The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019 by The Phoenix Newspaper

Promoting Diversity for Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022

All Your Ents News Inside

OCTOBER 2019

Connecting Communities - Inspiring A New Generation

Celebrating The Other Side Of Cristiano Ronaldo

by Steve Williams

winner of five Ballon d’Or awards, four golden boots, six league titles in three countries - five European Champions Leagues and one European championship with his national team, Portugal and one of the most famous people on the planet, Cristiano Ronaldo is seen, by many, as probably the greatest

ever footballer to grace the game. But, with endless column inches forever exuding his commandingly unique legendary prowess in some of the world’s greatest stadiums, it was his interview on ITV’s ‘Piers Morgan Meets…’ where viewers saw a Cristiano that nobody ever knew before. In the hour-long interview, filmed in Turin, in Italy, saw the Juventus

Inside This Month

Centre Pullout

star talk about the man behind the headlines as he opened up about his life, loves, personal struggles, and the beautiful game. He talked about the death of his father, Dinis, who died of liver failure in in 2005, aged 52 and was brought to tears when watching a video of him (Dinis) expressing his pride for his son.

Continued On Page 12

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or the last three years the UK has been embattled and torn between two thorny issues pertaining to the Brexit debate. One camp is arguing for a clean break with, if it comes to it, no deal. The other camp is arguing for no departure unless some kind of a deal is agreed between the European Union (EU) and the UK. In the end, however, regardless of where we position ourselves, some kind of deal will have to be done. The issue is, will it be done before or after we leave the European Union? According to the House of Commons Library, taken as a whole, the EU is the UK’s largest trading partner accounting for 46% of all UK exports, and 54% of the UK’s imports. Even though the level of trade between the UK and the EU has fallen over the last ten years, this European trading bloc is still the country’s largest trading partner. This economic relationship is so significant, it is difficult to conceive of an independent existence, in the short term at least, without maintaining these very close economic ties. For those advocating a total departure from the EU without a deal (the hard Brexiters), this would lead to a period of economic uncertainty as the UK and its key EU partners seek to forge new relationships based on World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, with fewer preferential access. The UK would be considered by the EU as a ‘third party’ country exempt from special or preferential treatment, and therefore have to pay more for their EU imports. The UK could lose access to certain EU security databases and other security cooperation schemes such as Europol and the European arrest

Deal or no Deal, A Deal is Certain warrants. Some are worried about the future status of EU citizens living and working in the EU and of course, there is the matter of how goods and services will continue to cross borders between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, where one remains a member of the EU and the other a third party non-member. The government’s own emergency plans for a no deal Brexit, called ‘yellowhammer’ highlighted a number of possible areas such as transport, health, energy and even public order and possible increases in protests. This suggests, the government is aware of the possible challenges they could face. Notwithstanding the foregoing

Plans for Kings Heath and Hazelwell Railway Stations

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l Malcolm Holmes, West Midlands Rail Executive, Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street, Cllr Waseem Zaffar, Birmingham City Council and Brenda Lawrence, West Midlands Railway at the site of proposed Kings Heath station on the Camp Hill Line

challenges, a no deal departure could actually present possible opportunities for new deals to be done between the UK and the EU, as well as with other countries. President Trump, for example, has already said that the USA is ready and willing to work more closely with the UK once it leaves the EU. It should also be borne in mind that leaving with no deal does not mean the door will be permanently closed to the EU. In reality, this might mean the UK will be spending some time working out major trading deals with individual key member states of the EU as it would be disadvantageous for it to trade with the Bloc as a ‘third party’ country. Plans to build two railway stations in south Birmingham have been submitted marking significant progress on the project to reopen the Camp Hill line to passenger services. The stations at Kings Heath and Hazelwell are set to be rebuilt and the line reopened to commuters for the first time in almost 80 years. Plans for the third station at Moseley are undergoing further design work and will be submitted later in the year. The new Hazelwell Station will include platforms with a canopy, stairs and lifts and a forecourt drop off/pick up area outside. Covered cycle storage will be provided and lighting and CCTV installed. A historic station building, no longer deemed fit for purpose, will be demolished as part of the development. As well as benefiting residents, the reopened station will encourage further investment and regeneration in Stirchley centre.

As regards some of the other possible challenges the UK could face as soon as it leaves the EU, all these will have to be worked out afterwards. These of course, could take several months. What this means, however, is that regardless of our different political positions, deals will inevitably have to be done. The UK is too big an economic power to simply exist in a political vacuum or isolation. If it is decided by the powers that be for the UK to leave the EU without a deal, it simply means, leaving without a deal now, but arriving at a deal later. Deal or no deal, some kind of deal (s) will be done.

