ONE OF THE biggest Black business events in the UK – showcasing the skills of more than 100 entrepreneurs – took place in Birmingham last month.

The UK Black Business Show helped create exciting new workplace opportunities for Black talent. The June 18 event at the NEC highlighted an array of talent and expertise from a variety of different sectors, from health to food and beverage, fashion, beauty and professional services.

From the team which organises UK Black Business Week and the Black Tech Achievement Awards, the event attracted over 2,000 attendees who joined in main stage sessions, career workshops, roundtables and investor pitches. Leading employers were on hand to meet attendees and help create equitable job opportunities for Black candidates.

Michael Adeniya (pictured), chief operating officer of UK Black Business Show, said: “In fact, over 18,000 new start-up enterprises launched during the

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How Important Is The ‘Ethnic Enterprise Dividend’ In A Britain?

ward-wInnIng journalist, editor and publisher Dr Christopher Johnson writes his monthly column in The Phoenix aiming to inform, educate and entertain.

retailers to offer m o r e support.

"So, we're calling on David Buttress, the Government’s new ‘cost-ofliving tsar’, to work with energy firms and retailers to band together and deliver workable solutions to help customers carve out a more financially secure future.”

pandemic, and Wolverhampton alone is seeing 11 new businesses launch every day. It’s an honour to be able to give the Black business community in the region a show that celebrates this.”

Chief executive of event partners Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce Henrietta Brealey, added: “Our mission at the Chamber is to connect, support and grow local businesses and we are looking forward to working with the Birmingham Black Business Show as they do just that – share learning, celebrate success, inspire and link delegates to opportunities.”

Headlined by HSBC UK, the Birmingham Black Business Show also secured partnerships with Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, the British Business Bank, Metro Bank, Accenture, Experian, BT, HS2 and many other high-profile Midlands companies.

The show will highlighted the achievements and contributions made by Black businesses to the economy. Attendees gained cutting-edge insight and advice in entrepreneurship, leadership, soft skills and cultural development from some of the UK’s leading Black business owners.

by Dr. Christopher A. Johnson

F

or years, we have been hearing that the ethnic contribution to the British economy amounted and amounts to £billions.

Yet the research into the minority ethnic firm sector remains woolly. Investigation is usually ‘ideologically and politically-inspired’ on the one hand, and driven by ‘quasi tokenistic’ policy decisionmaking, on the other hand.

The absence of a comprehensive strategy for ethnic firms is very concerning to the ‘ethnic enterprise dividend’ agenda, let alone the elusive quest for stable race relations in Britain.

Since 2020, there have been surveys, reviews and mapping exercises to ascertain the impact of the global pandemic on the lifestyles of minorities.

Although these studies were not expected to be conclusive, they lacked a sense of inter and intra-cultural, faith and socioeconomic pragmatism.

The recurrence of minorities being typecasted according to pigmentation and varying degrees of colour-coded diatribe, remains deeply troubling for any attempt at sensible policymaking.

The aberrational use of ‘BAME’ and ‘BME’ terminologies, is illustrative of the collective ignorance, embedded in the psyche of our nation especially on ethnically diverse and racially-complicated issues.

If modern Britain is to sustain

itself as a ‘beacon of hope, tolerance and peaceful coexistence’, it must proclaim unashamedly and unreservedly, the ‘sweat equity’ of millions of minorities who contribute to the country in a myriad of ways.

Annual surveys must depict the unique input of ethnic or migrant entrepreneurs to business, the professions, sciences and civic affairs sector.

Demographics, geographics, psychographics and other market variables, must be integral to these areas of foci.

For example, people of African, Caribbean and Indian as well as other South Asian and East Asian background, have layers of inter, intra and cross-cultural, ethnic, faith and related socioeconomic proclivities.

These must be carefully studied rather than making ‘crass assumptions’ based on the reliance of ethnic ‘self-reporting’ mechanisms or options.

Other suggestions to reinforce the imperativeness of a modern ‘ethnic enterprise dividend’ are as follows (Figure 1 - below).

Advisedly, the aforementioned ‘strategic pillars’ must not convey the impression of either a pretextual or a peripheral attempt to ‘sound good’.

Rather, these suggestions must be given the ‘weight of expectation’ that collective action is overdue.

The merits and demerits of each pillar, is not in dispute here, but each is worth pursuing in a climate where the ‘them-and-us’ defeatist syndrome, is perhaps re-surfacing, as the litany of political and economic woes, beckons Britain, as a nation, to act decisively. ‘Father Time’ is ticking while ‘Mother Nature’ is willing us!

l Figure 1: Suggestions for a modern ‘Ethnic Enterprise Dividend’ Agenda (Source: Writer’s framework analysis and related economic studies)

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West Midlands Projects And People Nominated For Prestigious Planning Awards

PROJECTS, PLANS and people representing the best of public and private sector town planning from around the West Midlands have been shortlisted in the Royal Town Planning Institute Awards for Planning Excellence.

Regional winners will be announced on 30 June at the RTPI West Midlands Summer Ball and Awards.

The RTPI represents 27,000 planning professionals worldwide and promotes spatial planning, shapes policy and raises professional standards. For over 30 years, RTPI West Midlands has been presenting awards recognising the power of planning in creating exceptional places and protecting our

environment.

Awards for 2022 will be presented for: • Best Plan • Best Project • Local Authority of the Year • Small Planning Consultancy of the Year • Young Planner of the Year • RTPI WM Chair's Award Head Judge and Vice Chair of RTPI West Midlands Clare Eggington said: “The shortlisted entries are a mix of outstanding public and private sector planning, reflecting the quality and achievements of the planning profession throughout the West Midlands."

B

irmingham Airport is now using electricity generated solely from renewable sources.

This is the latest step in the company’s journey to net zero carbon by 2033, set out last month in its roadmap.

By switching to Bryt Energy, the airport and all its retail and food concessions – including Costa, Greggs, Burger King, World Duty Free and others – are now powered by electricity generated from a mix of solar, wind and hydro.

Tom Denton, Head of Sustainability for Birmingham Airport, said: “This reflects our sustainability ambitions and is a small but important step towards our eventual goal of net zero carbon by 2033. We’re pleased but, with so much more work still to do, it’s still way too early to celebrate.”

Sales and Marketing Director of Bryt Energy, David Taylor, added: “We’re excited to be supplying Birmingham Airport with zero carbon, 100% renewable electricity and supporting them in their sustainability journey. We’re proud to be a part of it and look forward to helping them explore future opportunities for carbon reductions.”

In recent years Birmingham Airport has reduced the carbon emissions it controls by 33%.

It has done this by introducing low-carbon alternatives into its operation, including solar, electric vehicle transition and other energyefficiency measures.

The airport’s contract with Bryt Energy runs until the end of March 2024.

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 7

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BIRMINGHAM AIRPORT SWITCHES SOLELY TO RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY

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T

o bring people together to celebrate the Commonwealth Games, two major free Festival Sites will be hosted in Birmingham city centre, providing entertainment for local people and visitors to the city during what will be the biggest event ever to be staged in the West Midlands.

The sites will be located in two iconic areas of Birmingham – Victoria Square and Smithfield – which are already key venues for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, with Smithfield hosting arenas for the beach volleyball, basketball 3x3 and wheelchair basketball 3x3 tournaments, and Victoria Square the location for the finish of the marathon on Saturday 30 July.

Working with Birmingham’s independent music organisations, including Amplify Sounds, B:Music, Big Bear Music, Girl Grind UK CIC, Muzikstan, More Than A Moment and VNS Productions, the Victoria Square Festival Site will showcase more than 150 of the region’s best artists and musicians.

As well as a daily schedule which includes sunrise stretch sessions, a disco with Perry the Birmingham 2022 mascot, and a showcase of up and coming local talent, the Victoria Square Festival Site will host some very special events.

These include watch parties for the Birmingham 2022 Opening Ceremony on 28 July and the Closing Ceremony on 8 August, and a special celebration, including music and cultural acts, to mark the 60th anniversary of Jamaican Independence.

BIRMINGHAM 2022 ANNOUNCE CITY CENTRE FESTIVAL SITES l Birmingham 2022 Live Sites performers: back row: Sharon Brown, So Funk Dance and Fitness, Eric Scutaro who will produce Queerside, BBC Asain

Network DJ AJ and Emma Smallman, Drum and Bounce. Fron row, left to right: BBC Asian Network DJ Noreen Khan, Raidene Carter from Birmingham 2022, Cllr Mariam Khan, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care at Birmingham City Council, Namywa and BBC Asian Network DJ Hashu Mohammed

Victoria Square will also be transformed by a new temporary artistic commission

by Birmingham-based designer Anjuli McKenna called Connections, which reflects how Birmingham's diverse communities encounter and connect with each other across the

city.

The Smithfield site (previously the location for Birmingham’s wholesale markets) will be a festival of festivals with a different cultural partner taking to the specially commissioned threesided Beacon Stage every single day, with DJs, live performances

and dance moments.

Collaborating with the National Trust to bring nature to unexpected places, the Smithfield Festival Site will also feature 70 young trees, colourful benches and hammocks so people can relax whilst soaking up the atmosphere. The trees will be planted in gardens

and community spaces around Birmingham after the Games.

Like it’s Victoria Square counterpart, the Smithfield Festival Site will also have its share of party moments including takeovers from Simmerdown music and arts festival showcased on Friday 29 July, ACE Dance and

Music bringing carnival vibes to the heart of Birmingham with an explosion of colour, dance and movement on Saturday 30 July, and Sandwell and Birmingham Mela, bringing the best in South Asian talent, and taking centre stage on Sunday 31 July.

The festival fun continues in August with Swingamajig, featuring the sounds and styles of the 1920s, DJs from BBC Asian Network, Selextorhood, who champion and empower women and gender minority DJs, MADE Festival, Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul, and Break Mission and Eric Scutaro, all taking turns to takeover Smithfield’s Beacon Stage to entertain the thousands of people expected to flock to the Festival Site, plus a closing dance party on 7 August – a special party for the final day of the Festival Site.

The city centre site announcement follows information released earlier in the year about seven Neighbourhood Festival Sites which will be located across Birmingham during the Games.

Sites will be hosted in Castle Vale, Sparkhill, Edgbaston, Yardley, Handsworth and Ward End, with a the first ever Commonwealth Games relaxed Festival Site being held at Touchbase Pears in Selly Oak. More details about all of the Birmingham 2022 Festival Sites, with detailed information about the full programme for the Victoria Square and Smithfield sites, is available now at birmingham2022. com

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The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 9

MUSIC FASHION FILM GADGETS HOLIDAY EDUCATION HEALTH AND FITNESS

JULY 2022

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WE WILL ROCK YOU THE QUEEN PHENOMENON RETURNS TO BIRMINGHAM

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Rehearsals begin for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony

R

ehearsals have begun for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony which will be held on 28 July.

It will be staged in the newly redeveloped Alexander Stadium in front of a live audience of around 30,000 people.

The Opening Ceremony is expected to be broadcast to a global viewing audience of around one billion people.

Volunteers who are part of the mass cast have started rehearsing under the watchful eye of Chief Choreographer, Corey Baker, and the members of the ceremony's creative team including Artistic Director, Iqbal Khan and writer, Maeve Clarke.

Auditions, attended by over 1,700 people aged from 18 to 80 years, were held in early March 2022.

Rehearsals started at the end of May 2022.

The creative team, led by Peaky Blinders creator, Steven Knight, has previously spoken about how they are keen to use the Opening Ceremony as a platform to showcase the West Midland's talent and diversity.

For both the Opening and Closing ceremonies, around 3,500 costumes will be made which equates to around 19,000 individual items The voices, cultures and talent of the West Midlands will be at the heart of the opening ceremony, with volunteers (including a 1,000-strong choir) telling stories through

innovative broadcast, cuttingedge technology and spectacular production The show will include the arrival of the Queen’s Baton after it's spectacular tour of the Commonwealth, which has included moments of celebration, visits to schools and famous landmarks, and athletes from all across the Commonwealth As well as the cast of professionals and volunteers, hundreds of people have joined the team to help out behind the scenes. This includes local students who are using this opportunity to learn new skills and get some hands-on experience in costume, props or stage management.

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The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 11

FOOD

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Food & Fine Dining Leading Vegan Cake Brand Launches 'Not Clotted Cream' In Time For National Cream Tea Day

Study shows cheapest places in the UK for a Sunday Roast

AWA R D - W I N N I N G ONLINE vegan and glutenfree bakery Positive Bakes has launched 'Not Clotted Cream' - a delicious vegan alternative to classic clotted cream, in time for National Cream Tea Day. The vegan clotted cream, made with shea butter, coconut oil and creamy oats looks and tastes just like traditional clotted cream, and is available in generous-sized glass ramekin jars or compostable pots as part of the company's Afternoon Tea range.

Customers can now buy Afternoon Tea hampers complete with delicious vegan and gluten-free fruit or classic scones, jam, 'Not Clotted Cream' and mini loaf cakes (inspired by classic British desserts) for the full Afternoon Tea experience at home in time for National Cream Tea Day this Friday.

Positive Bakes products are free from dairy, gluten, soya, eggs, palm oil, yeast and GMOs and delivered in plastic-free compostable packaging.

Positive Bakes co-founder Aatin Anadkat said: “Our 'Not Clotted Cream' is the

final jigsaw in the Cream Tea puzzle and completes our already hugely popular range of Afternoon Tea hampers. We are incredibly proud to have developed a vegan cream that is so close to traditional clotted cream in terms of taste and texture, and does not contain palm oil. We believe it is the first of its kind on the market in Britain.”

Positive Bakes is a vegan and gluten-free e-commerce brand that was started by husband and wife Aatin and Helen Anadkat in 2020, after they discovered their son had a dairy allergy.

Their mission was simple - to produce the most ridiculously delicious vegan and gluten-free bakes, with the least impact on the environment.

All products are ethicallysourced and FREE FROM gluten, soya, dairy, eggs, palm oil, preservatives and are GMO-free. The company also has its own modern glutenfree and vegan bakery which is energy-efficient, where bakes are freshly-produced around the clock in small batches by artisan bakers with no risk of cross-contamination.

T

he Sunday roast's prominence in British culture is such that in a UK poll in 2012 it was ranked second in a list of things people love about Britain.

And according to National Geographic, it’s even one of the top 10 national dishes in the world.

This research, commissioned by

To advertise

CasinoTop10.net, examined the cost of a Sunday roast across 10 cities in the UK. The study looked at 50 best rated restaurants on TripAdvisor across 10 different cities.

Cardiff is the cheapest place with an average of £11.84. The second cheapest place is Sheffield with £13.10 and the third cheapest

is Leeds with £13.51. The most expensive place is London with an average of £19.21 followed closely

by Edinburgh and Birmingham.

The average cost of a Sunday roast in London (£19.53) is 62 percent more than that in Cardiff (£11.84) which was found to be the most affordable city.

A spokesperson for CasinoTop10.

net who commissioned this research said: It’s disturbing to see that people could be paying almost double simply depending on where they live, although it’s not a surprise to learn that London is the most expensive region in the UK to order a Sunday roast.

0208 865 1922 (London)

t

Page 12 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022

ENTERTAINMENT

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

www.streetcredmagazine.com

DESIblitz Film Fusion wins the Hearts of Audiences & Filmmakers

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thephoenixnewspaper.com

Are You Ready To Be

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To Advertise

musical’s narrative is certainly bold and its success is therefore unsurprising. If previous reviews are anything to go by, then this tour promises to be a must-see: The Daily Telegraph observed that, “There was wild applause at the climax of the show… and it only got louder”. The Financial Times commented that, “The sheer power of the best Queen numbers strikes hard”, while the Daily Express was short and sweet in its assessment of the production, branding it simply “Spectacular”.

Equally as impressive as the show created from their musical canon are Queen legends themselves, Brian May and Roger Taylor, who had early reservations about staging a musical.

“We were not initially convinced, not being fans of the ‘Musical Theatre’ genre on the whole,” says Brian. “The show needed to work in a theatrical context and retain the rock, whilst also incorporating the spectacle, uniqueness and humour

embodied by Queen.”

This was certainly an important aspect to include for Roger, who affirmed that, “We (Queen) took the music seriously, but we never took ourselves seriously. We always had the ability to laugh at ourselves. Some of the stage gear and even some of the music is quite humorous. The whole middle section of Bohemian Rhapsody was - we did a lot of daft things and a lot of experimentation.”

It was therefore important to do something new. Brian continues, “If we were going to go into this arena, the challenge was that we would somehow try and make it our own.”

The show is fun, light and humorous, yet also contains those softer and, at times, heartrending moments, which allow an audience to emotionally invest.

Ben describes it as “intriguing, challenging, achingly romantic, brutally cynical and at once both sad and hilarious”.

‘We Will Rock You’ undoubtedly blends all of these elements and, as Ben intended it to be received, Roger describes the show as “silly, but funny and making quite a lot of serious points while it goes on its rather daft course”.

Echoing Brian’s determination to create something “new in every sense”, he goes on to reflect that the intention was “to keep it a bit gritty and make sure it’s not a typical show”.

If you haven’t seen the show before, then you’ll soon find out

0121 339 5885

@PhoenixNewsUK

Sponsored By

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

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Page 14 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

WOMEN EXCELLENCE JAMAICA OF 60TH ANNIVERSARY SUPPLEMENT

LET’S GO OUT A CELEBRATION OF CREATIVITY IN THE WEST MIDLANDS ARTWORK: GAZ BURNS

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BIRMINGHAM2022.COM/FESTIVAL #B2022FESTIVAL

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

@PhoenixNewsUK

Hello And 1 Welcome .

F

irstly may I just say a huge warm welcome to you all! Birmingham and the West Midlands are going to be ready for the Commonwealth Games, and I think it’s going to be an incredible experience for everyone coming.

With over 1.3 million tickets sold now, what I’m hoping that people see is the sense in which this place is somewhere where all communities can thrive together.

I hope that our visitors will be clearly struck by the way in which all parts of society have come together to give that welcome and I’m very confident that that will happen.

Residents, it’s not too late to buy tickets, there are still some left, and please be part of it in that way. It’s going to be a once in a generation

thing to remember and I want people to think ‘Yeah I was part of that’.

The tickets that are left are very keenly priced, for rugby and cricket especially, so there is still a opportunity to be part of it in that way, and there is still an opportunity to be part of the games in terms of jobs too!

There are still 5,000 jobs in security, stewarding, hospitality and more, so another great chance to be there and of course one thing to reflect on is that we’ve already trained more people for jobs in the Commonwealth Games than we said we were going to through the Jobs and S k i l l s Academy, s o

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 15

JAMAICA 60TH ANNIVERSARY SUPPLEMENT

hopefully in years to come people will look back and say I got my skills and training because of the Commonwealth Games, and I’ve gone on to have a career because of it! There is a real legacy in that sense.

The Stadia are already complete and have been successfully tested with the test events at the end of May. Other venues are all ready too.

Perry Barr station has been opened in good time. Birmingham will be ready, which is an incredible thing considering the limited time to get ready.

We gave a commitment right at the beginning that we want, as the branding says, this to be a games for everybody, so it is really important that all communities feel part of it.

I think it was important to have a moment where the Chief Executive of the Organising Committee focused on this very intently, there will be ongoing dialogue structured between community and faith leaders and the organising committee, and additional funding has come forward for community activities.

We’ve got to make sure that the legacy from the games is representative of the communities that make up the region, and I think we’ve done that.