Nearby Kings Heath Station plans also include platforms with a canopy, lift and stair access and cycle storage facility. Space will also be set aside for a possible future addition of a station building. There will be space for public art or a heritage display to reflect the history of the area and a direct walkway into Highbury Park. Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “I am really pleased that we have taken another significant step towards reopening the Camp Hill line to passengers with the submission of these planning applications. “As well as offering South Birmingham residents a direct train line into the city centre, the reopened line will help to ease congestion on the roads and help reduce air pollution. “I am confident that we can have these stations open and the Camp Hill line back up and running by 2021.”

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019 - Page 3

NEWS

Pick

up a copy of

Kray’s Fine Dining, Craft-ed To Perfection T he 14th of September saw Great British Menu Finalist Kray Treadwell working with the Craft Brigade to create Krays Unique and Exciting Menu Marcia McLaughlin, Editor In Chief of The Phoenix Newspaper was invited to the event by Michael Don Smith, COO The Technology Supply Chain, The Midlands Best Connected Membership Organisation for Manufacturing, Engineering and Technology Companies, among a raft of businesspeople, local celebrities, and more. Hosted at the Craft Dining Rooms Restaurant at the ICC in Birmingham, Crafted by Kray is more than just a pop up event, Kray had been working at Craft daily to create this special event and supported by the UK’s most prestigious wine suppliers Berkmann Wine Cellars. The event, intended to be fun and to challenge the perception of fine dining, looked to be more fun dining than fine dining, expecting the unexpected. The £125.00 per person 8 Course Fine Dining experience at Craft Dining Rooms, Birmingham’s newest high society spot went down a storm, with the wine pairings by Berkmann Wine Cellars on point with every dish. With the likes of Pork cheek with miso caramel, fermented gem lettuce & dried ceps, and Salmon tar tar with bbq salmon, silverskin bhaji, trout roe, tomato and cardamom, the event was an journey for the tastebuds, and a workout for the liver at the same time! Wines from all around the world including Minuty Rose Prestige, Unico Zelo Truffle Hound, Moscato D Asti and Changyu Ice Wine, perfectly accompanied the courses. Other esteemed guests included

Professor Paul Cadman - Chairman of Genesis Ltd. & City of Birmingham Busines Awards Judge (Food and Hospitality), Hannah Floyd - Business Development Director Sylter Ltd & proud ambassador for LoveBrum, Omer Bhatti, Associate Director at Lloyds Banking Group and Alex Hickman Business and Commercial Real Estate Investor among others, with local boy Aktar Islam from Opheem in the city centre also showing his support. There is a second date for Crafted By Kray, on the 11th October, but there are limited seats left for this dining experience, so quick booking is essential to ensure you don’t miss out craftdining.co.uk. Marcia would also like to thank Michael Don Smith personally for inviting her to such a great evening. “I was particularly guided by Mark O’Sullivan - Multiple Business Owner spanning the fresh produce, recruitment, creative, digital, tech, and retail industry sectors, who has to be one of the most beautiful human beings one can ever hope to meet. “I had a great time and was sensible enough to walk out while I was still standing straight. I got to sample so many drinks along with my favourite pink champagne and a new intro to my pallet pink gin a flavoursome almost berry or fruity drink that has no evidence its potency is within each glass!”

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Page 4 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019

BUSINESS AND FINANCE

When was the last time you turned your phone off?

By Thomas O’Brien

uzzzz... someone thought it was a good idea to share a motivational quote in the team Whatsapp group at 2am. Bleep...Breaking news.... Lucy wonders if her cat, Pebbles, looks moderately cuter than he did in her cover photo at 1pm after she used a different filter on his 3pm selfie. Your expertise is urgently requested. Ring...your boss wants to have a long conversation about work stuff at 7pm, when you’ve been thinking about what to have for tea for at least an hour. Our phones are constant presences in our lives. They are always on. Why do we allow these devices, which were sold to us as a way to make our lives far easier and more convenient, to dictate how we spend so much of our time?

Are you paying attention to the people around you?

The off button is so close to our fingers when we’re texting, and yet it is so rarely pressed. What would happen if you

work emails on their phones, having just come home from a long day at work. Why does work deserve this much of your time? Have you considered ignoring those emails and chatting to your kids about how their days at school were instead? How much would this increase the quality of your family time? It may feel as though you have to keep you phone on in case a crucial email comes through late at night. However, if your employer doesn’t show their appreciation for the efforts you make at work by respecting the fact that you’re off the clock when you leave work, then why do they deserve to have you in their team?

Get some zzzs instead of notifications

turned your phone off, if only for a few hours? We keep them on for so long due to a fear of missing out on some important announcement or upsetting our friends by taking ages to reply to them. However, they often prevent us from giving the people we’re with our full attention. How annoying is it when you meet up with someone and they spend the entire time staring at their phone, only half-listening to

what you’re saying, asking hardly any sub-questions? Turning our phones off and giving each other our full attention when we speak will make the time that we spend together so much more meaningful.

Do phones need to be part of your family time?

The same goes for other aspects of your life. Many people will make dinner for their kids, serve it, and then spend ages going through

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You’ll also sleep better if you’re not being woken up at random times by notifications of messages that could’ve waited a few days (or not been sent at all). While phones have helped us to connect with people and issues around the world, turning them off now and again can help us to establish better connections with the people in the world around us. When the person or people in front of you want to speak to you right now, can that call, message or email not wait until tomorrow?

Possible five year delay for HS2

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The first phase of the HS2 high-speed railway between London and Birmingham could see an extra five year delay, according to the Minister of Transport with the line now set for completion in 2031 – from its original 2026. Transport Minister, Grant Shapps, said: "I want the House to have the full picture. There is no future in obscuring the true costs of a large infrastructure project - as well as the potential benefits". The route - from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds - was due to open in 2032-33, but that has been pushed back to 20352040. HS2 Chair, Allan Cook, said the delay is due to the original plans not accounting for the effect of building through densely-populated areas with difficult geographical features. Originally expected to cost £56bn in 2015 prices, Mr Cook said the new cost estimate was adjusted for inflation, and based on today's prices. HS2's total cost has also risen from £62bn to between £81bn and £88bn. The second phase has also been delayed.

The Value of Pre-apprenticeships to the Labour market

with Dr Christopher Johnson

ince the 1990s when modern apprenticeships were introduced, there has been much speculation as to how these have affected (or affecting) youth employment and the labour market generally. For instance, there has been a low take up of internships and traineeships in many English cities. In early 2018, citizens aged 15-24 who were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in the EU, was estimated at 10.6%. This clearly highlighted that young people are still not making an effective transition into the labour market. Research also shows that ethnic groups in England, are less likely to be successful in accessing apprenticeship vacancy opportunities (Final Report, The Learning and Work Institute, March 2019). Therefore, the necessity for innovative ventures such as pre-apprenticeships, must not be underestimated or deemphasised. Principally, the main aim of pre-apprenticeships is to improve the quality and relevance of youth apprenticeship. To provide employers with key skills to increase productivity and to offer young people life-work skills, as pathways towards beneficial careers and well-paid jobs. Practically, preapprenticeships are creative solutions to numerous ills plaguing society; material poverty, educational underperformance, inequality, weak labour markets, welfare dependency, skills shortages and low productivity. Recently, local businesses highlighted the need for this type of intervention (Survey of Local Firms, January-March 2019, West Midlands):• 70% showed interest in such a scheme. • 41% referred to the

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

‘recruitment of additional staff’. • 40% are keen to ‘improve the skills’ of current workers. • 70% requested ‘job-based skills’ programs to boost business. • 50% are willing to ‘support apprentices/work-placement’ mentees. • 60% requested ‘experienced work-place mentees’ in their firms. • 50% are ready to ‘offer on the-job training (1-3 months) for youths. • 65% are interested in ‘technical help and enterprise support’ In part, this program complements key elements of local government’s 2030 Vision; ‘Celebrating enterprise, education and skills, boosting health and wellbeing, having a buoyant and resilient economy, having a vibrant civic society and creating greater ambition, innovation and inclusion’ (City of Wolverhampton Strategic Economic Plan 2019-2024. P4). Pre-apprenticeship programs can be delivered according to the following headings:• Name of Program; • Purpose and Objectives; • Key Components; • Geographical Coverage; • Delivery Schedule; • Design and Content; • Work Placement; • Employer Engagement; • Exiting Interviews; • Marketing and Communications; • Quality Assurance; • Program Implementation Arrangements; • Risk Factors and Mitigation; • Unique Selling Point (USP): and • Financial Budgeting. Successful preapprenticeships are based on the comparable skillsets of participants vis-à-vis the correlation of various commercial and noncommercial sectors where placements are done.

*Source: IRI UK Caribbean Food & Drink - Retail Sales, Period: MAT 52w/e 22nd June 2019.

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019 - Page 5

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Page 6 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019

NEWS

Blue plaque unveiled at Ironbridge home of Wolves and England legend, Wright

mmortalised at the club where he made his name, now former Wolverhampton Wanders and England footballing legend, Sir Billy Wright, has been further immortalised with blue plaque which was unveiled at his childhood home Wright, the first England player to notch up more than 100 caps, captaining them 90 times, has a statute outside Wolves' Molineux ground – in front of the main stand which bears his name - grew up on New Road in Ironbridge, in Shropshire, where the plaque was revealed. At the unveiling, his daughters said it was "so exciting" to see their dad honoured. Vicky Wright was joined by sister Babette at the unveiling and both were set to stay

overnight at the house for the first time afterwards. She said: "My sister and I are honoured to be to be in the position where we can honour his memory. "The people of Ironbridge and Wolverhampton just adore him. "My sister and I are really, really close, and we just adored him, he was the most incredible dad." Sir Billy spent his entire playing career at Wolves, making 490 appearances before retiring in 1959. After hanging up his boots, Wright managed Arsenal and was married to Joy Beverley, of the 1950s pop group The Beverley Sisters – they were the original ‘Posh & Becks’. The New Road house now home to Viv and Tony Moore; they said they were "thrilled" to be linked with its legacy. l