Speaking of the communities in

the region, in terms of the Jamaican diaspora, it’s great to reflect on just how successful the diaspora has been here, across any walk of life, be that law, business, politics, the arts, culture or sport, you name it and you see those of Jamaican origin playing a leading role in our society.

That goes back to my point about the games, that I want the world to come and see that successful, tolerant, inclusive place where every community can do that, and the Jamaican community is a brilliant example of that.

For Jamaica itself, huge congratulations, what we’ve seen is a country now for 60 years really gaining it’s confidence, taking a full role amongst nations in the world.

No country is ever without its challenges, but overall it’s gone from strength to strength.

Congratulations on your 60th Anniversary of Independence!

Andy Street CBE Mayor of the West Midlands

National Anthem Of Jamaica

Flag Raising Ceremony

P

rincess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon represented Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Jamaica's Independence Celebrations.

These involved the lowering of the British Flag, and the raising of the Jamaica Flag at 11.59pm on

Sunday August 5th 1962, when the lights were switched off for one minute, and the British Red White and Blue flag was replaced with the Black Green and Gold of the Jamaican flag.

Fireworks went off as shouts and cheers erupted from around the stadium.

Out Of Many, One People

There was a float parade in celebration, seeing community groups and marching bands march through the streets performing cultural pieces in celebration including this representation of the Jamaica Coat Of Arms.

Eternal Father bless our land Guard us with Thy mighty hand Keep us free from evil powers Be our light through countless hours To our leaders, Great Defender, Grant true wisdom from above Justice, truth be ours forever Jamaica, land we love Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica, land we love.

Teach us true respect for all Stir response to duty's call Strengthen us the weak to cherish Give us vision lest we perish Knowledge send us, Heavenly Father, Grant true wisdom from above Justice, truth be ours forever Jamaica, land we love Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica, land we love.

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

Page 16 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022

thephoenixnewspaper.com

We Are, Because They Were Paul Bogle

George William Gordon

Norman Manley

So Long, And Farewell

As we celebrate Jamaica's 60th Anniversary of Independence, it is fitting to pay tribute to a true icon. Someone who has always had Jamaica and the Diaspora at the forefront of everything he has done.

Marcus Garvey

Samuel Sharpe

"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds."

- Bob Marley

Alexander Nanny Of Bustamante The Maroons

High Commissioner H.E. George Seth Ramocan CD is a selfless, kind, caring and charismatic individual who has demonstrated time and time again his relentless commitment to the people he serves.

As his time as High Commissioner draws to a close, we must celebrate this great man of the people, and the legacy that he has left behind.

Whoever the next High Commissioner is, will have very big shoes to fill!

"A people without knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots."

- Marcus Garvey

"Any realistic vision of change must be based on the notion of empowerment of people."

- Michael Manley

@PhoenixNewsUK

Y

ou’ll be hard pushed to find a warmer or kinder person than the Chief Representative Officer of VM Building Society, and Managing Director of VM Finance Ltd, Leighton Smith, who for the best part of 9 years has been an instantly recognizable figure at many a community event up and down the country.

Leighton was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1977, and spent a lot of his childhood on the beaches of Jamaica as his father, early on in his career was a lifeguard with the Urban Development Corporation.

Leighton himself became certified as a lifeguard, following his love for swimming.

The eldest of three children, Leighton never wanted to go to sixth form (year 12 in secondary school), so interviewed for Business Studies at the University of Technology, he was accepted but was too young and somehow the enrollers didn’t realise he wasn’t yet 16!

“I had to go back to High School, however the timeline had passed to apply, so I attended Community College for two years, which I appreciated, it was a great learning experience,” he explained.

Completing his diploma in accounting, he would’ve gone back to university to get his degree, but felt the need to work instead, so after discussions with his parents, they agreed that he would work for a year and then continue his studies.

Through job hunting, Victoria Mutual responded to him, and in November 1995, Leighton started work at the Duke Street branch at the age of 18. “I remember being dropped off at the back door of the branch, on my first day of work as a Teller, and my Father said to me ‘Young man, remember manners will carry you a far way’ and my mother said to me ‘Don’t be tempted to rob the people them money!’ mothers will be mothers as she knew that was never me’ After a year with VM, Leighton returned to his studies as promised, but part time, pursuing his diploma in Marketing and his first degree in Management Studies. “I worked with VM for 9.5 years, and had grown from a Teller to Assistant Supervisor, then Marketing Officer, and Operations Officer – then the youngest Junior Manager in VM’s history at 24/25.”

In 2005, GraceKennedy were recruiting for their Accelerated Development Programme, and a friend and former colleague recommended that Leighton should apply, however Leighton disagreed until the very last day when his friend sat him down and forced him to complete the application. Despite the odds, Leighton passed through the rounds of interviews, and was selected as one of the 8 candidates for the first cohort from over hundreds of applicants.

“It was at GraceKennedy I met my current second here in the UK, Andrew Evans, and we hit it off as friends, we both ended up in the same division of the financial arm too. I was assigned to First Global Bank as the Manager for Retail Banking and he went to Corporate Credit. “It was while at First Global, that I met one of the best leaders I’ve ever worked with and will never forget - Radcliffe Daley. An army officer, who brought great structure and discipline in how he ran his ship.”

Over 4 years with First Global, Leighton’s portfolio expanded to include marketing, business development, and product research & development.

“While working there I completed my MBA with the University of New Orleans and at 28 got married to the love of my life and said ok now, what’s next?”

2008 brought the opportunity of a senior management position with Capital and Credit Merchant Bank, the role carried the responsibility for advertising and promotion, which while it taught him a lot, was a very challenging environment, so much so that on many occasions Leighton wanted to walk away from the job.

Sticking it out until 2010, Victoria Mutual had always asked him if he wanted to come back, and while a restructuring was taking place at Capital and Credit, he left to see what

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 17

Leighton Smith

VM had to offer. “I returned as a Manager for the Duke Street Branch of VMBS, not as senior as I was before, but with a n opportunity to do good things and to start again, bringing in what I had learned in being away for 5 years. “I loved the company, I loved the ethos, I loved the values that it speaks to, that of mutuality, so I said let’s go.”

Within a year, Leighton had moved the branch from 13/14th in terms of service delivery and service-related standards to being in the top 5, then in overall financial performance it moved into the top 3. This success had him rotated to the Half-WayTree Branch, to see if he could replicate that success at the flagship branch. Spending little over a year there, it also improved.

Shortly after returning to Duke Street, there were some changes and I was promoted to the level of Assistant Vice -President – Sales and Service, reporting then to Joan Walters, another one of those great leaders, who taught me the importance of care in whatever I do.

When Joan retired, I then reported directly to my current boss, Peter Reid, who I also count

as one of the ‘best leaders’ I’ve worked with.

We at times see things differently, but over time I’ve learned to understand him and his style, and once you’ve learned your boss’s style of leadership, it’s one of the most amazing things to have a good leader like the one I have now.

‘He is visible, leads by example and from the front, reins you in when it’s needed, but allows you to grow, explore and flourish under his guidance and leadership.”

In early 2013, Leighton was invited to a now memorable meeting with Peter, one which what Leighton thought was to be discussed was far from it, as Peter threw the biggest curveball at the career banker.

“He sat down opposite me and said ‘I don’t have much time, but you have done a good job here and continue to do good job, and we’re thinking of moving you to the United Kingdom.’ I was floored, and like “Sorry?” and he continued that they wanted me to consider moving to the UK, he pitched it to me, and that my family would be going with me, and told me I had 2 weeks to consider.”

After much consideration and discussion Leighton agreed, and on November 13th, 2013 they moved to the UK. “I was appointed as Chief Representative Officer here in the UK and in 2014 after some restructuring, I was appointed as the Managing Director for our subsidiary here, Victoria Mutual Finance Limited.

“In 2018, we further positioned the subsidiary as non-bank specialist lender in addition to being a Mortgage Intermediary/ Broker. Later that year my portfolio was expanded again to include the other overseas Reprepresentative Offices in the USA and also business development activities in Canada and

in 2021, I was appointed to the level of Vice President with the VM Building Society.”

Leighton ensures that despite being at the forefront of a lot of endeavours, his team receives the credit where it is due. “The team that I have worked with throughout my development and career up to this point are amazing.

"Nothing I accomplish is ever accomplished individually, for example in the UK, In addition to Andrew, mentioned earlier, I am superbly supported by Donna Brown and Jane Kerpens-Lee and the other leaders and team members of the Representative Offices and VM Finance Ltd. “The team works hard, and as a leader you are the mover, the sometimes visionary, and when you’ve got a team that moves with you and buys into that vision, it makes it that more meaningful and greater.

One thing that you will find with Leighton even after only a short time of working with him is that he is a man of his word, and an integrity keeper. Infact one of the competencies and requirements to work at VM is that you must be an individual of high integrity as that translates into how you relate to and deal with people.

“It’s been an amazing journey, and at the age of 44, I’m forever grateful to my parents, my family, friends, work colleagues and company that I work for, as it has afforded me this opportunity…

It’s important you have a strong support system around you that will help you to be the best version of yourself. I remember my father teaching me integrity long ago.

Even if we disagree, you will always say that I am a man of my word, if I say I will do it, then I will. It allows people to trust you, believe in you, and work with you.”

Last year, despite COVID, it was a record performance in terms of the target performance for every single business stream that reported to Leighton. “All of them did extremely well, at our first team meeting at the beginning of the year, it was heartwarming receiving the feedback from my direct reports for the guidance, support and push to have them deliver their absolute best, and believing in them when they perhaps didn’t believe in themselves, and that made me very proud.”

As Chief Representative Officer, Leighton’s job is to expand and identify those opportunities for Victoria Mutual in the Jamaican diaspora markets of the UK and Europe, USA and Canada.

“We must always look at ourselves, to see how we can improve, how we can do better, we’re looking out for our fellow Jamaicans in Europe, now in Belgium too!

I’m currently being trained and groomed to be a better version of myself, to be a better leader, a better individual and a better man.”

“The diaspora is critical to the success of Jamaica, I feel

very privileged to have been assigned outside of Jamaica, to better understand the needs and concerns of Jamaicans living in these jurisdictions and to be able table them at the seat of change. Even if I go home, it’ll never leave me, and I’ll always have the diaspora market in my mind. It’s an amazing field to be in, one of the greatest rewards is when you see a customer being fully satisfied with a product or service and their lives transformed.”

Leighton is one of the most humble people you’ll have the pleasure of meeting, and it’s evident from talking to him that he does what he does because he likes the work he is doing, and the effect that has on the people and companies that he works with.

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

thephoenixnewspaper.com

EXCLUSIVE

Page 18 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022

by Daniel Riley Editor

M

ontego Bay has had many legends over the years, and one such pillar of the community is none other than Clive ‘Skellion’ Lee, who was originally born in Cascade, Hanover in 1952.

Living with his grandfather and aunt while his mother lived and worked in Montego bay, Clive eventually joined her at the age of 7, but throughout the next few years, whenever times became hard, he’d be sent back to the country with his grandfather and aunt.

Attending Albion School, Barracks Road School and Cascade school during his formative years, Clive used to split his time between his aunt’s and grandfather’s homes.

“It was a wonderful time, I used to go to the river and do a lot of fishing, catch crawfish, mudfish and morton fish,” Clive recollected with a broad smile across his face, “I remember in 1962 I got an Independent Cup, with a bag of milk powder and a whole load of cheese. I got it two times. I ate so much cheese until I almost turned milk!”

After a while he went to live in Montego Bay full time, and continued at Albion School, where one memory of a rainy morning stood out, where his teacher told

him. “Young boys, I think a cold front is coming up, so I am going home to a warmer front” and everyone started to laugh.

“I was supposed to get one free year at school, but then I had to leave and get work,” he reminisced sadly. “It was the time of gang war, and I was the one that used to go to market and pick things up for my boss at Brimos Bargain Store. One morning going market I was held up by a gang, but I wasn’t in a gang.

“They were ready to fix me up then someone I knew told me to never come back there so I threw the basket down and ran for my life. When I told my boss about what happened she fired me on the spot!”

Thankfully Clive was given a chance next door, mopping the jewellers that belonged to his previous bosses’ sister.

“I remember I was talking to this nice girl, and when she’d stop in at the store to see me, I’d hide the water and make it look like I was just cleaning up a spill or something!” he laughed.

“One day my boss’ brother and his wife got in a quarrel, and flipped a table, so I came in and started picking up the jewellery and watches and packing them back up and my boss asked me ‘Would you like to learn the trade?’ and I said ‘Oh sure sir!’ and he told me to fix the table and he’d teach me.”

He taught Clive to pull down one

l Clive back in 2012 at his shop, Tropical Express Watch & Jewellery Repair

l Skellion hard at work in the shop watch, an 866 – “And I pulled it down, and with a pencil I marked where all the screws came from, and started to fit it back up and it worked! I was amazed.”

Clive continued working and learning all he could at the shop for a number of years, before opening a bar called the Wild Bunch but said it was too much, getting up at 4am wasn’t for him, so he sold it on after a gas fire in the kitchen which torched his forearm hair and eyebrows at the time.

“I was down on my luck and all the time I wasn’t working I didn’t see one friend, until I saw a friend called Stretch Robinson. Stretch loaned me $3,000 to start my own business and I never looked back from that. We make jewellery, fix jewellery, fix watches etc. We do everything you need.”

Skellion met his wife, Carole, one night when he was out drinking. “I was the best drinker, no one could drink like me, so they’d get some young police and some others to try and beat me, and what they did was drink on an empty stomach.

“I always went to this Chinese place and eat a big curry goat and full up myself, so when it came to drinking, all I drank went down to food, and it just went straight to

their heads!”

“I went to this place up Market Street, and saw this beautiful lady inside. I was drinking white rum and milk, and the milk ran out.

She’s sitting right there with me, and said she’d go get milk for me, and I said to her y’know one day I’m gonna be married to you, and she laughed…

“Now we’ve been married for over 30 years.”

Clive also proclaims he was one of the best dancers! “I think it was in 88 or 89 we went to Inferno and I met Halle Berry, Miss Jamaica and Miss Trinidad, and I had on a red suit and a red hat, and I looked nice, I was so hot!

“My friends bet me I couldn’t go introduce myself to them, so went there and jumped straight up and introduced myself, they wanted to take photos with me, they were in red too, it was a blessing!

In 1991, Clive had a guy come into his store, Tropical Express Watch Repair and Jewellery, and pawned a chain for $300 because he said he needed food. “That was Thursday and on the Friday when I came into work there were lots of police there and they took me to jail.”

“I was put in a cell with some people I knew, and it was so hot,

Our Condo

Our deepest condolences go out diamond that Montego B

Carole has given The Phoenix Ne publish this exclusive interview week prior to the tragic shoo

Unfortunately Clive lost his life after his Jewellery Store in Montego Bay o laid to rest on the 9th July 2022

@PhoenixNewsUK

olences

t to the wife of the biggest Bay has ever seen.

ewspaper the permission to w which took place only a oting of a true legend.

r being shot by two robbers in on June 16th 2022 and is being 2. His legacy will live on.

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

but they told me there was a little hole where they flushed the water out of the cells, so I was down on my knees there and it felt like air conditioning.

“When I was down on my knees I said Lord I’ve seen so many people do so many things, and they don’t go to jail, what did I do to go to jail? I said Lord if you get me out, the rest of my life belongs to you, and as I finished that prayer, a policeman came and let me out of the cell, I was free to go.”

Clive was baptised on 15th September 1991 and made a covenant that his life belonged to God, and was branch president for his church 3 times. “I love people, I take care of people. There is no one that could come to me needing something and I didn’t help them.

With god all things are possible.”

“My 5 greatest friends now, God is my protector, Jesus Christ is my saviour, the Holy Ghost is my comforter, my

Wife, and Money. They never let me down yet.”

Clive has a son and daughter, who are both off doing their own thing, and he is looking for someone to take over from him in the business. He’s looking for an apprentice to train up as despite dealing with the people over the years has “been a blessing”, Clive is a bit less enthusiastic about the current generation.

“I think I’m going to retire early, I can’t deal with them.

There is no respect. There isn’t anyone who wants to learn the trade. I’ve tried in the past and they came and stayed 2 days, they want to go scamming and get money fast. No one wants to work anymore. I have 2 more years, and if I could get someone to teach I’d probably even leave it all to them, and just say make sure I get some food to eat every month.”

This 60th year of Jamaican Independence is very important to Clive, who has already got his flags ready to decorate his veranda. “It’s important because this is my country and I love it, and every time it comes around I remember my two cups, my

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 19

bags of milk powder and all my cheese.

“I’m living in a country that I can call my own. This is my piece of rock, and it’s even better now I have my own house here.”

“This is covid times, so I’m not going out anywhere, I’ll sit at home, out on my veranda, and drink a bottle of non alcoholic wine with my wife, that will be my celebration.”

Clive is looking forward to enjoying his retirement in a few years, “I have a beautiful garden out there with mango trees, and

I have my fish right here, I can come home to them and enjoy the big life. I made sure that I can eat my food, and my wife is here to take care of me.

“Jamaica is the most beautiful place in the world. Right here is where my root is.”

Finally to the youth of Jamaica Clive had these few words to say. “Let Jesus Christ be your salvation and your rock. If you build on him you cannot fail. All other grounds are sinking sands.

You should get a skill too. Learn something while the world is at your fingertips.

“2 years pass so fast, go learn nursing, go learn something to support yourself. Try to build up yourself, be self-reliant, don’t wait on your parents to pass to get what they have. Just work hard and you will achieve.

“If anyone wants to learn, Tropical Express Watch and Jewellery, come talk to me. If you need a friend to talk to, call me, if you need a saviour, call Jesus Christ!”

l Above and below: Behind the scenes! Skellion during his interview with The Phoenix Newspaper for this feature.

Page 20 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022

WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE

H

ailing from Monique in the garden Parish of St Anne, Jamaica, Khori Hyde is the visionary behind BritJam - the most requested music event in the Spring Break when thousands of music lovers’ visitors reach Jamaica for fun during the vacation.

Khori started off school in St Anne, and after only 2 weeks of Kindergarten, left to join his mum who was a teacher at her school, until the age of 6, when he followed her to her new school where she became headmistress.

He set about starting his education with the common entrance exam, and thus began his journey navigating his way to the UK. The 2nd to last child for both his father and mother (out of 7 on his fathers side, and 3 on his mothers), Khori knows exactly what he got from both of his parents.

“A lot of my values I picked up from my mum, dad was always on the road as he dabbled in business, it’s where I got my entrepreneurial spirit from.

“I wanted to be a police officer, can’t remember why but I did.

Both my dad and grandfather were police officers and they were very respected, so seemed like something I could aspire to be, my favourite game as a kid was Police and Thief!

Khori’s mother was heavily involved in the performing arts, roping him into it from an early age. “I entered quite a few festivals speaking dialect,” he reminisced, “and I was always a top performing student, was always under pressure due to mums position.”

Moving schools as he grew up proved a shock for Khori, going from the top performing student at his primary school, he was placed 22nd in his class. “It really set the stage for me to be balanced and brought back to earth.”

Enjoying sports, especially football, Khori was initially a defender, until one day the goalkeeper didn’t turn up, he took over that day and never looked back!.

“I went to Ocho Rios High and had the opportunity to do my sciences, then my career path changed, I wanted to be a doctor, I was fascinated with human anatomy and had a natural ease of talking to female friends about anatomy and considered becoming a gynaecologist!”

Then in the early 90’s the

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

Khori Hyde computer revolution changed the landscape. “If it was new and emerging, I must know about it, it was always like that, I was very forward and wanted to be that ‘Go To’ person, even being nicknamed ‘Tings’ because ‘he knows things, nuff tings’” Completing a DOS course, with CBS Computer Business Solutions got Khori his first job as a computer lab technician and his career path as an IT specialist began! Headhunted by Jamaica Computer Society and put in charge of the St Mary and St Anne cluster developing their computer framework and curriculum in several schools.

“I started my own computer company at the age of 19, but didn’t own a computer myself! I had to carry my neighbours monitor and unit to clients one by one as they were both so big back then. It was rewarding work as I was teaching people in the community about computers, including a lot of teachers wanting to learn for their students.”

1998 saw Khori’s first child born, which ‘changed his life’. “It refocused me on what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be.”

A stint at Brownstone Community College followed before England was calling.

“There was a mass exodus of teachers leaving for the UK,” he explained, “and I went along with them!”

The transition to living in the UK was difficult, with the biggest culture shock being the buses!

“In Jamaica you could just hail the bus from wherever, so I was just stood on the road in the UK and every bus was sailing past me for over an hour, getting me more and more angry, until a lady told me I had to go to a bus stop, which I did and finally got on a bus.

“But then no one replied to me when I said good morning to everyone either, which really got me mad!”

“At one point I found myself with just £1 in my pocket. One of the lowest moments in my entire life. I knew I had to get to work and also needed to eat. I had a small tin of corned beef, some sliced bread and some cherryade, and I lived on that for 7 days until my paycheck came through, which was £70, and I promised myself I’d never get back into that situation again.

“I’d encourage all of my diasporans and ex pats to hold the faith, you know you’ll have to make certain sacrifices, but a made up mind is a made up mind. If you s e t your mind on it you will d o

it.”

I t ’s important to Khori to integrate, and get to know your neighbour. “It could be a window of opportunity, could even save your life. I built networks of like minded individuals that provides strength for others.”

Khori married in 2003 after making the journey from Jamaica together, and his second son was born in 2005.

In 2009, Khori started to give back to Jamaica, by starting a summer camp in Jamaica for young men who the business community deemed as ‘idle’ or contrary to the kind of employee they’d want.

“I used sport, football specifically, as a hub to bring them together, bringing speakers in from various sectors. Also took them into Kingston to meet diplomats.

We started with 24 in the first year, then in 2010 we had 109. No money was given by any politician or company, purely philanthropy.”

Khori and his wife separated in 2010, although their communication is still strong today. “I’m big on keeping family together and supporting, following and believing in someones dream.”

“I had a conversation with my now partner, we had similar beliefs to help the people with a more troubled upbringing, and Nadia and I didn’t take anything from

anybody, Lisa Hana MP in Jamaica provided jerseys for all the players.”

Khori went on to complete a degree in Early Years Education and Care at the University of East London, before his first son sadly lost his mother to cancer. “I went on to do my Masters in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities at the same university, because we found out that dyslexia contributed to a lot of the behavioural issues, because of ego and pride.”

He started Jamaicans Inspired in 2010, where he maintained the regional director position, with Nathanial Peat voted in as chair.

They’ve had very strong success and big plans for the future.

“We presented at the 2013/15/17/19 conferences, representing the diaspora on tourism, and BritJam – getting young British nationals to go to Jamaica as a group and form a formidable tourism organisation. It was the envy of a lot of promotors and organisers, but we wanted there to be a legacy.”

“Victoria Mutual have backed BritJam from the get go, even through some issues that the event was too raunchy, and saw the opportunity and value in the brand that we have brought to Jamaica, I have to take my hat off to them.”

Now a Victoria Mutual Ambassador, Khori prides himself on integrity, very much like VM itself, and works hard for his family. “My family values me, I’ve got a 3.75 year old son now. I’ve only had boys of my own, but I also father two other children.

I’m now also a grandad, I have a granddaughter from my first son.”

Not content with the strings on his bow already, Khori began working with Moorland Development through his work in the diaspora.

“A Church and school colleague was at Moorlands at the time, and thought I’d be a perfect person to promote it in

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the diaspora. In 2017 I remember the first expo we did, with a great presentation, and people realised they could own a piece of Jamaica without all the horror stories. Best of living inspired by nature” “We started the Jamaica Land We Love series in May 2020. Had 65 units left in that phase and by September we were sold out.”

As he states, ‘Building communities helps deprived communities so they can raise their standard too.’

Jamaica’s 60th is undoubtedly important to many, but to Khori, the August fanfare is just a date.

“I often question h o w

independent Jamaica is.

The anniversary is heavily commercialised and may be losing its impact on the 2nd, 3rd or 4th generation. When we look at it politically however, there are strides that have been made around what being an independent nation should look like, which is good.”

While Khori is looking forward to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this year, he possibly won’t be there in person; “The Commonwealth Games are long overdue, Birmingham isn’t “little London” it has its own identity and I think it’ll give another layer of identity to that region, and I’m happy that people will flock there as they’ll see a different side of the UK. “I may get tickets for some of the events, but if not, I’ll be sat in my yard enjoying the spectacle of Birmingham on show. You guys in Birmingham deserve to be out of the shadow of London, too many great things happening there to be passed over, to me it’s a bedrock of our communities.”

@PhoenixNewsUK

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 21

ADVERTORIAL

VM GROUP – TRANSFORMING THE EVERYDAY OF A GLOBAL MEMBERSHIP S

ome 143 years ago, in the wake of the emancipation of slavery in Jamaica, a bold dream was born.

Faced with the inherent inequities of the post-Emancipation era, a group of clergymen conceptualised the Victoria Mutual Building Society (VMBS) as a way for the average, hardworking Jamaican to save towards an opportunity for financial empowerment through home ownership.

Over the years, VMBS became a household name, accountable for the fulfilment of a universal dream to own a piece of the island nation, Jamaica, – renowned globally for its incomparable sunshine, beaches and a ‘no problem, man’ attitude to life.

Built on Mutuality, the VMBS remained true, in each ensuing decade, to its promise to its Members, to share ownership of not just the institution but each decision to drive its evolution in the modern world.

Responding to the changing needs of its Members, VMBS would eventually grow to become a strong,

l Judith Forth-Blake, Group Chief Customer & Brand Officer

integrated group with offerings that go well beyond traditional savings and mortgage loans.

Through the parent entity, subsidiaries, and affiliate companies, VMBS eventually moved to offer a range of financial products and services for individuals and businesses, including wealth creation and management, remittance services, real estate services, pension administration, general insurance, and development financing.

They also expanded their reach to overseas territories, serving Jamaicans in the Diaspora and other clients in the United Kingdom, United States and Canada.

Since 2016, the evolution accelerated with a purposeful move to digital and a more proactive drive to develop and enhance its product and service offerings.

Significant milestones have also been achieved in this period, chief among them, the listing of subsidiary, Victoria Mutual Investments Limited (VMIL) on the Jamaica Stock Exchange, giving ordinary Jamaicans the opportunity to generate wealth for themselves and families.

In November 2021, the Victoria Mutual Group of companies, embarked on a brand transformation campaign, to bring its storied history as a beloved global player in the financial sector, into alignment with its brand image, leveraging the opportunity to re-establish its commitment of care and expertise to its Members and the public.

The organisation rebranded as the ‘The VM Group’ creating a more cohesive and integrated look and feel across its subsidiaries. All subsidiaries of the Group also moved to ‘VM’.

A new logo was developed, a new brand colour unveiled, and a new website launched, to reflect the transformed VM, with an integrated approach to doing business.

Judith Forth-Blake, Group Chief Customer & Brand Officer, said with the changes implemented throughout the years, it was important to signal to VM stakeholders and the public in general, that the VMBS they had come to know, had indeed evolved to remain relevant for these times and was invested in them achieving financial well-being through

more than just mortgages and savings.

“We have built, and continue to build, a robust suite of products and have been innovative in developing solutions that meet the needs of Jamaicans at this time.

"We stand on our legacy and our expertise in financial services, and we have now transforming our brand to reflect the changes we have already made and those to come.

"This is a signal of our strength and reliability as a brand and a recommitment to financial inclusion for Jamaicans everywhere,” she said.

The VM Group is made up of the VM Building Society; VM Wealth Management; VM Pensions Management; VM Property Services; VM Finance; VM Money Transfer Services; VM Innovations and the VM Foundation.

“Many of our Members have an emotional attachment to us, having been the first banking relationship they formed, through our schools’ savings product.

"While we have evolved, our core commitment as a Member-owned institution, remains the transformation of their lives by advancing their financial well-being, through access to an even wider suite of solutions,” Forth-Blake said.

She said The VM Group’s new tagline, ‘Transform Your Everyday’, is a call to action to encourage Members and the public in general to make the first move of seeing what the new VM has to offer and “allowing us to guide them along their financial journey and help them to achieve financial well-being”.

“A new day has dawned at VM and we are better equipped and more motivated than ever to meet the needs of our Members and Clients globally.

"We have been making changes over the years to best accommodate their needs, as owners of our brand, and this transformation is a signal to them that we are an innovative and agile organization.

We are energized and eager to help them transform their lives – to transform their everyday.”

The VM Building Society has three Representative Offices in the United Kingdom, operating in Brixton and Tottenham in London and also in Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Page 22 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

thephoenixnewspaper.com

WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE

P

aul Harrison is a very well known face at many community events up and down the country, from his time working with Jamaica National, Digicel and more, to now working with Tropical Sun and Wanis, Paul has always been about one thing, and one thing only - Community.

Born in East London, Paul now lives in Essex with his wife and 2 children.

Paul has been working as a Business Development Manager for a number of brands for many years, now, from working with Jamaica National between 2003 and 2007, and since 2004 when he set up PK Media Ltd, he has been Media Agent for Digicel, and has also been contracted to Jamaica itself.

Now Paul is the Brand Ambassador/ Head of Community for Tropical Sun, and his work with the community obviously hasn’t stopped. “The common thing that is with all the jobs that I’ve had, I’m always involved in supporting

Paul Harrison the community, so in reality, my job hasn’t changed, just with different corporate entities,” Paul explained.”

“I was Business Development Manager with Jamaica National, involved in opening up the remittances in the local retail stores as well as with the marketing and sponsorships, sponsoring things like Jamaica Basic Schools Foundation Fun Day, and Sickle Cell charities too.”

“With Digicel sponsored a lot of events and people. I played a major role in branding Digicel in 2012 around Jamaica in the Square in Birmingham, which was where I first met The Phoenix Newspaper.”

Through his role with Tropical Sun now, Paul has visited their factory in Central Village in Jamaica, one of the first things he wanted to do after starting work with the company.

“We’ve sponsored 2 schools in Jamaica too, Jose Martin Technical and White Marl High School, with a donation of laptop

computers to them made this year.”

Covid has obviously had an impact on Paul’s work as it has for everybody, but during the lockdowns and restrictions, his work changed slightly. “During covid my role was supporting local food banks, connecting with those vulnerable people during this challenging time including Peckham Pantry, Birmingham Care Group, the Borough of Waltham Forest, and Haringey food banks.”

“I’ve also organised huge delegations from some of the African and Caribbean countries, bridging the gap and getting them round the same table. It’s a booster across the board for trade."

“The whole ethos of my roles has been supporting the wider diaspora groups. Working for an international brand like Tropical Sun, and working for Jamaica National and Digicel in the past, it’s been a platform to enable me to position myself to be where I am now which has been exciting within itself.”

Paul saw a gap in the market of the media world, and in 2004 set up PK Media with his wife Karen (P for Paul and K for Karen!). “There was a lack of representation for diversity, and also a misrepresentation and a lack of branding for local businesses, which is why we decided to set up our own Media Company and represent those entities.

Being of Jamaican Heritage, Paul thinks there are so many things to celebrate, from culture, to music, and food, because there are so many iconic foods that originated in Jamaica, and food brings families together – ackee, callaloo, jerk seasoning, and even some of the brands he represents.

“I’m very proud of the brand that I represent and also the food and the culture within the Caribbean and especially Jamaica. For Jamaica to celebrate these 60 years, there are so many positive things that come out of Jamaica that people don’t realise.”

“You should never forget where you come from. Theres a

particular scripture in the bible that says ‘despise not small beginnings, for your latter end shall be great.’ It doesn’t matter where you come from, or what walk of life.”

There are so many opportunities out there, and it’s connecting with the right people which Paul is always thankful for. “It’s great to support diaspora groups, through sponsorships, and it brings me so much joy.”

“I’m very much a born again Christian which means a lot to me. To operate in integrity, to be honest, your word has to be your bond. God is my foundation and you know people by their fruits, by what they do, rather than what they say. It shapes your character, my development in life is biblically based."

“I always think that it’s important that we remain positive, focused and keep hope alive, because the reality is there are many challenges out there.

Set yourself up with positive people and keep striving for better in life.”

Paul is looking forward to celebrating Jamaica 60th, as he’s got a lot of friends and family out in Jamaica. “I wish everyone a very happy 60th, a safe 60th, a blessed 60th, and to all the friends and family of Jamaica, thank you for continuing to love and support Jamaica.”

Miss ISI Says

M

i go to the man yard when him open him fridge not even a bottle of milk.

Is one empty plastic bottle in he di man fridge.

Mi no normally walk and talk.

My Granny tell me to shut mi mouth and mine people business.

But sometimes you can't shut you mouth.

Mi say di man dress like dress puss. Him car top model, shine til you could see youself in there.

So me expect him house to match look.

When him drive into council estate mi think a somebody we a go visit.

A fi him flat or maisonette or something small tink and pokey.

Mi swear say a rat talk to me.

Guess what me do next?

Special Message "We are sixty. Sixty bold, brave years in which Jamaica and the Jamaican community has had an impressive impact on cultures around the world.

"We’ll be marking this anniversary with a year of cultural activity throughout the year making this the year to visit Jamaica.

"And we’ll also bring the celebrations to the UK with lots of activity around the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this summer."

-Hon Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica Minister of Tourism

@PhoenixNewsUK

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 23

Page 24 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022

WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE

l WW2 Veteran Mr Albert Jarrett in the cockpit of a spitfire

l Warrant Officer Balbir Singh Flora with Mr Donald Campbell

l Petty Officer Joe, Squadron Leader Kyle Roachford (from Trinidad), Wing Commander Howard Leader.

l Mr Jarrett got hands on with the steel drum!

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

thephoenixnewspaper.com

l Mr Donald Campbell explains to Air Commodore McLaughlin about the history of the ejector seat

D

r Marcia McLaughlin, editor in chief of The Phoenix Newspaper, has a new hat – that of an Honorary Air Commodore in the RAF Reserves.

Buckingham Palace approved her appointment last month to take up her duties with 7644 (Press & Public Relations) Squadron, a specialist unit of media professionals in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force which provides editorial and media support to the Royal Air Force.

Spending the weekend with the volunteer reserves who make up the Squadron, Air Commodore Dr McLaughlin’s first official duty was to present seven of the Squadron members with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in recognition of their service.

Three days later Marcia was able to mark a double celebration as Wednesday was not only Reserves Day, as part of the UK Armed Forces Week, but Windrush day and Air Commodore McLaughlin was a VIP guest at a special Windrush event at RAF Wittering where she toured the station’s historical centre with RAF veterans including 98 year old World War 2 veteran Mr Albert Jarrett.

The visit was a joint venture between RAF Wittering and The Forgotten Generations (TFG).

TFG is an initiative to record the life stories and experiences of people from British African & Caribbean countries.

“It was a fabulous day!” said

Marcia, “having the opportunity not only to represent 7644 Sqn on Reserves day, but to learn about the outstanding contribution made by RAF personnel from the Caribbean over the last hundred years”.

A Caribbean themed lunch was followed with a presentation to commemorate 139 (Jamacia) Squadron, so named when the people of Jamacia raised enough money to equip 139 RAF Sqn with twelve Spitfire fighter aircraft during the dark days of World War 2 leading Prime Minister Winston Churchill to pledge that Jamacia would always, thereafter, be linked by name with the famous Squadron.

Mr Jarrett recalled his time serving with the RAF in World War 2 saying: “The war was hard for everyone, but the RAF was a great organisation to be part of”.

He then hopped into the pilot’s seat of a Harrier Jump Jet and asked if he could re-join!

At the end of the event Donald Campbell presented a picture of the Caribbean poppy to the Station, which was accepted

by Wing Commander Jez Case, RAF Wittering Station Commander.

Wing Commander Case said: “Thank you everyone involved in today’s event, particularly our Project Officer, Corporal Messam. Cultural events like this are an enormously beneficial learning opportunity and it has been a privilege to welcome our guests and listen to their experiences and insights.”

l The presentation with visitors and Station personnel

WINDRUSH D CELEBRATED AIR COMMO

l Specially invited guests, veterans and serving members of the RAF at RAF Wittering

l Donald Campbell presented a picture of the Ca

by Wing Commander Jez Case, RAF Wittering Station

@PhoenixNewsUK

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 25

DAY AND RESERVES DAY D BY NEW HONORARY ODORE DR MCLAUGHLIN

aribbean poppy to the Station, which was accepted n Commander.

l Squadron Leader Michael Masters

l Air Commodore McLaughlin embraces Mr Albert Jarrett

l Music on the steel drum was provided by Bandsman Alexander from the Coldstream Guards.

l RAF WW2 Veteran, Mr Albert Jarrett, at the young age of 92 will also be a batonbearer for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

Page 26 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022

B

thephoenixnewspaper.com

Paul Ramsey

WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE orn in Dudley, famous for celebrated comedian and actor Lenny Henry, who happens to be a very close family friend, McDonald’s franchisee Paul Ramsey is the son of Jamaican parents who came to the UK between 1958 and 1960.

They knew each other from Jamaica, and his father stayed in and around the Black Country before settling in Dudley and buying his own house in Vicar St, just a 5m drive from the town centre.

When Paul was 3 they moved to Blackacre Road, a famous road in Dudley for the Afro-Caribbean community, as so many lived there. “With 80-90 old fashioned terraced houses opening right onto the street, and about 70% owned

by Afro-Caribbean people who all knew each other, there was a lot of room renting when people came over from Jamaica,” Paul explained.

“They all watched each other’s backs, it takes a village to raise a child, and every parent was everyone’s parent.”

Dudley is also famous for being the location of one of the first race riots, with Paul and his family on the frontlines of the troubles. “I recall my Dad telling me that we were having the windows smashed in every night by Teddy Boys, and how he’d put wardrobes in front of the windows downstairs to stop missiles coming through.

“My sister had a very close encounter with a housebrick that came through the window and into her cot mere

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

seconds after she had been picked up.”

Paul started doing a paper round at 10 years old, far younger than he should’ve been allowed to! “I lied about my age and got away with it because I was a big lad for my age!

There was also a local dairy and I managed to get a job delivering the milk. Used to do the milk rounds from about 3am, then the paper round from 6am on the weekends.

I’ve never stopped working since” At about 14 Paul started working at a hand carwash in Dudley on a weekend, and after ending up washing the cars of one of the Richardson Twin who owned a factory in Tividale, he was offered a job cleaning behind the machines which he did until he was 16 and they offered him an apprenticeship.

“I’d gone to Blue Coat School, and unfortunately I left school with very little

qualifications, and my form tutor told me I’d be a waste to society, nothing like a bit of encouragement!”

But Paul didn’t take it to heart, and started his apprenticeship until at 18 the recession caused him to be made redundant. Not wanting to sign on, he’d heard about McDonald’s through his cousins in London, and the first restaurant in the Midlands was to open in West Brom. He applied, interviewed and started his career in McDonalds in 1982, celebrating 40 years with the company in January this year.