Vicky and Babette Wright at the unveiling

Parliament suspension: Put country first, Chamber urges

usiness leaders in Greater Birmingham urged political leaders not to get caught up in game-playing following the Prime Minister move to suspend Parliament. Boris Johnson’s request to the Queen would mean the suspension would fall just days after MPs return to work and only a few weeks before the Brexit deadline. This means that MPs are unlikely to have time to pass laws to stop a no-deal Brexit of October 31. Paul Faulkner, chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC), said: “The Prime Minister’s latest move further emphasises the confusing and uncertain environment facing businesses in this country. “The Government’s own analysis shows that the West Midlands would be one of the

regions worst affected by a nodeal Brexit. “On top of that, the Oakervee Review has caused even more uncertainty in the West Midlands leading to concerns about the future of HS2, a once-in-ageneration, transformational investment in the region. “We urge political leaders not to get caught up in political game-playing and to put the interests of the country, and the businesses that power it, first.” The GBCC’s view was supported by the British Chambers of Commerce. Their director general, Dr Adam Marshall, said: “Businesses feel like Westminster is playing an endless game of political chess, while their futures and the health of the UK economy hang in the balance. “Every move in this game is prompting more questions, not just amongst businesses here

at home but also amongst their partners around the world. Out in the real world, continuing political turbulence is taking a toll on contracts, on investment decisions, and on business confidence. Three years on, the damage continues. “The top priority for businesses and the economy is still to avoid a messy and disorderly exit from the EU on the 31st of October. Despite the noise, none of the events of the last few days have given businesses greater confidence that this will be achieved. Given this, it is essential for government and its agencies to further boost support for businesses through any scenario. “Once again, businesses will have to try their best to prepare for an unclear future as the political process goes down to the wire.”

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019 - Page 7

NEWS

Town Hall Symphony Hall @THSHBirmingham thsh_birmingham townhallsymphonyhall

KANO

SAT 5 OCTOBER 7:30PM

TOWN HALL ©Olivia Rose

l The beauty of West Park that captivated TripAdvisor

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TripAdvisor award for Wolverhampton beauty spot

est Park has received a Tr i p A d v i s o r Certificate of Excellence for the fifth year running, following floods of great reviews from visitors across the UK. TripAdvisor awards a Certificate of Excellence to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers. West Park has also made the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence ‘Hall of Fame’ in recognition of five consecutive years of consistently high ratings from travellers. West Park is around 18 hectares, includes a beautiful lake and a

stunning landscaped green space within a ten-minute walk of Wolverhampton city centre. The park is considered to be one of the best, unspoilt examples of a Victorian park left in England and is Wolverhampton's premier open space. West Park along with East Park, Bantock Park and Pendeford Mill Nature reserve, is also a Green Flag award winner for being one of the best green spaces in the world. Councillor Steve Evans, Cabinet Member for City Environment at City of Wolverhampton Council said: “We are absolutely delighted to see TripAdvisor has awarded West Park with a Certificate of Excellence.

FRI 25 OCTOBER 7:30PM

TOWN HALL

“We are really proud of all our parks and play areas in Wolverhampton, they are wellloved by our residents and West Park attracts many visitors to our city. “I’m so pleased to see visitors have taken the time to provide us with their feedback, telling us about their fond experiences and sharing their memories of their visit. “This is a well-deserved recognition of all the hard work that goes into providing clean and green spaces and I would like to thank the efforts our officers, volunteers and friends of our parks who continue to maintain our city’s beauty spots and making these awards possible.”

LUNCHTIME ORGAN CONCERT – WAYNE MARSHALL MON 28 OCTOBER 1PM

SYMPHONY HALL

WE’RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT

Community senior event to launch in Sutton Coldfield Sutton Coldfield Town Hall, together with Care UK has teamed up to create a new community event aimed at those of retirement age and above. Sutton Coldfield Senior Showcase is a free entry event to be held at the Town Hall, in the West Midlands, on the afternoon of Thursday 12th September. There will be around 50 stallholders, with many offering taster sessions of activities ranging from senior ballet to sing-alongs, Nordic walking to a quiz. Visitors can learn to become a Dementia Friend in a one hour session, sit in a financial planning talk or learn about wills and power of attorney in a presentation by local solicitors