Having started cooking, serving and cleaning, wearing a paper hat on top of an afro, Paul soon transferred to the store in his hometown of Dudley after 6 months.

“It was a tough job there, because I was working somewhere that was a big attraction to the youth, so all my friends were coming in to eat and were taking the mick out of me. Part of McDonald’s commitment to the community was litter picking in the high street, and I recall on many occasions going out as Mr Ego picking up litter around my friends.

“It was one of the things that broke me and made me realise I’m no better than anyone else. I’m not proud, I’ll do if it is going to get me where I want to be.”

Progressing pretty quickly through the system, Paul was soon offered the opportunity of a Floor Manager, which was a junior manager, meaning he had to dress differently. Soon after he was an Assistant Manager at 19, which was a salaried position rather than an hourly contract. “When I started I was on £1.18 an hour, going up to about £8,000 a year.”

Paul went to work with a new team in Hereford, and eventually moved to Walsall town centre, spending a few months there, before moving to Northfield. “During that time I became First Assistant Manager who was the right hand man to the Restaurant Manager.”

“There was a new restaurant opening in Kidderminster and I had a visit from the senior hierarchy and I thought I was in trouble.

C h a p called

Mike Matthews, wanted to recognise me and promote me to Restaurant Manager, I was 21 years old at the time and I thought they were joking. I was one of, if not the youngest restaurant manager at that time.”

Confident in his own abilities, Paul jumped at the opportunity, but the supervisor he was meant to have left, leaving him on his own to order all the furniture for the store, contact the jobcentre and get applicants, interview and open the store. Single-handedly, Paul managed this, and was then awarded Regional Restaurant Manager Of The Year out of about 190 shops at the time.

This saw another opportunity come Paul’s way, after McDonald’s opened their regional office in Sutton Coldfield, and wanted the attached restaurant to become a flagship store. “We had to be on our toes as the bigwigs could come in at any time, but it was great and I spent 3.5 years there.”

Sadly this was at the time when there were riots in Wolverhampton after the death of Clinton McCurbin. Police used the basement of McDonald’s there to coordinate and there were massive calls to boycott because of it.

Macca B even made a record about it too at the time.

“I was approached after this to move to the Wolves branch to fix it up and repair the relations with the community. It was a challenge I took on. Someone said cheekily when I got there that I was a coconut, which I am far from “Did my introductions, had a

chat and found out their concerns.

Always said staff must represent the community you serve, so I balanced the staff to have a better mix and a better overall feel. The success there got me promoted to Area Manager for Shropshire & The Black Country, looking after 10 restaurants.”

“There was a brief to open 100 restaurants a year in the UK for 10 years, and I was a part of the opening of pretty much every restaurant in Birmingham.

“In 2002 I was given the opportunity of applying to be a franchisee, and after being interviewed was given the choice of Erdington or West Brom, and I chose West Brom which was sentimental for me as I went back to the restaurant I started my career in.”

Paul has always enjoyed working in the community and helping people, and was excited to work with The Phoenix on our 5th anniversary.

“I’ve always been a champion for the community, people come to me for support, help and advice.

Being a franchisee gave me the opportunity to afford me more time away from the business and in the community.

“I was brought up in a good Christian family, it was always give without looking to get back and I’m lucky I’ve been able to continue with that.”

One of Paul’s biggest community achievements was the Claughton Centre which was meant to be demolished in the 90’s, but housed a number of community services

and clubs including a Black Carers Group for the elderly community, a very successful karate club, and a basketball group.

“11 years of lobbying, meetings after meetings until they finally sourced a suitable building, still based in the centre in Abberley Street, which is now the Dudley Afro Caribbean Centre.”

Paul has been an active fund raiser for many years to the Ronald McDonald House Charity. It was around the mid eighties when he presented his first cheque of over £3000 to the charity.

"I continued this for many years without a break to this day, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for the cause. I was a founder member of the Ronald McDonald House committee situated next to the Birmingham Childrens Hospital.

"I really do believe that giving to charity and helping others less fortunate is good for your spirituality.

"Since I became self employed in 2000 I have voluntarily contributed on a monthly basis a percentage of my profit to the cause."

“Jamaica’s 60th, certainly in Birmingham is going to be special because of the Commonwealth games too. My parents came over in the last 50s, so they were very much brought up as British Citizens until Jamaica got its independence.

“I’ll be attending as many of the 60th parties as I can around the region. It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to celebrate and showcase Jamaican culture. ‘Wi Likke But Wi Tallawah’.

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

@PhoenixNewsUK

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 27

Paulette Lewis H

aving worked in a number of healthcare settings and has vast experience in Nursing, Midwifery, Leadership and Management, Paulette Lewis MBE is a highly experienced leader and director.

Born in Portland, Jamaica, as the middle child of 7, her early years were spent between the UK and Jamaica, after her parents first emigrated to the UK when she was 3 years old, and then returned when she was 10.

“When we returned it was very telling about the education system in the UK. When we were tested in Jamaica, we were noticeably lower than that of our Jamaican peers, so my parents did lots of extra lessons.”

Attending Happy Grove Grammar School where she completed her 5th Form and O Levels, Paulette always wanted to be a nurse and a teacher, flipping back and forth between both, while keeping up a number of extra-curricular activities including running and long jump, drama and dancing.

At the same time that she was applying to go to teachers college, she was also applying to England to come and train to be a nurse after visitors to the school had talked about a variety of different careers, including coming to the UK for nursing.

“I was always an adventurous person, and wanted to be a nurse so I figured why not,” Paulette said, smiling mischievously.

“I landed in the UK in June, but it was so cold! My first placement was in Sunderland, up north and even colder! No one met me off the flight, so I got the train from Heathrow nearly 8h to Sunderland on my own. There I was met by a little Matron with a cup of tea and biscuits. Here’s me thinking I could really do with a nice plate of rice and peas!”

Paulette believed she was enrolled on the 3 year state registered nurse course, however after much confusion

it was discovered that she was on the 2 year state enrolled nurse course, which wasn’t the same.

Thankfully her lecturer helped discover the issue and start the process of looking for nursing schools for her to transfer to.

“I moved all the way to King Edward VII Hospital in Windsor, and completed my State Registered Nurse training in 1977, before starting my midwifery training, which was the thing I spent most of my career doing.

“I’ve been a midwife since the early 80’s when I did my training in Croydon. I love the labour ward. It was hard work, challenging at times, very busy, and with the diversity of the patients, you learned a lot there, so much experience to gain.

“I stayed there and became a Sister within a year, and then a team leader. As the new midwives came in, training them and supporting them was great as it’s very much a team effort, and we worked well as a team.

P a u l e t t e ’s adventurous side won o u t again,

and in 1988 she went off to America, continuing her work in maternity. After taking more exams to get the required qualifications over there, she sound herself a bit frustrated, and ended up teaching them the ways she’d learned over here, influencing some of their practices.

“They were very hot on record keeping and quality assurance, some of the things we hadn’t started taking on board here at the time, but I just couldn’t seem to settle in the US. I had issue with not being able to treat patients without insurance, so I came back to the UK about 2/3 years later.”

Back in the UK and Paulette was struggling to find a job in nursing again. “They kept telling me how good I was, or how qualified I was. I was applying to be a Sister again, as I’d been away, looking t o

work back up.

“What I did in the end was stop applying for that band of job, and applied for a senior manager job 3 or 4 grades higher than what I had been applying for, and got it!

You never quit when things get tough, you carry on and don’t get defeated.”

Paulette became Head of Maternity Services before the hospital closed down, making her redundant. “I was home not even 2 or 3 months when I got a call saying that they’d heard about my work, and would I like to come in and help them with their Maternity services, so I ended up back at Croydon where I did my Maternity Training, and took over a unit that needed a lot of help.”

Knowing it would be difficult, she worked hard and the hospital earned a number of commendations, with Paulette becoming Director of

Maternity Services, General Manager and then Chief Nurse in about 2004.

“I was in the 3% of all of the directors of nursing in this country as a black woman. It’s taken us a long long time for us to break that glass ceiling. I’ve always tried to put my hand down and help those coming up through the system too.

“Because of the person I was, never giving up and how I was brought up, putting my head above the parapet was something I did, because sometimes someone has to stand up and speak for those who haven’t got a voice, and I do that quite a bit.

In 2008/9 Paulette became director for the pan-London Maternity services, looking at developing new ways of working to improve the outcome for women.

“I went back to University, did my degrees in Health Service Management so it would equip me to not only be a clinician, but managing difficult situations and budgets.

In 2012/13 she retired from the health service and set up her own consultancy working in many areas across London, a lot of turnaround and transformational work, and troubleshooting to improve service delivery.

Paulette was also on the non-executive board for the Clinical Commissioning Team in Croydon and Wandsworth, before becoming a non-executive director on Croydon University Hospital Board, where she is still their Maternity Champion.

As the president of the Nurses Association of Jamaica UK for 14 years, Paulette has raised money for hospitals, education and social care both here and in Jamaica, even taking a group of colleagues to work in Chad with the Chad Foundation, which she became trustee of.

“Their maternity and neonatal death rate out there was very high, so I took up the mantle with some of my colleagues and went out there to work with them in the community.

Really makes you understand how fortunate we are in this country and how much we do have.

Unfortunately Chad became very unstable and it wasn’t possible to continue going out there.”

Along with 4

other nurses, Paulette set up the Caribbean Nurses and Midwives Association (UK) to address Caribbean nurses as a whole as there are many islands without their own association.

“We won an award for Outstanding Work and Support to the International Nurses in this country. One of the key things right now is the recruitment of international nurses. A number of the issues that I faced way back when I started over here are raising their head again now and we need to know why as there are so many nurses and healthcare professionals coming to this country.”

Talking to Paulette, you can tell that she truly, deeply cares about people, and it shines through in everything that she says. “What is important is that we are all human beings, and whatever we can do to make each others lives better, together, then we need to do them.

I’d very much like to continue to be able to help those who need my help and support. I’m enjoying life to the fullest.”

Paulette was awarded the Social and Humanitarian Award from the European Federation of Black Women Owner's and Professionals in 2002, received her MBE in 2014 for her work for Nursing and Charity, and in 2018 received an award from the Prime Minister of Jamaica.

“Overall, nursing is a very good career and I would go into the health service again. It’s very rewarding but has its challenges.

People say it’s not sexy enough, but I think it has a lot to offer and there are so many paths you can take as a nurse.

“The education you receive will help you and generations to come.

I don’t think you’ll ever be out of a job as a nurse.”

Paulette will be celebrating Jamaica’s 60th independence by looking back at what Jamaica and Jamaicans across the world have attained, and also looking to the future, and where those successes are going to lead Jamaica next.

The next generation is also very important to Paulette, and she wants to make sure that they are not forgotten. “We need to nurture them and work with them, but we all need to be around that table to talk.”

“Never quit when it gets hard, and always put out a hand to help someone else up. No matter the position you reach or what title you have it shouldn’t make you think you’re better than anyone else as we’re all human beings and we’re all trying. Together we are strong, and together we can make things work.”

Page 28 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

Dr Neslyn Watson-Druée

D

r Neslyn WatsonDruee CBE has had a long and varied career in the health service, and also in leadership and coaching, having a profound effect on a large number of peoples lives, whether directly or indirectly.

Born in Niagara, St James, Jamaica, she grew up in Elderslie, St Elizabeth where she always wanted to be a nurse from a very early age.

“I remember when I was in Primary school there was a child who had a very sore leg and I took it upon myself that I was going to clean up the leg and dress it,” Neslyn reminisced.

“It wasn’t a very pleasant sight, but I took her home and asked for support for her. I’ve always had a caring side to me.”

Taking a shine to poetry, civics and domestic science, Neslyn learned to cook both at home and at school, while studying for her Jamaica Schools Certificates, equivalent to O levels.

I still remember my father looking down at me “I always knew I wanted to be a nurse, and although you did need A Levels for nursing, I was determined to start early, and that

I was going to Canada or the UK to study nursing and not do it in Jamaica. There was nothing wrong with nursing in Jamaica, I just wanted to travel!”

Neslyn worked with Jamaica Public Services, Industrial Terrace, learning to file papers, write letters and speak with people, and some of the engineers there influenced her to go to the UK, with one in particular becoming a mentor for

her.

Following a physical and dental examination (you had to be in ‘spanking good health’ to be admitted), Neslyn wrote to the High Commission in London to ask them to find her a training school.

So on the 22nd March 1969, 19 year old Neslyn boarded a British Airways flight with a small case containing 7 cotton dresses, 3 pairs of pyjamas and

enough underwear to last a week.

In the UK she was met by a family member with a coat and boots, given a meal at their home before being sent to find her own way by train to Kent.

“I came to do General Nursing, but when I got to the training school the matron said there was an inspection by the Nursing Council and it had been downgraded to second level nursing, so I started off being a state registered nurse.

“Matron was very kind, said that it was through no fault of mine that it had been downgraded, and that she was going to ensure I was sent to the training school where she was trained herself in Tunbridge Wells.”

Neslyn was always a high performer, receiving the Gold Medal in the State Enrolled Nursing training, and again when she was training at Tunbridge Wells.

Wanting to return to Jamaica as a public health nurse, Neslyn moved to Kingston Upon Thames to study Midwifery. When her student visa was coming to an end the only way to reverse it was to own property, which was difficult when you had no money!

“I was so bold and forward that I went to the GLC (Greater London Council), and the person who interviewed me for the mortgage was very derogatory and rude, so I wrote to the Director of Housing explaining how badly I was treated despite being a public servant, and the minimum I expected was respect.

“The Director wrote to me and invited me to come and see him, and I walked out of that office with a 100% mortgage on the £9,500 property after putting my deposit of £50 down. I had been

thephoenixnewspaper.com blessed by a guardian angel.”

Years later in 1976 after training as a health visitor, there were new occupants in the downstairs maisonette, a couple wearing National Front clothes who verbally abused Neslyn.

“One morning I was leaving for work and found my new car with only 600 miles on the clock with all 4 tyres slashed and rusting due to having had acid poured over it.

“I stayed indoors for 2 days and my manager arranged police escorts for me to and from work, my friends did my shopping and I was a prisoner in my own home.”

Neslyn put her property up on the market and it was sold within 24 hours. She bought a dilapidated rat and cockroach infested house and after having it fumigated, set about furnishing one room at a time.

“I had gutted the kitchen so with no functional kitchen, I learnt how to be creative with an electric frying pan for almost a year, even learning to make cake in it!”

Feeling it was time to return to Jamaica in 1979, Neslyn was preparing to return when she met her husband Peter, which put the return on hold.

From here, Neslyn became interested in Health Promotion, and transferred to Croydon as a Health Promotion Officer.

“I did my Diploma in Health Promotion, followed by my PGCE and then my Masters in Health Promotion at Kings College London, retraining as a teacher to work in further and higher education.”

“I finished my teacher training in July and was spotted as someone who knew more than the people teaching the training, so the following September I was offered a post at the very college I had been learning at to teach Health Promotion.”

Positions at North East College of Technology, Kilburn Polytechnic as a lecturer, and Harrow College of Higher Education followed, before in 1988 an opportunity came up in the health service itself as the curriculum had changed.

“The HR director told me that they wanted to employ me to develop a nursing curriculum for those nurses without a first degree – and that I was to write my job description and tell them how much I wanted to be paid!”

“I developed 5 modules, all of which were passed without me having to readjust anything, which doesn’t happen very often at all. 18 months later a new manager came in and told me in no uncertain terms that she found me threatening because I am black, I’m a woman, I’m intelligent, and she was going to block me.

“I’m not embarrassed to say my thought was ‘F*** you, you won’t block me.’”

Neslyn decided to set up her own business in Personal Development, and following an award winning service teaching managers how to manage, she was recommended to the NHS Women’s Unit to develop a Leadership Development

Programme, but they weren’t keen.

“I wrote the proposal but nothing was happening, so I wrote to Virginia Bottomley who was the Secretary of State for Health, and between the Chief Nurse and Virginia, about a week later I got a call that I needed to come to the Women’s Unit.

“My business wasn’t a Limited Company yet, I was still a sole trader, but the Government gave me the money to develop this programme. In 1999 I received the Millennium Nurse Award Special Recognition Award by the Secretary of State for Health for outstanding contribution to nursing, and a few years later the Fellowship of the Royal College of Nursing in 2001.”

Neslyn started a national demonstration programme initiating Leadership Development for BME people in particular which ran from 2003 to 2009, which is how she ended up coming to Birmingham. The work she did here earned her Honorary Doctorates from both Birmingham City University and Bradford University in 2005.

In 2012 Neslyn was appointed Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) for Health Service Development, and a year later received Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Medal for Health Service Innovation and Leadership.

For 21 years she worked as a Non Executive Director, and for 10 years of that, as Chairman of NHS Kingston. Due to her husband Peter becoming very ill, Neslyn had to pull back from her work for a few years, and now she mainly coaches.

“I met someone at a meeting in the House of Lords, she was working in the Ministry of Justice and wanted a coach to help apply for a permanent post, and she got a deputy director post, before a year later becoming a director, and is now working in the Home Office - now what I do is solely around coaching within the Civil Service.”

Neslyn wishes Jamaica a very happy birthday. “I am so proud to be a Jamaican, and I often say that my success is due to not being born in this country, if I was born here maybe I’d have taken in some of the nonsense that has been pushed into people that ‘Black people can’t achieve and are oppressed and are plagued by imposter syndrome,’ “I’m not an imposter! I know who I am! I love my country, and I don’t go back there nearly as often as when my father was alive, but I pray for Jamaica and the protection of the borders of Jamaica. Jamaica is very much in my heart, my soul and my prayers.”

“I thank God for my life, good health and the people that are in my circle. Every person who has life and breath in them has excellence inside them. Have a purpose and live your purpose.

Be very clear about your values and always live with integrity and leave a legacy.”

@PhoenixNewsUK

WOMEN OF EXCELLENCE

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 29

A

s the Jamaica 0121 Festival revs into gear, for what promises to be the biggest ever cultural celebration to take place in Aston, in Birmingham, the magnificent Grade I listed Aston Hall played host as the official start of the event’s marketing campaign was launched.

In the cerebral surroundings of the 17th century Jacobean mansion, Jamaica 0121 Festival founder and organiser, Dean Alexander, welcomed specially selected invited guests as the countdown to Aston Park’s biggest ever event began in earnest.

With guests including; the Jamaican High Commissioner to the UK, His Excellency Seth George Ramocan, Air Commodore Dr Marcia McLaughlin, Founder/ Managing Editor of The Phoenix Newspaper, Phyllis Peters of Victoria Mutual Finance Limited, BBC l His Excellency Seth George Ramocan, Councillor Jayne Francis, Dean Alexander, Air Commodore Dr Marcia McLaughlin, Annie Hairsine Reporter/Presenters, Nicola Beckford and Yvonne Brissett OC Director for Programme Management & Integrated Planning for Birmingham 2022.

Also in attendance were Annie Hairsine and Councillor Jayne Francis The Cabinet Member who has accountability for: Education of Children and Young People present, on what proved to be a historymaking launch, in the history making venue, all was set fare to announce what is ahead as celebrations to mark the 60th Anniversary of Jamaican independence really got on the Dean said. “The conceptual Ramocan). way. idea was created by my mother, “There has never been a greater Celebrating Jamaica’s rich Ms Beverly Lindsay, who had Jamaican High Commissioner culture of music, food, dance an idea to have a festival in the here. He has time for everyone! and prophetic history, H.C. middle of Birmingham before it He goes from The Palace to the Mr Ramocan expressed his began to evolve. ghetto – he talks to everyone! excrement of what’s to come and “I take my hat off to my “He’s a man of the people. I gave great fortitude to the brave beautiful team, including Mykal think he should be Jamaica’s next and unique foresight Festival Wassifa Brown, my camera team, Prime Minister.