Enoch Evans. Sutton Ramblers will lead a one hour walk into the park at 3pm and a dementia friendly barber will be on hand to give free gentlemen's haircuts. Coffee, Tea and Muffins, plus full bar service will be available in the Sir Doug Ellis Lounge. Sessions and stalls will take place between 12pm and 4pm. Organisers Julie Rennison from the Town Hall and Rachel Mackay from Care UK's Mercia Grange have enjoyed the support of many local companies to put together this inaugural event. Julie said: "There are so many charities, services and activities available to our senior community and we hope this

THU 26 DEC 2019 – SUN 12 JAN 2020 TIMES VARY

TOWN HALL event will present them in a fun and informative environment." Rachel added "There will be lots of things to try and experts on hand - from I.T. advice to transport and accommodation. There are also plenty of chances to learn where to volunteer and meet new people. We've had two meetings for stallholders and people are really keen to make this a lively and interesting day out." The charity venue is very close to the train station, public car parks and is a short walk from the bus station and from Lichfield Road bus stops. A raffle will be held to support the Town Hall's ambitious renovation plans and maintenance.

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Page 8 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019

NEWS

By Thomas O’Brien

e tend to evaluate our lives as successes or failures based on the lifestyles and accomplishments of everyone around us. Tragically, this then means that people don’t automatically have self-esteem, but build their selfesteem around their perceptions of other people’s lives. Here are some better ways to construct your self-esteem in a way that gives you a true understanding of just how amazing you are.

Perceptions aren’t everything

Everyone is always chasing some kind of dragon. Whether that dragon looks like more money, or the amazing holiday pictures that your friend just posted on Instagram, very few people are genuinely happy with their own lives. This is awful. You can have two cars, six houses and seventeen watches but everyone only gets one life. If you spend your life pursuing a different one, then you won’t enjoy all of the great moments that you get to be a part of, because you’ll be too busy pursuing something that’s out of reach to appreciate how special these moments really are.

Do you know your own worth? Surround yourself with people who genuinely care about you

A quality support network is key to maintaining high levels of self-esteem because you need to be around people who appreciate you for who you are, and will still be there for you if you don’t message them for a few weeks. Many people only have a few friends but are happy because these are true friends who they’ve had for years and who will always have their back.

These friends will also make sure that any criticism they may give is always well-meant and constructive.

Be kind to yourself

Sometimes we set goals but then just miss out on them. These goals can vary from New Year’s Resolutions pledging a significant commitment to the gym, to the speed at which we expect to progress through our careers. Savaging ourselves when life takes a slightly pear-shaped turn

will just leave us feeling sad and failing to appreciate everything good that has happened to us that week. It will result in us inadvertently heaping the sadness and stress that we are feeling onto anyone who we talk to, who, as understanding as they may be, was probably enjoying a wonderful day before picking up a phone full of our inner-pain.

By contrast, loving ourselves and always looking for the positives in anything that life throws our way will have two great advantages. Firstly, this way of thinking will help us to feel better about ourselves. Secondly, it will make sure that we share positivity with our friends and show them just how significantly we value their presence in our lives.

Most importantly, always remember that you’re an amazing person who is capable of accomplishing great things, even if some of your goals take slightly longer to reach than you had anticipated. Life expectancy in Birmingham is currently over 77 years old, so if something goes a bit haywire, you’ve still got at least several decades left to put it right.

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019 - Page 9

9th anniversary gala dinner

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EDUCATION, TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT

g n i t o Prom xcellence E Nominations open for 2020 Commonwealth Youth Awards lity a u q High om r f e ld car child e years o fiv o t h t

bir

Day Nursery

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.

ominations have opened for the 2020 Commonwealth Youth Awards which will see winners awarded a cash grant to scale-up development work benefiting their communities. The Commonwealth Youth Awards recognise the exemplary work undertaken by young people across the 53 member countries. Regional winners will be invited to an awards ceremony in London on Commonwealth Day 2020. The awards are being delivered in partnership with the Commonwealth Youth Council and the Commonwealth Youth Networks. The awards launch coincides with the Commonwealth Asia Region Senior Officials From Youth Ministries Meeting – an event which

will allow participants to assess progress on agreed youth policy priorities and finalise a regional strategy aimed at improving the wellbeing and livelihoods of Commonwealth young people. Launching the awards in Brunei, the Secretary-General said: “The awards celebrate all that we achieve collectively when we empower young people to realise their full potential and exercise their full citizenship, creativity and innovation.” Entrants can nominate themselves or be nominated by someone who is not a relative and who can testify of the impact of their work. Sixteen finalists will be shortlisted from four Commonwealth regional categories: Africa and Europe; Asia; the Caribbean and Canada; and the Pacific. A winner will be

en N Copm Birm ingoswoaot i n g Birmin ham B n to gham uB sines usinses Park s ! Park

g Takin ns ssio i m d a now For more information or to enquire about admissions visit:

www.wigglesandgigglesdaynursery.co.uk Contact us: 4360 Waterside Centre, Birmingham Business Park, Solihull Parkway, B37 7YN 07825082937 contact@wigglesandgigglesdaynursery.co.uk