Director, Dean and what is to Martin – who I call my ‘White “I will always be there to come.

English Brother’, for his top- support you – like you have “I consider this (the Jamaica notch security, who has helped always supported me. Thank You 0121 Festival) to be one of the this to be one of the most secure High Commissioner.” most important events to mark festivals in the country this year, After Dean’s rousing speech, Jamaica’s 60th Anniversary of and the rest of my fantastic team. Aston Hall’s Rik Sowden said: Independence and, as such, I “Birmingham is set to have “We are thrilled and absolutely have to extend a very special a fantastic time with the delighted to welcome the included Karen Shearer from congratulations to Mr Dean Commonwealth Games coming – Jamaica 0121 Festival this year. the Noir Rose Group, who took Alexander for what he has the whole world will be watching I just can’t way!” the opportunity to thank all the managed to achieve here – and us.

“We’re really excited about organisations and individuals, his commitment to what will be a “We’re all about braking what the Jamaica 0121 Festival like EKY Catering, who made great and wonderful event.” records. will be bringing as part of all the the night special and those who He went on to say: “Jamaica is “We were the first to have a film events happening in Birmingham will make the Jamaica 0121 not an economic ‘super-power’, festival in Selfridges and now this year,” Annie Hairsine added. Festival special before reggae neither is it a military ‘super- we’re the first to have a festival “With my ‘Games hat’ on, with super star, Tennar Star would power’, what Jamaica is – is a in this mansion. This time we some 50 day to go, I encourage bring memorable proceedings to ‘cultural super-power. No matter wanted to do something really you to be part of the celebrations a close. where you go in the world, there special.

The Jamaica 0121 Festival in and make this a ‘Games to is a Jamaica presence there. No Aston Hall takes place in Aston “This year we’re gonna feature remember.” matter what it is.

60 people from our ‘Birmingham Other speakers on the night Park from the 6th to the 7th of “Jamaica has brought a positive Community’ to represent each August. impact right across the world – of the years of independence, bringing upliftment right across remember all the people we the world. The Jamaica 0121 have lost this year and we are Festival, in turn, is set to bring looking to organise a massive up upliftment to everybody dominoes tournament to take likewise. place in the city centre, and much “There’s so much going on in more to come.” He then went Birmingham this year”, said Cllr on to thank the Birmingham Francis. “Birmingham is a young 2022 Commonwealth Games city and is one of the best and Committee, Punch Records and most diverse. This year is going others for their part in what’s to to be fantastic for everyone come. concerned.

“You’re one of the greatest that “We started off in 20212 with Jamaica has ever sent to the UK,” ‘Jamaica in the Square’, a proud he went on to say (about H.C.

JAMAICA 0121 FESTIVAL BRINGS A DIFFERENT FLAVOUR TO ASTON HALL

Page 30 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

Lloyd Blake A

pioneering champion of Black music, Lloyd Blake left a lasting legacy with The Hummingbird.

A native of St. Catherine’s, in Jamaica, the man widely known by millions as “Mr Hummingbird”, he has been held in the highest regards by people who have benefited from his wisdom, benevolence, and the litany of great artists who have performed at the once Birmingham city centre venue.

Growing up around youth clubs, his parents were both in the fishing industry, with his father a fisherman, whilst his mother sold fish in the market. One of 6 boys and 2 girls – 7 of whom were born and grew up in Kingston, he attended Eboniser Primary School – right on the corner of Coronation Market, before going to night school then working for The Gleaner newspaper for a short while.

Playing football and cricket, as a youngster, Lloyd was able to visit many parishes, although he says: “I love Jamaica, but, sadly for me I don’t know the country as I’d like to.”

Despite his sporty upbringing, it was entertainment that would shape his future. He recalls: “We used to have some of the best musicians to come to the yard where I lived. And I saw the opportunity to start promoting some of them.”

There, a young Lloyd Blake was able to interact with the likes of Dennis Brown, who, Lloyd recalls: “sang for the first time at our cricket presentation show.” Young Lloyd also interacted with, and promoted the likes of Delroy Wilson, James Chambers, Jimmy Cliff, The Melodians, Owen Gray, Alton Ellis and John Holt.

At school he sat in the same row of chairs as the great Bob Marley before it closed down and became a centre called ‘Operation Friendship’.

Leaving school, he became a Youth Worker.

“Working as a youth worker in west Kingston, I was also

reading a book a day – psychology, philosophy, sociology, English and economics”, he said. “I had educated and friends around me who I emulated.

Part of my work in west Kinston was to represent underprivileged young people in places where they were not represented – especially in respect to big business.

“I was also supported by an organisation called the ‘Social Development Commission’, where I was given a scholarship to go to Peru then England (both 6-month terms) to develop my youth work.

Arriving in England in 1968 (age 27), his first job was as a checker in Birmingham’s Mothercare, before doing voluntary youth work at the Mount Pleasant Community Centre, where he recalls: “I soon became Deputy Head of Centre. Having promoted dances in Jamaica, I started promoting here.

Sound systems like Studio City and Duke Alloy soon played there, with Lloyd saying: “I had a plan to hold a venue for Black artists, like The Apollo in the US. “Back in Jamaica I went to The Carib Theatre, as a Junior Club Member (age 14). I saw Dione Warwick at 17 – with Fontella Bass, supported by Alton Ellis’ sister, Hortence Ellis.

“A seed was planted in me. I was determined – I wanted a venue where I could book these kinds of artists”.

“Studio City and I were the two biggest promoters around – promoting the great Gregory Isaacs’ first performance at The Grand Hotel, in 1978. I got into community work here at the West Indian Federation, in Winson Green, where I was promoting people like Louisa Marks, Marcia Griffiths and Mysty in Roots all over the country “A friend of mine – Hughie McIntosh – recommended the then-named Top Rank in the city centre. I spoke to the chair of the eco develop committee of the old West Midlands County Council about acquiring a large venue – to attract big artists, make money, create work and for people to pay taxes. The turnover of money within the community would increase.

“I challenged the Council to support me. It wasn’t a ‘me’ venue, it was like a community interest venture – before ‘C.I.C.’ was a thing. With that ‘development’ mentality I used that in mind when acquiring The Hummingbird”.

His business development plan was created for him – for £6k – by Aston University’s Small Business Centre, though; “I found it hard to get financial support from the Black community.

“There was a sense of ‘lack of thrust’ and understanding. So, I went to a brewery – having studied how other

thephoenixnewspaper.com

well-known big venues were acquired.

“I contacted several breweries and put the idea to them. The County Council then put £30k to the buying of the lease (85 years).

With the brewery and Blake putting a few people together, and getting some local people to be on the Board of Directors and put £10k of their own money forward, August 6th 1983 saw the launch of The Hummingbird.

Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Marcia Griffiths, Delroy Wilson, The Melodians, Dennis Brown, Beres Hammond, Shabba Ranks, Freddie McGregor, Judie Mowett, Gregory Isaac, Bob Marley’s children, Grace Jones and John Holt led an a to z of Jamaican music played the Hummingbird. Many rock and pop bands like Wet Wet Wet would then perform there, with other well-known pop band soon following.

A man from the brewery once said: “Mr Blake, you’re 10 years ahead of the game and people do not know what you’ve got here”.

Looking back, he recalls: “When we first open, a man called Simon J Moran - now of SJM Concerts, director of the Academy Music Group of venues and owner of the Warrington Wolves Rugby League team – was just out of university and brought other bands (including The Wander Stuff, Happy Mondays and The Farm) from Manchester’s The Hacienda – and started promoting their gigs there.

“I wasn’t ‘one of the boys’ and didn’t ‘play the game’. I was once told by a very senior Politian in Birmingham; “Blakey, you will never keep the Hummingbird going unless you play the game and be one of us.” But, that wasn’t him.

As an events venue, numerous weddings took place there – including Asian weddings. There was even a full funeral service – that of Musical Youth’s late Patrick Wait – as well as the reception.

Looking to take up 7 of the Rank Organisation leases, Blake looked for brewery backing and had a deal set, but The Hummingbird opening and closing within 10 years was a problem. Lloyd contacted Simon, who said: “Blakely, we rent your venue, we pay you, we shake hands and we go. You’re then left with the overheads.”

“Oh,” I said. “That’s why you guys don’t take on venues”. Hummingbird was finally closed – following a series of unwanted altercations, by people from Lloyd’s own community.

But, one day, out of the blue, the ‘Closed’ signs came down – to be open as ‘The Academy’ by Simon Moran.

“Simon gave me a V.I.P. pass for the opening night and said: ‘Blakey, you left a legacy here that we are following’.”

Since changing to the O2 Academy, he has since followed the ‘7-Hummingbird’ plan and has 7 O2 Academy venues nationwide. Now there’s one in almost every major city With it opening in 1983, it closed in 84 and re-opened in 87. For a Black man owning a club in the 80s didn’t sit well with many of a racist tendency - and some within the Black community itself.

“I’m proud of me – for what I saw, understood, developed and conceptualised from Jamaica – to create, develop, manage and run from 1987 – 93.” After 29-years, since it closed, Birmingham needs a Hummingbird.

“We are almost out of land for a new venue,” says Lloyd Blake.

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

@PhoenixNewsUK

L

ike many businesses, Tasty Pastry, a Birmingham based Caribbean Pattie producer, has been hit hard by the restrictions of lockdown over the last year, but despite these troubles, owner Tom Arscott hasn’t

taken his eye off where he wants the business to be, and definitely hasn’t forgotten how far they’ve come.

Tom and his brother originally set up Tasty Pastry in the late 90’s, and in his own words “grew really quickly, too quickly.” The brothers brought consultants in to aid the business, but this decision ended up killing it because they didn’t share the vision they had.

“I stepped out of the business to do other things, but came back in 2009,” explained Tom. “The business had gone through different locations and other people letting my brother down and taking advantage of him. I came back in so that wouldn’t happen.”

“Everyone thinks patties are easy to do, until they actually try it. It isn’t just putting together some pastry and meat, it’s a difficult system.”

The brothers worked from a smaller

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 31

Tom Arscott

location on Holyhead Road from a store called Tasty Pastry, until 2012 when they moved to their new place to start afresh.

“That store is still there but being run by other people now, although they’re still selling patties, the patties aren’t ours. We still get calls from people saying that our product doesn’t taste the same but it turns out to have been bought from there instead!”

When they moved to their new premises off the Handsworth New Road, they struggled to set up.

“Banks wouldn’t lend us money, and to this day we’ve never had an overdraft. Thankfully we got a City Council grant which allowed us to buy the production line, big mixer and dough press.”

“Along with our oven and a fridge we had to go to London to get, we were on our way and making progress,” reminisced Tom. “We’ve learned to do everything ourselves, including learning to be a plumber, electrician, and mechanic to create or fix what we needed.”

In 2019 they put in for a grant as they needed a bigger oven, one that they had been looking at for 5 years, but all the grants come

with stipulations including things like employing certain people, or match funding, and it was just at that time that the lockdown hit.

“Lockdown really slowed things down, to the point that we were going to have to shut everything down because some of our staff were getting stopped on the train by the police while going to work, telling them not to go to work, despite us being keyworkers as we’re working in food.”

A lot of Tasty Pastry’s customers are event caterers, looking after weddings, funerals, engagements and the like. “One of my biggest clients was one of those and he hadn’t worked for a year through lockdown. The Government keep moving the goalposts, and when some of our customers plan 3-6 months in advance for events, and the week before it takes place they change things again it’s really difficult. I can see many of the customers we have not making it back after this,” Tom explained sadly.

Thankfully, there was still demand for Tasty Pastry patties during lockdown, and although they had to close their shop on Westminster Road near One Stop Shopping Centre, the factory remained open and was surprisingly busy.

“Thanks to that we’re ok at the moment, and looking to develop the business and move it forward,” beamed Tom, “we’re looking at the possibility of franchising the shop side of the business, as well as certifying the business, registering with SALSA (Safe and Local Supplier Approval) to be able to supply things like football grounds and cruise ships.”

At the moment though the main focus is on keeping the doors open and the lights on, which has been made more difficult by the extensive roadworks near the shop due to the redevelopment in the area. “It can take you 15-45 minutes depending on the time of day to get down that road, which has obviously affected our passing trade.”

“We want to connect with the Caribbean food shops in the region to work together so that all businesses can thrive,” mused Tom. “Buying our patties in rather than the time spent and cost of making your own could work out cheaper, with a better result for the customer.”

Tasty Pastry has a number of existing lines, including chicken, beef, vegetable, ackee and saltfish (more expensive due to the rising cost of ackee), saltfish

and callaloo, prawn, and their top selling pattie – mutton.

They are also working on an extensive Vegan range, which is headed by the Vegetarian and Calliackee, with a spinach and sweet potato pattie on its way.

If you’ve never tried a Tasty Pastry pattie, then you’re doing yourself a disservice, get down to the shop and get your mouth around one today!

Look out for Tasty Pastry's new website, along side new big business links that Tom hopes to have in place in the very near future.

"I'd like to thank everyone for the support shown to us over the years, for the people who have gone back to Jamaica and told us that our patties are as good as, if not better than those back home, it means a lot."

"Take advantage of Jamaica 60th as it won't happen again. If you've got an idea, push it forward now because you're never going to get a better opportunity to do it.

Make sure that you're selling to everyone!"

Page 32 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

thephoenixnewspaper.com

Nyahs J

Birthday C l Laurence & Prime Minister David Cameron

@PhoenixNewsUK

Jamaican

Celebration

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 33

Page 34 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

thephoenixnewspaper.com

Delores Cooper W

ell known c o m m u n i t y stalwart Delores Cooper was born in Top Hill, St Elizabeth in Jamaica, and attended Hampton School for Girls, a boarding school.

Growing up, Delores always wanted to join the Jamaican Defence Force, but women weren’t allowed to join at the time. “I loved the discipline and always loved the

uniforms,” she explained, “they always looked so neat and well presented.”

Delores decided to become a teacher, and went to Teachers College, where they had a visiting lecturer talk about working with children with disabilities, and she really got so interested in that and decided to explore the possibility.

“My specialist area was the education of children with hearing impairments, and I moved into the administration of programmes for children with special needs and their families.”

Becoming the headteacher for St Christophers School for Deaf Children in the Parish of St Ann in 72, she remained there for over 10 years.

Delores also managed a USAID programme for families of children with special needs, sat on a number of committees in Jamaica, and chaired the national advisory council to the honourable minister on disabilities for a few years, earning her the Order of Distinction (OD) and the Best of St Beth’s Golden Hands Award for outstanding service in the field of Community Services.

She also managed the Jamaica Special O l y m p i c s Programme from 1987 to 1998, accompanying

Jamaica’s national delegation to a number of summer and winter games.

“I came to the UK in 1999, and was the Community Relations Officer at the Jamaica High Commission in London, where I hope I did a fantastic job!”

While at the High Commission, Delores coordinated and executed UK-wide services to Jamaicans and other Caribbean communities.

“We were linking the Jamaican community in the UK with Jamaica and vice versa, and it was never just London, we made sure we went throughout the UK, so everyone could meet each other.”

Delores was also instrumental in the formation of the Jamaican Diaspora UK group, which aims to promote and protect the interests of Jamaica and Jamaicans and to contribute to the country’s development.

“I am still a mentor to young people, just to be sure that you encourage them to meet their full potential and for them to explore opportunities that are there.

“The Commonwealth has always been important to us in Jamaica, so we continue to support people from Commonwealth countries with sponsorships.”

Delores’s faith is very important to her as a member of the Church of England, she attends church regularly and tries to get involved with activities in the church as much as she can. “Supporting people is what makes life meaningful!” she beams. “I just try to be there,

Mark Walters

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ith over 600 league appearances between 1981 and 2002, former footballer Mark Walters proved to be the ultimate ‘professional’, as he tackled – and beat - some of the greatest defenders the game has ever scene.

The son of a former Nigerian international, Lawrence Wabara, it was his mother, Ivy, a native of St. Thomas, in Jamaica, who would be the mainstay of his upbringing, and, indeed, his life as a whole.

The natural-gifted winger played top-flight football for Aston Villa, Liverpool and Southampton in England and for Rangers in Scotland.

He also played in the English Football League, with stints at Stoke City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Swindon Town and Bristol Rovers.

He was also capped once by England in a game against New Zealand.

Beginning his career as an apprentice at Aston Villa in 1980, the Birmingham-born turned professional a year later.

Now of the country’s highly promising players, he fast became a favourite of Villa’s Holt End faithful, as he found himself being one of the first names on then manager, Graham Taylor’s team-sheet. With

English clubs banned from European competition because of crowd violence and with his name being touted around the leagues top clubs, a move to Scotland, and Graeme Souness’ Glasgow Rangers, saw him winning an array of trophies.

Of his time at Rangers, Mark said: "I won more things there than any other club, so that is probably the most successful period of my career."

With Souness then moving to manage Liverpool, he paid £1.25 million for Walters, with Mark making his debut in a 2–1 league win over Oldham Athletic at Anfield in 1991. Now establishing a frighten wing partnership with fellow Jamaican-rooted winger, John Barnes, he was part of the 1995 League Cup final winning team against Bolton Wanderers. He was also part of the Liverpool team that beat Sunderland, 2–0, in the FA Cup Final, in 1992.

After spending three years at the Memorial Stadium, he retired in April, 2002, before establishing a career as a coach, where he joined Coventry Preparatory School as a football coach, in 2003; he then became a member of staff in 2006, as well as being head coach of the under-14s at Aston Villa's academy.

be available to people who need any form of assistance and just do whatever I can.”

“We need to be there for the next generation, to help pave their path for future development, to enable them to approach the people who have succeeded and are willing to assist. Young people need to know what their needs are, so they can discover how to have their needs met.

“When God closes a window, he opens a door – we need to continue to strive to achieve the goals we have.”

Delores received the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Phoenix Newspaper in 2019, and through her ongoing work, has proven that she was a deserving recipient of this award.

Celebrating Jamaica’s 60th reminds Delores of the changeover in 1962. “Up until ’62 we sung the British National Anthem and looked to the Union Jack, but after 62 there was a different sense of pride when singing Jamaica Land We Love and looking at the Black Gold and Green.

“It seemed to give us a special push to try to be the very best we could be for our country, and to work extra hard to make sure that everything we did in Jamaica succeeded.

This year, the Jamaica 60th Independence Day Church Service will be held in Birmingham for the first time.

“I’m not saying we don’t have our problems in Jamaica, we do, but people think of us for our sports, and our music. But in the sciences, academia, in all areas of life, so many books have been written by Jamaicans, both at home and abroad.

“We have a rich heritage and are very supportive of each other, assisting any way we can and showcasing the great country that we call home.”

He is also involved with groups aiming to eliminate racism in football.

"My mother brought me up to think that we can't do anything about being Black,” Mark recalls, “so just play even better.

“And that’s what I stick to today. It was just something I had grown up with, and I was prepared to put up with it to achieve what I wanted to achieve."

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Cecil Morris

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s the man responsible for giving the music world Grammy Award-winning reggae group, Steel Pulse, fellow multiaward-winning reggae stalwarts; Amlak, and Birmingham’s first exclusively Black music-led radio station, Cecil Morris has been at the vanguard of a genre that, until his brave and forward-thinking intervention, was beyond being an ‘underground’ movement.

A Jamaican native, born in the country’s Clarendon Parish, as one of 9 children, he came from a musical family, who regularly sang in the church choir, whilst his uncle played guitar and, sometimes, the trumpet. Growing up under the tutelage of his grandparents, music was very much ‘in his blood,’ as he fondly recalls: "My mother was always a brilliant singer.”

Fondly recalling memories of his childhood in Jamaica, Cecil went on: "Whenever I was naughty at one of my grandparents' home, I'd often run away to my other grandparents for some kind of solace. I have to say though, all in all, those days proved to be great times for me – and ones that would be paramount in forming the ‘Cecil Morris’ that people see today.”

Leaving Jamaica at the age of 17 in 1962 - for a new life’s adventure in England, he found himself in Birmingham - where he has lived ever since. He found himself interested in the popular music of the time, following the likes of Otis Redding, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and other British pop stars who were ‘making noise’ at the time.

With a £500 savings, he invested

in a drum kit to kick-start his own music career. This would take him all over the country as he honed a life that would leave hime at the top of his game and a beacon for many who would follow him up to today.

He started his own management company, looking after artistes like The JALN Band, Capitol Letters, Herms and many others. His own Spotlight Entertainment ran regular talent shows and handled bands such as Steel Pulse, Beshara, Matumbi and many others who were around at that time. It was the early years of Lovers Rock and, by that time, MM (Music Master) – as he called himself - grew to be a singer, musician, entrepreneur business person, husband and father of four.

With his music management prominent in his early years, he happened on the genre of ‘radio’ and the seed of what would make him a leader, locally, nationally and internationally was truly planted.

"I got involved in radio because as I got to understand the music business I quickly realized that what was needed to get the music to the public," Cecil recalls. “At that time Black music was no way near represented in main-stream radio."

The then Birmingham-based radio station, BRMB had just started and, a group of Black entertainers from the music industry, along with Morris, approached the station to talk about doing a radio programme for the Black music-loving community. Their reply, however, proved less then encouraging, as Cecil explains: "They (BRMB) said that they are English speaking people and there was no need for any specialist programme and

that the radio station covered programmes for everybody; Black, White and Asian."

Undaunted, a petition was taken to BBC Radio WM, who was not entirely keen on their proposals for more Black music, and general programmes, on the station.

"I kept pestering the stations, Cecil said. “Then, and finally, we were making some progress." All relevant parties eventually sat down - and talks for a way forward began.

The management of the BBC offered thirty minutes of programming, on Sundays, which left MM “disgusted”.

He went on: “We (Black listeners) make up 10% of your listening audience. We pay licence fees like everybody else, and we deserve 10% of your air time.

"Your total station time is 140 hours a week. 10% of that is 14 hours per week, so expected air time works out to be 2 hours per days.

"They thought I was mad,” he said. Determined, it was during the Handsworth riot of 1981 that Morris, and his MM group set up a transmitter to warn people not to go out in the area at that time. That, as it turned out, was the birth of MM in radio.

His yearning to break down barriers comes from a family of ‘barrier-breaking.’ His parents, once in the UK, were breaking barriers themselves.

They were behind what was the first Black-led church - possibly in Britain – which was started in their living room – with people coming from the length and breadth of the UK for the regular services, in the early 1960s.

Beverley Knight W

olverhampton/born singer/songwriter and actress, Beverley Knight MBE , is marked as one of Britain's greatest soul singers, with hits, including ‘Greatest Day,’ .Get Up!’ and ‘Shoulda Woulda Coulda’ marking her as one of the nation’s greatest ever all-round music performers.

And, as a multi-talented star, which also includes stage and television, she has twice been nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical and for her performances in ‘Memphis’ and ‘The Drifters Girl’.

Married to husband, James O'Keefe, the British Neo Soul diva, with a strong Jamaican root, first appeared in musical theatre in 2013, as Rachel Marron in The Bodyguard before debuting at the Birmingham Hippodrome as the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella.

And, a multi-award winning singer, she would often make reference to their part in her upbringing and influence in her music career; “My mother often played Sam Cooke when I was growing up and he

was the first voice I ever heard on record.

“His was the first voice that directly had an impact on me. And, as such, he still makes me cry when I listen to him today. He sang in a way that the world had never heard before. He really was a major influence on my life”.

Growing up in a strict Pentecostal household, she began her singing career in the church, as she recalls: "The first time I heard music would have been in church, where singing was the most natural thing in the world to do.” She sang in her church throughout her childhood.

With secular music largely frowned upon at home, when growing up, artists such as Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin, though, played a big part in her childhood. Undaunted, though, and with great support from her parents, she would start on what would be a stellar music career to date with her debut album; ‘The B Funk’, released in 1995, followed by ‘Prodigy Sister’, in 1998, Who I Am in 2002, the 2007 release of ‘Music City Soul’ ‘100%’ in 2009 and BK25 in 2019.

“Word got around quick about the services at, who they called, Sister Morris house,” Cecil remembers.

“It got so big, in fact, that they had to hire a school hall in West Bromwich. We had to do lots of fundraising for to maintain it, as it was growing fast”.

Their (Cecil’s parents) legacy led to the evolution of the New Testament Church of God – well-known on Lozells Road, in Birmingham. Further still, they went on to buy another church - behind The Rock Church, in Springhill - before getting The Rock Church itself.

His parents then acquired further churches in Wolverhampton, Coventry and back in Oldbury.

That entrepreneurship ran through Morris, who went on to open a record shop, and label - Rising Star Records - and had he a penchant for discovering local talent, later turning his hand to the Birmingham pirate radio scene. He ran two stations (Radio Star and PCRL) - with considerable success – not withstanding regular run-ins with the authorities.

“I had the vision about a record shop and radio station in 1978,” he said. “We needed to own radio our own station, which would cater for all nationalities.

“And so Radio Star, the ‘mother’ of P.C.R.L. Radio 103.5FM, was born to serve this community more than any media.”

With that said, he had considerable run-ins with authorise.

“P.C.R.L. was much-needed,” says Morris. “When we were in a jolly mood we listened to P.C.R.L. When we were down we listen to P.C.R.L. When we

wanted to communicate with loved ones, family and friends, we listen to P.C.R.L. “And in times of celebrations bereavement, we use P.C.R.L. It picked up the mantle for Black people in Birmingham and fought a struggle, on our behalf, so that we could be more educated about ourselves and others” But, with his media outlets established, in 1983, he met Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana through his two Prince’s Trust Rock Gala winners – Unity and Amlak.

He gave Princess Di Amlak’s first ever record release – ‘Christmas Is Here’, for baby William, in 1983.

C e c i l Morris’

John Barnes A

widely celebrated – and derided - football legend, John Barnes MBE was one of England’s greatest ever players as he rose to international recognition after winning two league titles with Liverpool.

His father, Ken Barnes, was born in Port of Spain, in Trinidad and Tobago, before immigrating to Jamaica in 1956 as a member of the West India Regiment.

John spent his early childhood living in Jamaica's biggest military base, playing football and living a disciplined life.

Beverley was awarded an MBE by the Queen, in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace, in 2007 and was been presented with Freedom of the City of her beloved Wolverhampton in 2018.

Not content with her lifetime’s achievements so far, a relentlessly hardworking Beverley Knight MBE is preparing a UK tour this autumn with shows including at the Rhyl Events Arena, Central Park, in Chelmsford and the Pub in the Park, in St. Albans and Chiswick.

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 35

His father was Defence adviser to the High Commission of Jamaica, London from 1976 to 1981. The family moved to London in 1976.

John was noticed by Watford while playing for Middlesex League club Sudbury Court and signed for them in 1981.

He joined Liverpool in the same close season as England teammate Peter Beardsley and linked up with new signings John Aldridge and Ray Houghton - debuted for the Reds in 1987 in the 2–1 league win at Arsenal. But, during his playing career, Barnes (like other Black players of his era) was frequently the target of racial abuse from the terraces.

As well as being abused by opposition players, on occasions he reported overhearing teammates making racist remark towards other Black players in opposition teams.

The highest profile racial incident of his career was captured in a photograph where Barnes, in full Liverpool kit and mid-match, casually back-heeled away a banana which had been hurled at him during a match with Everton at Goodison Park.

He made his England debut in 28 1983, as a second-half substitute for Watford teammate Luther Blissett in

massive achievements were acknowledged when he received the coveted ‘Phoenix Newspaper Veterans Award’, in 2017. He was also the recipient of the first ‘Annual Black Music Award’, for services to Black music and the ‘Black History Month Award 2021, from the 100 Black Business Group.

You can also see him in the documentary - ‘Late Night Tails with Cecil Morris’ – during the 16th Flatpack Festival – where he is in a conversation with Recognize Black Heritage & Culture’s Garry Stewart.

Now retired, he still keeps his ‘ear to the ground’, as being the first of his kind in the UK, there is noone to equal him.

a 0–0 at Northern Ireland's Windsor Park in the British Championship.

Luther was the fifth and Barnes the seventh Black full England football internationalists.

He won 79 full international caps for the national team – scoring 11 goals - making him England's record capped Black player for a time.

He also gained national prominence with his now-famed rap in ‘World in Motion’, a song

by New Order, performed with the England national football team.

He was appointed as manager of Jamaica, where guided them to a first-place finish in the 2008 Caribbean Championships, qualifying as the top Caribbean side for the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He was awarded Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1998, for his services to football.

And, outside Anfield, a plinth marks his ten years with Liverpool, including his performance in the 5–0 win over Nottingham Forest in April 1988.

Now more involved in punditry and co-commentary work, John is also often seen on TV celebrity quiz shoes, raising money - and awareness – of the charities he is now fully immersed in; including the Jamaica Basic School Foundation, and the John Barnes Foundation.

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hat better way to follow the worldwide box office movie success of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ than with the 2022 UK & Ireland tour of the smash hit Queen and Ben Elton musical ‘We Will Rock You’?

Queen fans and lovers of musical theatre alike are advised not to miss this production, which promises to deliver the rock, spirit and spectacle of one of the world’s best-selling bands, Queen. Given the immense success of previous productions, this year’s ‘We Will Rock You’ tour is sure to be another runaway success.

Since 2002, over 18 million theatregoers in over 20 countries have been thrilled by this epic show.

‘We Will Rock You’ is set in a distant, dystopian future where Earth is called Planet Mall and its inhabitants wear the same clothes, think the same thoughts and exist in a brain-dead haze. This system forbids musical instruments and composers, whilst rock music is all but unknown. The musical tells the story of Galileo, Scaramouche, Killer Queen and the other ‘Bohemians’. Join them on their journey to discover the Holy Grail of Rock and restore the free exchange of thought, fashion and most importantly, live music.

Speaking about the process he underwent to write the show’s script, Ben Elton, one of Britain’s most successful writers, says it became clear to him that the story

Are You To Be Ro

had to comprise an abstract quality “that reflected the feel of the word and music, rather than its literal content”. He elaborates that, “This was not pop music, but rock music.

Some of the most famous rock ever written, and legendary music should have a legendary context.

I began to think of legends, both new and old, from King Arthur to The Terminator; heroic myths in which brave individuals take on the vast monolithic force of evil systems.”

The musical’s narrative is certainly bold and its success is therefore unsurprising. If previous reviews are anything to go by, then this tour promises to be a mustsee: The Daily Telegraph observed that, “There was wild applause at the climax of the show… and it only got louder”. The Financial Times commented that, “The sheer power of the best Queen numbers strikes hard”, while the Daily Express was short and sweet in its assessment of the production, branding it simply “Spectacular”.

Transform Your Everyday.

Equally as impressive as the show created from their musical canon are Queen legends themselves, Brian May and Roger Taylor, who had early reservations about staging a musical.

“We were not initially convinced, not being fans of the ‘Musical

Theatre’ genre on the whole,” says Brian. “The show needed to work in a theatrical context and retain the rock, whilst also incorporating the spectacle, uniqueness and humour embodied by Queen.”

This was certainly an important aspect to include for Roger, who affirmed that, “We (Queen) took the music seriously, but we never took ourselves seriously. We always had the ability to laugh at ourselves. Some of the stage gear and even some of the music is quite humorous. The whole middle section of Bohemian Rhapsody was - we did a lot of daft things and a lot of experimentation.”

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u Ready ocked?

It was therefore important to do something new. Brian continues, “If we were going to go into this arena, the challenge was that we would somehow try and make it our own.”

The show is fun, light and humorous, yet also contains

and make sure it’s not a typical show”.

If you haven’t seen the show before, then you’ll soon find out that they completed this task with flying colours.

Thematically, ‘We Will Rock You’ couldn’t seem more relevant today: set in a world where individuality is no longer valued and being performed on a stage which is “breathtaking in terms of equipment” and “totally cutting edge technically”, the show arguably speaks to a modern audience more than ever.

With today’s focus on technological advancement, reading and the marriage of minds seem to have become out-dated activities and Brian recognises the musical’s significance today.

“I think it’s a very good comment on the way things are going. Ben’s idea that individuality is being eroded every second of the day and soon it will be impossible for people to write their own music,

think their own thoughts, write their own poetry is very perceptive.” To Brian, ‘Radio Ga Ga’ “represents the malady which is taking over the world. It’s almost like that old ‘men versus machines’ thing, which we also addressed a few albums ago.”

Just as ‘We Will Rock You’ explores themes relevant to those growing up in today’s world, the tour offers younger generations, who may not have heard this music before, the opportunity to discover the iconic musical genius that is Queen. Brian comments, “I had this very strange thought that it’s quite possible that this particular musical might be the thing through which people know our music in 300 years’ time.”

Speaking about the band’s relevance today he goes on to say that, “I’m quite shocked at how fresh this stuff still sounds and it makes me very happy, obviously”.

Queen’s back catalogue is clearly standing the test of time, and this new tour of ‘We Will Rock You’ is sure to be a stand out spectacle which will offer fantastic performances and incredible production value.

Brian says “We’re confident ‘We Will Rock You’ fans will love revisiting the world’s first true Rock Theatrical, and a whole new generation will now discover the VIBE!” ‘The Show Must Go On’ and this is one not to be missed!

We Will Rock You UK tour is at Birmingham Hippodrome from Mon 4 -Sat 30 July.

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he Black Eyed Peas and Mabel are set to headline at the LooseFest summer 2022 music festival. Mixing together international headliners, retro, pop, disco, tech house and ‘underthe-radar’ buzz acts including Low Steppa, Paul Woolford, Tinchy Sryder, Joel Corry, Jonas Blue, Sigala, Wilkinson, Disciples, DJ Steps, Example and French the Kid, in total over 90 music acts will perform across multiple all-weather stages.

Festival goers can expect a carnival with ferris wheel, a food village featuring multiple food offerings overseen by a top chef, VIP areas and posh loos. The coveted two day bash is expected to attract up to 60,000 people, which promises huge festival production.

Featuring ‘Good Luck’, the brilliant new single from Mabel, Jax Jones & Galantis, Mabel said; "‘Good Luck’ is the empowering song you need when getting ready to go out: when you’re feeling low about someone, and your friends will take you out to get that person off your mind.”

Joel Corry, the incredible DJ and 'master on the decks' had 2020’s longest running consecutive

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Where Is The Love? Black Eyed Peas And Mabel To Headline At The Loosefest Music Festival

No.1 single with ‘Head & Heart’ featuring MNEK. Featuring on MTV UK and the reality show Geordie Shore, he regularly tours across the UK, Europe and Australia.

Simon Sykes, one of the founding members of LooseFest said. “The LooseFest team have a wide span of

festival, event and food experiences and this year’s music festival will be the biggest we’ve ever put on. A range of day and weekend tickets are available, along with VIP and student options."

The LooseFest Summer 2022 Music Festival is on the 30 and 31st July.

those softer and, at times, heartrending moments, which allow an audience to emotionally invest.

Ben describes it as “intriguing, challenging, achingly romantic, brutally cynical and at once both sad and hilarious”.

‘We Will Rock You’ undoubtedly blends all of these elements and, as Ben intended it to be received, Roger describes the show as “silly, but funny and making quite a lot of serious points while it goes on its rather daft course”.

Echoing Brian’s determination to create something “new in every sense”, he goes on to reflect that the intention was “to keep it a bit gritty

Send your stories in to newsdesk@thephoenixnewspaper.com

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Page 38 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022

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Aston Martin Vantage claims Victory At 24 Hours Of Le Mans

ASTON MARTIN claimed another famous victory with its Vantage GTE as partner team TF Sport conquered the GTEAm class at the 90th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans last weekend.

The victory, in a year featuring a record-equalling 23-car GTEAm entry, marks a second in three years at Le Mans for TF Sport following its class success in 2020.

The winning crew of Ben Keating (USA), double FIA GT world champion Marco Sørensen (DEN) and Henrique Chaves (POR) – all first-time victors at Le Mans – steered the #33 Vantage home with a performance that was close to perfection.

The result lifts Keating, Sørensen and the TF Sport team into the class lead in the FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC] standings.

The event marked the fifth year of the Vantage GTE’s participation at Le Mans, and the 1-3 result, in the wake of the double GTE-Pro and Am victory in 2020, is the car’s third GTE-Am win.

MORGAN MOTOR COMPANY SIGNS THE ARMED FORCES COVENANT

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he Morgan Motor Company has signed the Armed Forces Covenant, pledging its support to those who serve and have served the nation and their families.

The signing of the Covenant furthers the work the company is already engaged in with service charity, Mission Motorsport, The Force’s Motorsport Charity The signing took place on Saturday 11 June at the Morgan Experience Centre during the company’s bi-monthly “Meet at Morgan” event. Representatives from Mission Motorsport, the Armed Forces and Morgan Motor Company were present, with

Morgan Executive Chairman, Steve Morris, and Colonel Chris Ledsham, signing the Covenant.

The Malvern based company has already employed several service leavers and has a reservist policy in place. Further to this, a joint motorsport project between Morgan, Mission Motorsport and the University of Wolverhampton witnessed the creation of a specially adapted Plus Four race car to allow paraplegic veterans the opportunity to compete using hand controls. Steve Binns, a Mission Motorsport beneficiary, was reunited with the Plus Four – which was on display at the event – that he had raced last November at Anglesey Circuit

To advertise

for the Race of Remembrance.

Mission Motorsport beneficiaries were also integral in the durability testing of the new Morgan Super 3, supporting Morgan’s engineering team with the development programme for the all-new model.

Steve Morris, Executive Chairman, Morgan Motor Company, said: “I am immensely proud to sign the Armed Forces Covenant on behalf of Morgan Motor Company. The signing of the covenant – and with it our formal support of the Armed Forces community – continues the work we have been carrying out with Mission Motorsport for several years. From motorsport

and model development through to careers and charity events, we have identified areas across the business where we can support the community and honour their sacrifice.”

James Cameron, CEO, Mission Motorsport, said: “The Morgan Motor Company is a British institution, where the history of the company and its people are interwoven with that of the Armed Forces community. While custodians of a unique history, this is also a company whose contribution is very current we’ve been so delighted that their work is being recognised by MoD for the very real impact that it is having.”

0208-865-1922

Michelin To Celebrate An Array Of Landmark Vehicles MICHELIN’S commitment to celebrating the most exotic and exciting vehicles on the planet and the automotive industry’s burgeoning electric vehicle innovation will be harnessed to its fullest at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

With a plethora of over 60 dramatic super, hyper and race cars on show, this year’s Michelin Supercar Paddock – situated next to the A West Entrance – is set to draw in crowds of enthusiasts who will see a cross section of the most hotly anticipated vehicles on the planet in the metal – many of which will be shod with Michelin tyres.