Student illustrates talent in IoD Awards A University of Wolverhampton student received top marks for designing bespoke awards at a prestigious Student illustrates talent in award winning design competition business ceremony recently. Cat Mirley created ten bespoke, hand-rendered illustrations for each of the winners at the Institute of Directors (IoD) West Midlands Awards held at the Warwickshire County Cricket Ground recently. Students from the Illustration and Visual Communication degree course have been designing awards

for the IoD for seven years running. The IoD West Midlands region covers the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire, as well as the urban areas of Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and the Black Country and is made up of over 1,800 directors and senior decision makers. Cat, a third year student studying for an Illustration degree at the Wolverhampton School of Art and is due to graduate in September, personally designed each award based around the achievements and

selected from each region, and one exceptional entrant will be awarded the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year. Last year’s winner, Ms Omowumi Ogunrotim, an activist against gender-based violence from Nigeria said: “This Commonwealth Youth Award is a great honour to me and all those who champion gender equality. “It has re-affirmed the collective responsibility we have to create safe spaces for youth across the Commonwealth and has highlighted efforts we are making to transform from aspiration to reality the right for every girl to be secure and safe and thus making our communities and nations an equitable home for all.”

successes of the winners’ individual business. Jordan Louise Lowe, Institute of Directors West Midlands, said: “We were delighted to commission ten bespoke trophies for this year’s Director of the Year Award winners and were thoroughly impressed by Cat’s talent, creativity and attention to detail. It’s always a pleasure to work with the University of Wolverhampton and further our relationship with the staff and students. The IoD would like to thank Cat Mirley and John Clementson for all of their support and we look forward to working together again in the future.” Cat, who has a lifelong enthusiasm for drawing and creating, said: “I was very happy to be able to work on the IoD award trophies again this year. It was a privilege to be asked. I found it to be a challenging yet rewarding task and the lessons I learned whilst working on a job of this size will be invaluable moving forward.” Senior Lecturer at the University, John Clementson, said: “Working with the Institute of Directors offers our students a tremendous challenge and unbelievable opportunity to engage with ‘real-world’ practices. This year’s illustrations are a credit to Cat Mirley and we welcome continuing our relationship with the Institute.”

EDUCATION, TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT

Time to apply for secondary school places Nearly half of parents whose children will be starting secondary school next year have now applied for a place for them – and the rest are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. The deadline for applications for places for students due to start Year 7 in 2020 is the 31 October 2019, and parents are asked to submit theirs as a matter of urgency. Councillor Dr Michael Hardacre, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: “If your child is in their final year at primary or junior school, you should now be making your application for a secondary school place for them. “While making the transfer to secondary school may seem a long way off, the closing date for applications is 31 October so time really is of the essence. “Nearly half of parents have already completed their applications, but many have not yet started. In addition, a further 250 have begun their applications but have not yet submitted them. The process is quick and easy, and ensuring applications are made before the deadline will increase the chances of securing a place at a preferred school.”

irmingham City University has launched a new undergraduate degree programme for budding home designers, in partnership with television presenter and architect George Clarke. The four-year Design for Future Living (with Foundation Year) course – which began in September - sees students develop knowledge of how new understandings of the home, digital technologies and creative design can help to shape the places where we live. Students will also explore the history of modern architecture and design, the evolution of current housing markets and how to create design proposals. “I am thrilled to have helped develop and to be a part of this incredible new course at Birmingham City University,” said Clarke, best known for Channel 4’s ‘George Clarke's Amazing Spaces’, ‘Old House Beautiful Home’, ‘Restoration Man’ and currently ‘The Council House Scandal’. “Through innovative ideas, new design methods, advanced technologies and entrepreneurial skills, students will challenge and disrupt traditional thinking around the idea of ‘home’ and develop radical alternatives that are fit for the future and fit to live in.” George is also the founder of education charity MOBIE,

University launches new course with TV architect (Ministry of Building Innovation & Education) which helps to inspire young people to innovate in the design and construction of homes in the UK and abroad. MOBIE and Clarke will contribute to workshops as part of the course, alongside specialist staff at Birmingham

Town grant for school uniform scheme

l Councillor Sharon Davies, Rebecca Eaves - project co-ordinator, Reverend Matt Nott and Councillor Maria Crompton with Oliver, Drew and Alex A £490 grant has been given to an organisation to help them to set up a uniform bank to help people on low incomes to provide school clothing for children. Sandwell Council's Town Grants team has awarded the money to the Oak Tree Centre, based at the King's Community Church, in Oldbury, in the West Midlands. The group asked for funding so that they would be able to help as many families as possible faced with the expensive task of providing school uniforms. They want to support families on low incomes by setting up a uniform bank and having uniforms

available for children and young people so they can comply with school uniform codes. The funding from Local Area Budget has funded purchase of equipment such as storage boxes, coat hangers and clothes rails, printing costs for promotional costs and stationary for the project. Councillor Maria Crompton, Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, said: "This grant will help this group to provide vital help to families struggling to provide clothing to meet the school's uniform code. "Everyone knows how expensive it is to provide uniforms for children

and this scheme helps people on low family incomes to get the necessary uniforms for local schools." The uniform will include items such as jumpers, shirts, trousers, skirts, shoes, P.E. items, bags and blazers. The uniform has been collected from schools' lost property and has then been washed and repaired if required and then stored at the Oak Tree Centre before being redistributed to families in need. The funding from Local Area Budget has funded purchase of equipment such as storage boxes, coat hangers and clothes rails, printing costs for promotional costs and stationary for the project.

City University’s School of Architecture and Design and other subject experts from the University. Professor Kevin Singh, Head of Birmingham School of Architecture and Design, said: “The design quality of housing in the UK is generally poor,

particularly in comparison to Europe, and we also have a huge shortage of housing in the UK which requires urgent attention. “From the outset, the students will be questioning preconceptions about how society lives now and into the future and exploring the

design and delivery challenges ahead. George Clarke is at the forefront of front of this debate and is currently campaigning for solutions to the social housing crisis and his insights have been invaluable in designing this new course.”

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NEWS

Ronaldo: Role Model Continued From Front Page

Reveang the true relationship he had with him, Ronaldo said: "I didn’t really know my father 100 per cent and I never spoke with him, like a normal conversation because he was always drunk. That made it extremely hard." On a lighter note he said that his mother doesn’t watch him play live because “she always gets nervous for me. She now is not allowed to watch me in big matches” I send family and friends around to keep company with her at home whilst I’m playing. She fainted twice at stadiums where I’m playing. “I lost my father”, he said, “and I don’t want to lose my mother. I love her so much. “She has been the pillar of the family. What I have today is, to the biggest part, down to her”. The 34-year-old father of 4 openly talked about the 17 cars he possesses, which is a ‘million miles’ from his humble beginnings growing up in Madera when he talked about when, at 11, he and his friends would beg for free burgers outside a McDonals’s. “We were hungry”, he recalls, “so we would knock on the door and ask if they could have any free burgers”. Lawyers recently announced that they "declined to prosecute" 10-year-old ‘rape’ claim against the all-time legend because the allegations "could not be proven beyond any reasonable doubt". "It makes you feel so bad” he said. “One day I was at home and then the news came out about Cristiano

Ronaldo, this and that. You listen to your kids coming down the stairs and you change the channel because I was embarrassed, I feel embarrassed." On the field, for the best part of his illustrious career, the former Porto, Manchester United and Real Madrid star also opened up about his year-on-year battle with Barcelona’s own multi Ballon d’Or winning star, Lionel Messi “Many people are surprised when they see us talking together at various UEFA events. I have a great relationship with him and I know we push each other to be better players. Trusting only 4 people in the world, Ronaldo also reveals he plans to marry his girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez. He says: "She helped me so much. Of course I'm in love for her. We will be married one day, for sure. It's my mum's dream as well. So, one day. Why not? "It's great. She's my friend. We have conversations. I open the heart for her and she open the heart for me." Cristiano Ronaldo’s list of charitable contributions is as extensive as his portfolio of lucrative sponsorship deals. He has funded the construction of a paediatric hospital in Santiago, Chile, as part of a joint venture with Italian businessman Alessandro Proto -- with others to follow in more South American cities and has also auctioned off his 2013 Ballon d'Or trophy for £600,000, with all the proceeds going to the Make-AWish foundation. Recently named the world's

most charitable sportsperson by dosomething.org, he made a donation to Save the Children for food, clothing and medical care to help the plight of children in Syria and was reported as having donated £5 million to help the aid effort in Nepal following the devastating earthquake that hit the region. In 2015 Ronaldo was named the world's most charitable sportsperson by dosomething.org, and was reported as having donated £5 million to help the aid effort in Nepal following the devastating earthquake that hit the region and aided a 10-month-old baby in 2014, paying for a brain operation to prevent the child from having up to 30 seizures a day. "One thing my father always taught me”, he said, “was that when you help other people, then God will give you double”. “That is what has really happened to me. When I have helped other people who are in need, God has helped me more”.