Celebrating landmark innovations from past, present and future, this year’s Festival of Speed event will ramp up the excitement levels to new heights with a multitude of global debuts and an impressive roster of celebrities, motorsport greats and respected automotive dignitaries on the live stage to keep the crowds entertained.

Dozens of rare and extreme vehicles are already confirmed to feature in the Michelin Supercar Paddock, with four special vehicles positioned on Michelin plinths, including the hydrogen powered Viritech Apricale hypercar; the highly sought-after Porsche Cayman 718 GT4 MR; and the H24 designed by Green GT, a high-performance electrichydrogen prototype race car.

Also set to join the cast of exotic vehicles in the Michelin Supercar Paddock will be the MercedesAMG Project ONE, combining stunning racetrack performance and practical Formula 1 hybrid technology with its custom-made road-legal, MICHELIN Pilot Sport Cup 2 R MO1 tyres.

The elegant, British built Eadon Green Zeclat will catch the eye of showgoers, and, taking the hypercar genre to new extremes, the raucous, twin-supercharged V8-powered Zenvo TSR-S will also be in attendance.

Within the Supercar Paddock, Michelin will be showcasing its expertise and innovation in several key areas where it is pushing the boundaries with new developments and technologies.

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The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 39

ENTERTAINMENT

Playboy Of The West Indies Second Round Of Funding Awarded To Community Groups To Help Embrace Birmingham 2022 FUNDS TOTALLING more than £1million have been given to 247 projects thanks to the second round of awards for a city council programme designed to help people celebrate the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

With the Games just over one month away, the latest round of grants means 320 initiatives across all 69 of the city’s wards have now received support worth more than £1.4million through the Celebrating Communities Small Grants Funding Scheme.

The scheme is an investment by the council to maximise the benefit and legacy of being the Proud Host City for the Games – ensuring its reach stretches beyond just the areas hosting competition or cultural events.

Ward Forums and community voting were used to help select the successful applications, to ensure the projects best met the needs and wishes of local people.

The list of grantees from Rounds One and Two of Celebrating Communities can be found on the

city council’s website.

Councillor Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games are about much more than the sporting action - Celebrating Communities funding is all about making the event relevant to people, wherever they are in Birmingham.

“The Games have the power to bring people in this city together and as the Proud Host City we’re determined that the benefits reach every district and neighbourhood.

Projects are already doing some bold and inspirational work through the first round of funding and this second series of awards ensures residents in all of our wards have access to something local to them that helps them celebrate and feel a part of the Games.”

“This is a key part of a summer of activity that will showcase the best of Birmingham at the start of what will be a golden decade for the city.”

July Gig Listings BIRMINGHAM O2 ACADEMY

July 01 The Jettys 02 JP Saxe - The Feelings Are Stupid Tour 02 The Get Up Kids 03 KiD RAiN 04 Olivia Rodrigo - Sour Tour 2022 16 The Prodigy 17 The Kid LAROI: End of the World Tour 22 Mystiek 23 The Southmartins 29 Snowflake Generation

O2 INSTITUTE

July 05 Highly Suspect 07 Jeremy Zucker 13 The Struts 15 Gypsy Jack 21 Tems 21 No Remorse 23 Joshua Lee Turner & Allison Young 26 Rose Tattoo

NEC

June 06-07 UK Care Week 06-07 Neuro Convention 2022 06-07 Naidex 07 P4H England 08-10 Wireless Festival 12-14 SOLEX

TOWN HALL & SYMPHONY HALL

June 01 Brian Wilson (SH) 02 Jazzlines Gospel Ensemble (Free workshop: 11-19 year olds) 02 CBSO 2021/22: Stanford's Requiem (SH) 03 Gwen Dickey: The Voice of Rose Royce (TH) 04 Roger Daltrey (SH) 06 Adam Ant: Special Guest Laurie Black (SH) 08-09 Music for Youth National Festival: Symphony Hall (SH) 08-09 Music for Youth National Festival: Town Hall (TH) 10 Birmingham 22 Festival Presents: Community Spirit 2022

B

ased on the Irish Classic The Playboy Of The Western World, Mustapha Matura’s hilarious reinvention Playboy Of The West Indies has been delighting audiences and critics alike world-wide for over 35 years.

Now in this world premiere production the classic play has

been transformed into a glorious new musical with a toe-tapping, finger-snapping score firmly rooted in the Caribbean. In Peggy’s rum bar in sleepy Mayaro village, a mysterious stranger stumbles in out of the darkness.

With a voice like honey he tantalises the women and unnerves the men with a terrible story. As he weaves his magic

- Anthems (SH) 10 Sheku & Isata Kanneh-Mason (SH) 14 CBSO: Simply Schubert (TH) 16 Rob Brydon: A Night of Songs & Laughter (SH) 17 CBSO 2021/22: CBSO SO Vocal 10 Year Celebration (TH) 17 Services For Education Youth Proms 2022: Concert 1 (SH) 18 Services for Education Youth Proms 2022: Concert 2 (SH) 18 Gilbert O' Sullivan (TH) 19 Services for Education Youth Proms 2022: Concert 3 (SH) 20 Services for Education Youth Proms 2022: Concert 4 (SH) 21 Services for Education Youth Proms 2022: Concert 5 (SH) 22 Burn The Floor 2022 (SH) 23 Here Come the Boys (SH)

23 Jamaica 60th Cultural Extravaganza: A Salute to the Commonwealth Games (TH) 24 CBSO: Kazuki Yamada conducts Rachmaninov Symphony No. 2 (SH) 24 Pop Voices Through The Decades (TH) 25 An Evening with David Sedaris (SH) 26 Exodus: Bob Marley Reimagined (TH) 26 George Thorogood & The Destroyers Good to be Bad Tour: 45 Years of Rock (SH) 28-29 Peppa Pig: My First Concert 30 Joe Jackson

l Olivia Rodrigo performs at the O2 Academy on the 4th July

spell on Peggy, her forthcoming nuptials to Stanley are thrown into doubt, and the village is plunged into uproar. While the women vie for this stranger’s attention, the men plot his downfall. Will events conspire to unmask his wild tales of derring-do?

With an infectious score by Clement Ishmael (Five Guys Named Moe, The Lion King) and

Dominique Le Gendre (Royal Opera House, Talawa Theatre) and co-direction from Nicolas Kent (Grenfell: Value Engineering, Ain’t Misbehavin) Playboy Of The West Indies transports you to the Caribbean in this witty, vibrant and joyful new musical. Presented by the Birmingham 2022 Festival.

Rhian K. Bhatoe Makes Life ‘Simply Effective’ IN HOLDING NO in-built emotions back, Simply Effective highlights the versatile and open-minded approach to her skills as a spoken words artist, by putting all of her life’s experience to book in her own unique and thought-provoking way.

With her yearning to express her storytelling ability, in a way that touches each and every emotion - as many others of its ilk often falls short of - Rhian K. Bhatoe’s ability to take you her journey of her discovery of ‘self’ will leave you in tears and laughter, angst and joy – all in equal measures.

Exposing a deep insight into her life, with family, friends and others who have helped shape the life she lives today, Simply Effective shares her perspective on the best, positive way forward, with a combined collective of pathos, humour, Rhian’s storytelling style has found the perfect platform to make each individual poem an ideal antidote to enhance, or counter, your joys,

or woes – whichever it may be, on any particular day.

A truly great spoken words evangelist at hear, her Simply Effective offers some great advice, as you look for the best ways to navigate your own tears, laughter, angst and joy - as her writing connects to every reader – no matter where they’re from!

Send your stories in to newsdesk@thephoenixnewspaper.com

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

Page 40 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022

ENTERTAINMENT

www.streetcredmagazine.com

BBC's Good Food Show Returns To The NEC With A Bang

B

irmingham's NEC once again saw the delights of the BBC Good Food Show Summer descend upon it for four days of culinary stars and delicious treats.

An impressive roster of Michelinstar chefs, cookery show stars and baking legends showcased their skills including Paul Ainsworth and James Martin in The Big Kitchen.

With wonderful tasting experiences on offer including a Sake Masterclass with Kanpai London who teamed up with Lexus who know a thing or two about craftmanship Kanpai, meaning ‘cheers’ in Japanese, is the UK’s first sake brewery.

The Producers’ Village at the heart fo the show had some

absolutely fantastic offerings, including mouth watering brownies, delicious biltong, and delicately fragranced and spiced cakes, among many other options.

Rachael Clarke, Event Director at BBC Good Food Show, said: “Birmingham boasts an array of Michelin-star restaurants, artisan makers and independent producers, so we’re delighted to host this year’s Good Food Show in the city.

Alongside the BBC Good Food Show Summer, was BBC Gardeners’ World Live, and considering the glorious weather over the 4 days was a hit with everyone!

The next Good Food Show is Winter at the NEC from the 2427th November, so get your tickets now!

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The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 41

ADOPTION & FOSTERING HEART FM’S PANDORA CHRISTIE SPEAKS OUT ABOUT HER LIFE IN CARE

H

eart FM presenter, Pandora Christie, has never been afraid to talk about her tough upbringing.

Homeless from a young age, she also remembers seeing her mother pass away in front of her, and ever since, she was in and out of care. But she always gives thanks for the support of her foster family who helping to turn her life around.

“I use my past as my motivation,” she says. “I love my foster parents, who I am still in contact with now. I remember them saying to me all those years ago, ‘don’t let your past determine your future’ and from that day on I saw every dream as a possibility.”

She put in the hard work to become a radio presenter, as she recalls: “Everyone told me that if I wanted to get on air I would need to gain experience so I found a community radio station in Southall, in London, and landed a daytime show, then a Sunday request show, as I worked my way up, to land the breakfast slot.

“I first worked for Heart FM on the ground patrol team – that is what they used to call it back then. It would involve handing out flyers in shopping centres and we even went to schools and hosted

events to get everyone to tune into Heart.

“My break came when Capital XTRA got in touch as they were looking for a new female presenter. I jumped at the chance!

Then after presenting daytime

shows on Capital FM and KISS FM, I am now back at my dream station.”

Having been homeless, the fact that she has now been able to buy her own flat is not something she takes for granted. She describes

Support For Contact Between Adopted Children And Birth Family Not Fit For Purpose, Report Finds

enthusiastically how she has bought an apartment in the same block in which she rented for a few years.

Now an ambassador for Fostering Network, Pandora says: “Naturally it is a charity

very close to my heart and I am going to be helping push through legislation for them. I always try and donate as much as I can and help with their fostering awards.”

THE ADOPTION Barometer report published by the charity Adoption UK, shines a light on the challenges facing some of the UK’s most vulnerable children as they seek to navigate complex relationships with birth relatives.

Adults who were adopted in childhood are also struggling with the legacy of poorly supported contact, and inadequate services to help with tracing relatives.

Only 12% of adopters had been offered any training or advice about establishing direct contact after adopting their child. Among adopters whose children were having direct contact, 85% said that their agency does not regularly review their contact arrangements, and 86% said their child had not been offered any emotional or therapeutic support related to their contact arrangements.

The importance of well-managed contact was highlighted in the government’s National Adoption Strategy, published last year, and was the only significant reference to adoption in the recent Review of Children’s Social Care in

England. Adoption UK is calling for free national contact services to be set up for adopted people from childhood into adulthood, in each nation of the UK. Adoption UK’s Rebecca Brooks, said: “Contact plans made at the time of a child’s Adoption Order can go out of date very quickly as circumstances change and children grow older. Later, families can find themselves navigating complex situations without the support they need, with devastating impacts on children’s mental health and family stability.”

Data from the report shows that the majority of adopted people (75%) and prospective adopters (70%) think contact with birth family should be normalised, even though it can prove to be both daunting and difficult.

Mrs Brooks added: “Traditionally adopters are characterised as being resistant to contact with their children’s birth family, but repeated Barometer reports have shown this is simply not the case. There is increasing openness towards it, if the right support is available.”

A Family in Bloom Adoption A FAMILY IN BLOOM Adoption has an active adoption program in Jamaica.

Our agency’s main Jamaican case manager is based in the country.

Attorneys are not needed for the adoption process from Jamaica. Unlike most foreign country adoptions, adoption from Jamaica will involve a direct relationship between the adoptive family and the Jamaican authorities.

Many of the adoptive families are themselves Jamaican-Americans adopting family members with designated children from their communities in Jamaica.

Adoption from Jamaica can be successful for Americans waiting on an approved match from the Jamaican government’s waiting list.

Families that are seeking to adopt older, special needs, or sibling groups are prioritized and will therefore have a faster adoption process.

Children less than five years old are rarely matched by the Jamaican Adoption Authority from children’s homes, except after long wait times and then usually to Jamaican-American families.

All adoptions in the country are determined and overseen by a centralized governmental entity, the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), previously known as the Child Development Agency or CDA. Children available for adoption reside in children’s homes located throughout the island.

According to CPFSA personnel, children’s homes include a disproportionate number of children that are not available for adoption. Those that are available for adoption meet the criteria set forth by the Jamaican authorities that will ensure that proper child investigations have occurred and whose biological parents’ rights can be legally terminated.

Send your stories in to newsdesk@thephoenixnewspaper.com

Page 42 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

thephoenixnewspaper.com

App Offers Top Tips For Parents Of Babies And Young Children

PARENTS AND guardians can quickly access NHS health advice and practical tips for their young children thanks to the free Healthy Child Wolves app.

Commissioned by the City of Wolverhampton Council and launched by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust's Health Visiting Team, the app is packed with tips, advice and signposting to support young families, from pregnancy to getting a child ready for school and everything in between.

It includes a wide range of information and advice for parents and guardians of children aged from birth to five, from common illnesses, first aid and keeping your baby safe to breastfeeding, dental health and looking after your emotional health and wellbeing.

Users can find out more about the Health Visiting Team and other local NHS children’s services and get advice on what to do if your child is unwell. There are also trackers to record a baby’s sleeps and feeds.

Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: "Our NHS Health Visiting Team does a fantastic job providing advice and support to thousands of new parents and families of young children across the city.

"The Healthy Child Wolves app helps complement this service and is a great additional resource to families.”

Sian Thomas, Deputy Chief Operating Officer at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, added: “The Healthy Child Wolves app has been developed by the Trust’s Health Visiting Team in partnership with families.

"We hope that parents and families will find it useful, and it helps to provide them with extra confidence and reassurance to bring up a happy and healthy child.

“Remember – your Health Visiting Team is here for you if you have any questions or concerns about your 0-5 year old. You can contact the team on 01902 441057.”

Healthy Child Wolves is available to download for free from Google Play or the App Store.

70th Anniversary Marks Another Platinum Jubilee For 2022

COUNCIL WELCOMES NEWLY QUALIFIED SOCIAL WORKERS

L

eaders from across Adult and Children’s Services have come together welcome newly qualified social workers who have recently joined or who are about to join the City of Wolverhampton Council.

As newly qualified social workers, they will be part of the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) programme which gives social workers extra support during their first stage of their career.

The programme aims to develop their skills, knowledge and professional confidence in this rewarding yet challenging role.

The council has a supportive and structured ASYE programme, which includes training and reflective sessions as well as a protected workload to build social workers’ confidence, help them to consolidate their learning and strengthen their professional confidence, whilst being assessed against the post-

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qualification standards.

A number of newly qualified social workers will be joining the council over the next few weeks and will be based across the service and within different teams.

Councillor Beverley Momenabadi, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “Wolverhampton is a great place to be a social worker, and as a council we take the Assessed and

Supported Year in Employment very seriously. It's a great way for newly qualified social workers to hone their skills as they embark on their careers with us.”

The City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Services, Cllr Linda Leach, added: "Our social workers do an incredible job and it's so important that they are given the support they need to be the best they can possibly be, through programmes such as this."

0121 339 5885

IT WASN’T ONLY Her Majesty the Queen marking a 70-year Jubilee in 2022 as BHBN Radio is also marking its 70th anniversary of broadcasting to Birmingham’s Hospitals. Rewind the clock seven decades, to a pub in Moseley in 1952, and what became BHBN was formed to keep patients at the Yardley Green Sanatorium, (now part of Heartlands Hospital), satisfied with live football and cricket commentaries, which is something the Network continues to this day!

BHBN President Robert Bartlett said: "BHBN is built on community and providing comfort and a friend for everyone from patients, to the everyday person sitting at home and looking for something more personal and familiar than commercial radio.

So, we're inviting the community to get involved and share their stories, because what we do is all about them, and it's a community celebration as much as a celebration for BHBN Radio."

To mark its 70th Year, BHBN Radio is embarking on its biggest ever quest to commemorate the legacy of the Second City’s hospitals and their importance in the community across the West Midlands. And, they are asking patients, hospital staff and the general public to help to construct an oral history of the six hospitals BHBN Radio reaches.

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

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The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 43

Fuelling Athletes with Foods from Sunshine Countries Worldwide

Rugby

TropicalSun.com

Page 44 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022

OVERSEAS NEWS

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

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DICKON MITCHELL ELECTED AS NEW GRENADA PM

D

ickon Mitchell has been sworn in as Prime Minister of Grenada after defeating Keith Mitchell in the parliamentary elections.

The 44-year-old notary is a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), a Leftist party that achieved 9 out of 15 parliamentary seats. He obtained 52 percent of the votes, meanwhile Keith Mitchell, who was running for his sixth reelection, got 47 percent of the ballots.

Leaders from other Caribbean nations sent their messages of congratulations to the NDC leader, with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley tweeted; "On behalf of the Government and people of Barbados, I wish to extend

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congratulations to Prime MinisterElect of Grenada, Dickon Mitchell on his victory."

"Congratulations to Dickon Mitchell on his election as Prime Minister of Grenada. I ratify our will to continue advancing in the development of friendly relations and cooperation between Grenada and Cuba, for the benefit of both peoples," Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said.

“Congratulations to Prime Minister-elect Dickon Mitchell and the NDC on their remarkable victory in Grenada, on behalf of the ULP and the Government and people of Saint Vincent & the Grenadines. I look forward to working with the new government in advancing the regional agenda,” Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said.

"The Government and people of Belize congratulate Grenada's new Prime Minister, Dickon Mitchell on his victory in elections. Belize looks forward to working with you to continue deepening the excellent relations between our two countries and to transform our region," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belize stated.

Grenada, with an area of 344 square kilometers and with the tourism sector and the production of spices as pillars of its economy, is a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organization of American States (OAS). This former British colony in the Caribbean Sea is located north of Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela and south of Saint Vincent & the Grenadines.

0121 339 5885

Japan Urges Citizens To Switch Off The Lights JAPAN'S GOVERNMENT has urged people in Tokyo and its surrounding area to use less electricity, as it warned that supplies will be strained as the country faces a heatwave.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry expects demand for power to be "severe" this afternoon local time. It said people should switch off unnecessary lights but still use air conditioning to avoid heatstroke.

For weeks, officials have warned of a power crunch as temperatures rise. Over the weekend, the temperature in central Tokyo rose above 35C, while the city of Isesaki, northwest of the capital, saw a record 40.2C. That was the highest temperature ever recorded in June for Japan.

June marks the start of summer in Japan, with temperatures typically staying below 30C during the month.

In a statement, the ministry said that excess generating capacity for electricity was expected to drop to 3.7% in Tokyo and eight surrounding prefectures. It viewd a buffer of 3% as necessary for stable power supply.

The government asked people to turn off unnecessary lights for three hours from 15:00 Tokyo time (07:00 BST) while properly using air conditioning and hydrating during hot hours. Although electricity providers are working to increase supply, the ministry said the situation was unpredictable as temperatures climb.

"If there is an increase in demand and sudden supply troubles, the reserve margin will fall below the minimum required of 3%," it said.

Japan's power supply has been tight since an earthquake in its northeastern region in March forced some nuclear power plants to suspend operations.

Officials have also closed several aging fossil fuel plants in an attempt to cut carbon dioxide emissions. These issues, along with a surge in demand for electricity, have resulted in a power squeeze.

Earlier this month, the Japanese government called on households and companies to save as much electricity as possible during the summer.

Meanwhile, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported that 46 people in Tokyo had been taken to hospital for suspected heatstroke, as of Sunday afternoon.

Restrictions on the Australian wholesale energy market were since lifted.

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Holiday and

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 45

Travel

New Walking Festival to Launch in September

10 REASONS TO VISIT DOMINICA'S FORT YOUNG HOTEL & DIVE RESORT

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ort Young Hotel & Dive Resort on the pristine Caribbean Nature Island of Dominica is a perfect year-round destination but there are a host of reasons why it's a particularly great place to visit in the summer months… read on for our top ten.

The most obvious attraction is that the cost of airfares generally goes down from the end of March with many carriers running special deals. American Airlines operates direct daily flights from Miami, while British Airways offer flights from London with one stop and a plane change in Barbados.

The cost of accommodation also goes down. As if that wasn't enough, Fort Young has also launched a Sizzling Summer five-night special which includes one free night, daily breakfast, welcome cocktails and an evening Jacuzzi bath under the stars.

As the spring Tradewinds diminish, so too do the ocean up-swells making underwater

visibility crystal clear. The summer months are among the best for scuba diving and as one of the only hotels on the island with its own dive center, Fort Young is perfectly poised to make the most of these ideal conditions.

Experienced divers can enjoy complimentary shore dives each day, while newcomers to the sport can check out the range of certification courses to get them prepared to enjoy Dominica's amazing underwater wonders.

Spectacular sites include Champagne Reef, Scott's Head Pinnacle, Crater's Edge, Coral Gardens, and the Pointe Guignard swim through. There's even a summer festival dedicated to diving. Dive Fest takes place from July 5 to 14, 2022.

With School being out, this is the perfect time for a family holiday.

Fort Young's innovative AllInclusive, Island-Included package is perfect for adventurous families looking for more than just a fly and flop break.

The package not only includes food and beverages, but also gives guests access to amazing activities beyond the hotel — from a lionfish catching expedition, to hiking and exploring some of the island's best attractions like Trafalgar Falls and Titou Gorge, to enjoying tropical beaches — providing an unrivaled, immersive and memorable Nature Island holiday.

All of the facilities at Fort Young remain open year-round and with lower occupancies, there's more space around the stunning waterfront pool and Jacuzzi.

There is also less waiting time for bar and restaurant services, in-room dining and the new Zemi Spa. While the hurricane season officially starts in June and runs to November, it doesn't rain day in, day out as some people might imagine.

In fact, you may just get one sharp downfall and then beautiful skies for the rest of the day.

Temperatures and humidity are

higher, but you get beautiful clear skies and it's great for star gazers with less haze masking the night skies.

It's mango season! According to the island's Ministry of Agriculture, there are over 180 varieties of these lush, juicy fruits on Dominica.

Each mango had a different aroma, texture and flavour, from the slightly pine scented Grafted mango or mango Julie, to the sweet mango licka, and fleshy mango belly full.

Head to the local market to pick up a bag full of fresh fruit, or try a mango and ginger smoothie, Mahi mahi with spicy mango salsa, or a refreshing mango daiquiri as the sun goes down.

Lovely, lovely cricket! Windsor Park will come alive with the thrills of back-to-back T20 international matches on July 2 and 3 when the West Indies takes on the might of Bangladesh.

Nowhere in the world blends rich, traditional Caribbean culture

From Sri Lanka's First Eco Riverboat To Chasing The Waves On The East Coast

I

f the call of the Indian Ocean beckons you and your board, then the rugged and powerful Arugam Bay on the East Coast of Sri Lanka is the ideal holiday location.

Sri Lanka is world-famous for its surfing and has breaks suitable for everyone, whether you are a hardcore surfer, or an eager beginner, there is tuition

available for all levels and there is no better place to stay as a group than at Kottukal Beach House

by Jetwing. This beachfront villa is surrounded by water and (at certain parts) offers you a breathtaking view of nothing between you and Antarctica.

The country's seasonal patterns mean when one coast is choppy, the other is calm ensuring a

surfer's paradise all year round – but nowhere quite beats the adrenalin fuelled East Coast.

Along with the almost private 1km beach of Kottukal, you will find the hip hotspots of Arugam Bay, Pottuvil Point, Whiskey Point, Peanut Farm, Crocodile Rock, and more within a few minutes' drive. In addition, the eastern coastline also serves as a

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and a love for cricket quite like Dominica.

If summer for you lingers into September, then take part in Kalinago Week from September 15 to 21, 2022.

This incredible celebration of indigenous culture dates back to 1930 when the Kalinago people traded extensively with the neighbouring French territories of Marie Galante and Guadeloupe.

The week includes a number of events including pageants to crown Miss Kalinago and Princess Natari, musical performances, and debates as a tribute to the Kalinago elders.

Enjoy Dominica's crystal rivers, stunning waterfalls, and verdant rainforests at their lush best. The increased rainfall and humidity of the summer months brings the hillside vegetation to life after the parched months of the dry season.

Waterfalls are even more spectacular, and river pools more inviting for wild swimming surrounded by nature.

habitat for exotic island wildlife and at Kottukal the gardens are not only home to several species of birds including the majestic Brahminy Kite, but also a family of mongoose and flocks of butterflies, with the occasional visit from an elephant or two!

Alternatively, you can hop in a tuk tuk for a safari like no other – unique to Jetwing and guided by a local farmer, guests are invited to get up close to crocodiles, elephants, monitor lizards, snakes and so much more in an experience unlike any other.

0121 339 5885

AROUND the world in 46 days… that's the aim of a new walking festival targeted at both seasoned and novice walkers.

The YHA Festival of Walking takes place from 04 September – 20 October 2022. Organiser YHA (England & Wales) hopes to get people walking at least 24,901 miles; that's once around the world.

The festival aims to bring walkers – individuals, friends, families and walking groups and communities - together at hostels across England and Wales, as well as introduce new voices, feet and faces to walking in the UK's landscapes.

The new festival capitalises on the lockdown discovery of the joy of walking for many people.

YHA's Festival of Walking now offers an opportunity for walkers – new and experienced – to make the most of the facilities provided at YHA's locations in the National Parks and on National Trails.

YHA is offering 25% off accommodation at a number of hostels, as well as a warm welcome and a free cuppa for everyone who gets involved with the festival.

In addition, everyone who takes part in the festival and logs their miles on the festival website will be entered into a free prize draw.

YHA has partnered with Ordnance Survey, The Ramblers and the BMC to deliver the festival, as well as outdoor clothing and footwear retailer Cotswold Outdoor.

“24,901 miles seems a long way but that's just 5,000 people walking five miles each; which we think is more than achievable. Ideally, we'd love it if enough people got outside and got walking during the festival that their logged miles could collectively circumnavigate the globe multiple times. That's the goal,” said James Blake Chief Executive of the social enterprise charity YHA (England & Wales).

Page 46 - The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022

PROPERTY AND REAL ESTATE

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

thephoenixnewspaper.com

West Midlands Housing Association And Charity Discuss Windrush Compensation Scheme With Minister PARLIAMENTARY Under Secretary of State (Minister for Safe and Legal Migration), Kevin Foster MP, visited West Midlands based Nehemiah Housing Association to meet with a delegation from the RAFFA International Development Agency including Chief Executive Angela Clarke and RAFFA Vice Chair and Nehemiah CEO Llewellyn Graham to discuss the work RAFFA has been doing to raise awareness of the Windrush Compensation Scheme across the West Midlands.

Awarded government funding to promote the Windrush Compensation Scheme the team at RAFFA has been using its network of volunteers to interact with community groups and large church communities across the West Midlands, reaching out to thousands of potential Windrush Schemes applicants.

The RAFFA Windrush Scheme project is a programme of online symposiums, workshops and presentations serving to bridge

the gap between the Home Office and potential Windrush victims.

They are informing them of their entitlement and encouraging them to have the confidence to engage with the Home Office and independent assistance services and make applications to the scheme. The project has taken advantage of its strong links with church groups, a regional mental health organisation and engaged with community groups for vulnerable people.

They are also reaching out via their links with popular community figures, such as singer and TV Presenter Annette B. Additional activities have included talks for students at a local college and an online series of video conversations, featuring guest appearances from prominent members of the community, delivering information, reminiscing, and celebrating the past and ongoing contributions of the Windrush generation.

FORMER NURSE OFFICIALLY OPENS SELLY OAK HOSPITAL REDEVELOPMENT l Pictured at the official opening of Ellis Court are, back from left: Charles Church Sales Director Sarah Preston, senior area sales manager Beth Lodge; front: assistant site manager Bridget McLoughlin, sales advisor Mark Turley,Valerie Arthur and senior site manager Steve Powis

A

former nurse at Selly Oak Hospital was the guest of honour at the official opening of a contemporary redevelopment of

the 125-year-old building.

Valerie Arthur, who worked in the Rheumatology Department and is now author of a fascinating book on the history of the hospital, cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the last eight apartments at Ellis Court, bespoke one and two-bedroom properties within the original central block of the former infirmary. The development is a jewel in the crown of awardwinning housebuilder Charles Church and brings to a close the construction of 595 properties over seven years by the housebuilder and sister brand Persimmon Homes.

Valerie and her friend Ruth Clarke, a former physiotherapist at Selly Oak Hospital, were

given a tour of the building by Charles Church technical director Nick Wilkins, senior site manager Steve Powis and sales director Sarah Preston. Valerie said: “Thank you so much to Charles Church for inviting me to such an occasion. It was really good to look around the building, but difficult to remember exactly how it used to be – although more memories now keep returning.”

Sarah Preston, Charles Church Central Sales Director, said: “We are so, so proud to have not only retained the iconic red brick building that was the front of Selly Oak Hospital, but to have breathed new life into it in our exclusive collection of modern apartments.

We were delighted when Valerie was able to join us for the official

opening, as it brings the history of this iconic building full circle.”

Originally a Victorian workhouse infirmary, the building at the heart of Ellis Court is now an exclusive collection of modern apartments in a stunning garden setting. Named after Dr Frederick William Ellis, chief medical officer at the hospital over a century ago, who was lauded for his care and rehabilitation of the city’s sick and elderly citizens, the grounds are reminiscent of London’s private communal gardens, while detailed thought has gone into the layout and design of the development to ensure it meets the exacting standards of young professionals.

SALEH & SONS

Specialising in Caribbean Produce Fresh Meat & Vegetables TEL : 0121 551 1736 250 LOZELLS RD, BIRMINGHAM B19 1NP

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0208-865-1922

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ACE Cricket Programme Relaunches In Birmingham

THE AFRO-CARIBBEAN Engagement [ACE] Programme has officially relaunched in Birmingham following the overwhelming success of its inaugural launch last year.

Delivered by Warwickshire County Cricket Board [WCCB] on behalf of the ACE Charity and the ECB, the programme focuses on increasing awareness and access to cricket through Black communities and grassroot clubs.

Following a 75% decline in participation from Black cricketers since 1995, the ACE Programme was set-up in 2020

by Surrey’s Director of Women’s Cricket, Ebony Rainford-Brent to not only address the issue, but also open up pathways to under-represented groups through from grass-root clubs to the elite. With ECB funding, the programme was able to launch last year in Birmingham as the first city outside of London to launch the programme.

The Phoenix Newspaper - July 2022 - Page 47

SPORT - WITH STEVE WILLIAMS

Continued from Back Page

31. Three students from the School of Jewellery have designed the medals, ribbons and boxes that will be awarded to athletes at the Games 32. The gold, silver and bronze medals are being made in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter 33. The Queen’s Baton Relay started on 7 October 2021 and will finish when the baton arrives in the Alexander Stadium on 28 July which means the relay will last a total of 294 days 34. The Queen’s Baton Relay is covering approximately 90,000 miles (140,000 kilometres) and there are 7,500 Batonbearers carrying the baton on the international journey 35. The final leg of the journey will see the Queen’s Baton Relay visit 180 communities in England across 25 days, 11 of which will be in the West Midlands 36. In England, there will be over 2,000 Batonbearers carrying the Baton through the country 37. The Opening Ceremony for the Games will take place on 28 July in the Alexander Stadium 38. The Opening Ceremony will have a live audience of around 30,000 people and is expected to have a TV audience of around one billion 39. 3,500 costumes are being made for the ceremonies

BIRMINGHAM 2022 SETS UP FOR A SMASH 40. 19,000 individual costume items will be made for the ceremonies and around 10,000 metres of fabric will be used 41. More than 2,000 volunteers will be taking part in the Opening and Closing Ceremony 42. Birmingham 2022 festival is six months long – it started in March and will finish in September 43. The Birmingham 2022 Festival includes 46 ambitious new artistic commissions and over 50 alignment projects 44. The Birmingham 2022

festival includes more than 100 different community events which have been funded through the Creative City grants 45. Seven neighbourhood festival sites will be open at Games time and this includes the first ever relaxed festival site which will be located at Sense Touchbase Pears 46. Thanks to the Games, Holford Drive Community Sports Hub is receiving £500,000 of funding to help strengthen the Commonwealth Games legacy 47. Birmingham 2022 will be

the first Commonwealth Games to leave a carbonneutral legacy 48. With the help of Severn Trent, 2022 acres of forest will be planted to achieve a carbonneutral legacy for the Games 49. The Closing Ceremony, a huge party to celebrate the end of the Games, will be staged at the Alexander Stadium on Monday 8 August 50. More than one million tickets have already been sold for the Games. The remaining tickets are available now at birmingham2022.com

Wolverhampton Festival Site Announced RESIDENTS CAN catch all the action from this summer’s cycling time trial event at Wolverhampton’s exclusive Festival Site.

On Thursday 4 August 2022, the City of Wolverhampton will proudly host the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Cycling Time Trial with the race starting and finishing at West Park.

Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the excitement of live sport as the Commonwealth Games Cycling Time Trial race zooms through Old Market Square.

Or grab a seat, soak up the electric atmosphere and watch all the action on the big screen.

With live entertainment and commentary from some sporting legends, ‘have a go’ cycling activities, information stands, a great range of food and beverages, face painting, children’s rides and much more, this promises to be a great day out for all the family.

Send your stories in to newsdesk@thephoenixnewspaper.com

ACE Cricket Programme Relaunches In Birmingham - Page 47

Wolverhampton Festival Site Announced - Page 47

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s Birmingham gets ready to welcome millions of visitors from around the world at the end of this month for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, here are 50 things you may not know about this huge event.

1. 72 nations and territories are planning to send teams to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games 2. Around 6,500 athletes and team officials will be coming to Birmingham for the Games 3. There are 19 sports and eight Para sports that will feature making it the biggest sports programme ever for a Commonwealth Games 4. Women’s cricket will be included for the first time, and it is the first time that T20 cricket has ever been included in the Commonwealth Games 5. Although the full court, five aside version of basketball has been included before, this will be the first time basketball 3x3 has featured 6. Wheelchair basketball 3x3 has also been included in the Games for the very first time 7. The addition of wheelchair basketball means there will be more Para sport than ever before 8. At the Commonwealth Games, Para sport is integrated into the sports programme, so if you have tickets for sports like swimming or athletics you will get to see Para athletics and Para swimming too 9. For the first time ever mixed synchronised diving has been included in the Commonwealth Games 10. Beach volleyball will be taking place for only the second time at the Commonwealth Games and this sport was added to the Birmingham 2022 sports programme in August 2019 11. The Solomon Islands women’s team will take part in beach volleyball for the first time. In the men’s competition there will be Commonwealth Games debuts for Rwanda, South Africa and the Maldives 12. 54 hockey matches will take place during the Games and these will all be held at the University of Birmingham 13. Across the 11 days of sport there will be 286 different sessions of sport 14. There will be two super Sundays at Birmingham 2022 and the second super Sunday is a huge day for women’s team sport featuring the women’s cricket T20 final, the netball final and the women’s hockey final 15. There are 280 different medal events included at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games 16. There are more medal events for women than men for

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the first time ever at a major multi-sport event The first medals of the Games are expected to be won at Sutton Park in the triathlon events There are 15 venues in total and 14 of these are in the West Midlands Sandwell Aquatics Centre is the only brand new venue and after the Games it will be converted into a community leisure facility One of the key venues is the Alexander Stadium and this venue has undergone a £72 million transformation Three parks are included on the venue list - West Park in Wolverhampton, Sutton Park in Sutton Coldfield and Victoria Park in Royal Leamington Spa Two temporary venues are being built at Smithfield – there will be one for the basketball events and one for beach volleyball Training venues have been selected for eleven different sports including triathlon, rhythmic gymnastics and rugby sevens One of the training venues is Wyndley Leisure Centre which will host training for both hockey and triathlon/ Para triathlon. The facilities

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have been upgraded and a new international standard hockey pitch has been installed Moseley Cricket Club is also being upgraded ahead of its use as a training venue for the Games. The playing surface will replicate the surface at Edgbaston Stadium, to provide the best possible training facilities The official mascot for the Games is Perry the bull who was created from the design of a ten year old girl Perry has so far visited more than 120 schools in the West Midlands region, taking part in fun and active assemblies to entertain school pupils and increase awareness of the Games amongst young people Around 14,000 volunteers will be helping to make sure that the Games runs smoothly – more than 41,000 people applied to be a volunteer Birmingham 2022 has been part of more than 50 community hub events and 60 community roadshows - the roadshows alone have reached more than 150,000 local residents The volunteers for the Games are known as the Commonwealth Collective

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Boxing Legend, Vince, Getting Ready To Supply Come The Games

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aving represented England and winning a silver medal in the lightheavyweight (-81 Kg) division, at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Alberta, in Canada, Vince Smith was also the National Champion that year, after winning the 1978 ABA light-heavyweight Championship, boxing for the Kyrle Hall ABC. With titles to follow – he gained gold in the European Games that year and bronze in world championships – he fought for England for 6-years before a new life beckoned; “After a glorious career in the ring, I needed a new life. I worked as an instructor at LivingWell and the David Lloyd Gym, before being introduced to selling Lonsdale equipment, first in the market, before acquiring my store - The Gloves, on Gloucester Street in the city centre - where I’ve been ever since.”

He worked with Mike Ashley just before Sports Direct took off; “I remember him asking me to get involved with this new business he was starting,” Vince recalled. “I wonder…” he said. Nevertheless, with a who’s-who of the boxing

world – including; Tyson Fury, Floyd Mayweather, Sugar Ray Leonard, Nicola Adams, Lennox Lewis, Joe Egan, Nigel Benn, Robert McCracken Franck Bruno and Khalid Yafai – passing through the doors of The Glove over the years, Vince, now married to wife Manna and with twin boys, he’s happy with ‘his lot,’ with his doors open for the next incumbents

0208-865-1922

preparing for this month’s Games.

“I’m here for any of the boxers’ needs before and during the Commonwealth Games – from advice to selling gear,” said Smith.

“And I will help any of them with exercises, if needed.

“I’ll even show them how to throw a proper left jab!” Always present – always prepared, is Vince Smith.