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019 - Page 13

Music fashion Film Gadgets holiday education health and fitness

OCTOBER 2019

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melody thornton and Rachel stevens are back on stage at symphony hall

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ENTERTAINMENT

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THE HOTTEST ENTERTAINMENT SUPPLEMENT

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The Oscar-nominated My Beautiful Laundrette Comes To Birmingham Rep

brilliant new staging of Hanif Kureishi‘s ground-breaking 1985 Oscar-nominated film My Beautiful Laundrette comes to Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 5 – 9 November. Presented against a funky backdrop of 80s music and culture, this drama will explore cultural conflict, gender equality, class and generational strife. Set in London during the Thatcher years, My Beautiful Laundrette tells the story of young British Pakistani, Omar, who transforms his Uncle’s run-down laundrette into a thriving business. After being confronted by a fascist gang, Omar recognises school-friend Johnny and uses their history to diffuse the situation. As they renovate the laundrette together, love blossoms between them. This culture clash comedy is also a subversive work of social realism, sprinkled with magic and joy running through the rich veins of

Kureishi’s writing. Speaking about the show director Nikolai Foster said “We are thrilled to be bringing Hanif Kureshi’s astonishing adaptation of his Oscar-nominated film My Beautiful Laundrette to Birmingham Rep. “Hanif surfs a multitude of strikingly relevant issues in his 1985 masterpiece - from the journey of the immigrant, English working class society, women’s roles in the family and the results of Thatcher’s policies. Kureishi does all of this with bucketloads of wit, openness, compassion and a sense of mischief at the absurdity of it all.” Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe of iconic British pop duo Pet Shop Boys also join the production team for the upcoming stage adaptation at Birmingham Rep, creating music to bring the 80s-set drama to life. Speaking about composing music for My Beautiful Laundrette, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe said:

“It’s wonderful to be part of the team bringing My Beautiful Laundrette from the screen to the stage and we’ve enjoyed writing mainly instrumental music to be presented within a British Asian context.” In this new staging, playing the role of Omar, a young British Pakistani who transforms his Uncle’s run-down laundrette into a thriving business in this new play is Omar Malik and Jonny Fines will play rebellious punk Johnny, the role which launched the career of Daniel Day-Lewis. Gordon Warnecke, who originally played Omar in Stephen Frears’ 1985 film, joins this new cast as Papa, Omar’s Father. The cast also features Cathy Tyson. My Beautiful Laundrette is at Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 5 – 9 November. Tickets costing from £15 are available from birminghamrep.co.uk / 0121 236 4455.

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ENTERTAINMENT

COMPETITION For your chance to win one of 10 pairs of tickets to The Festive Gift Fair at the NEC Birmingham, just answer this very simple question!

Traditionally, if you’re on Santa’s naughty list at Christmas, what will he bring you? a) Gold b) Coal c) Sticks

his ever popular 4-day November Fair is a cracking start to the Christmas season for those in the know! From the moment you arrive, you’ll be caught up in the fabulous atmosphere, anticipation rising as you browse 300+ stalls overflowing with thousands upon thousands of unusual gifts, stocking fillers, decorations and artisan food & drink at prices worth celebrating! It’s an Aladdin’s cave of sparkling stalls offering more choice, more variety and more fun than the High Street, and it’s all under one roof. The run up to Christmas Day involves a lot of planning and most of us have so much to do and so little time to do it! Take the pressure out of Christmas shopping and find all the presents you want at the onestop shop Festive Gift Fair.

When your bags are full, just drop them off at the Present Creche and continue to shop some more! No other Christmas fair in the UK has as much entertainment in one hall to get you straight into the Christmas spirit… * The Grinch will be up to his usual menacing antics! * Father Christmas will be mingling. * The Stilt Jazz Band will be legging it up the aisles! * The UK’s largest snowman will be amazing the children. * The outrageous Panto Dame will be causing havoc around the hall * The fabulous Christmas Band will be performing throughout the day. * The Basetones will have you toe-tapping as you shop, with their Motown-style Christmas harmonies. Christmas is all about family, friendships and… food! Make a beeline for the FOODIE stalls, where you will discover mouthwatering treats from cheese to chutneys, spices to spirits, puddings to preserves, chocolates to Champagne, beer to brownies, popcorn to Prosecco and hampers to hog roasts! Back by demand are many favourite stallholders including Magical Story, The Perfume Shop, the Cheshire Cheese Company, Condessa Welsh Liqueurs and East 2 Eden. In addition, this year’s Festive Gift Fair will be welcoming over 100 NEW stallholders!

The Festive Gift Fair have teamed up with The Phoenix Newspaper to offer 10 pairs of tickets to our readers! Check out the competition information to the right for your chance to win one of 10 pairs! Remember, even if you don’t win

one of our pairs of competition tickets, tickets are still available online and on the day to visit the Festive Gift Fair and get your Christmas shopping done far in advance of the big day!

Just email your answer, with your name, address and contact number to competitions@thephoenixnewspaper.com with the subject “Festive Gift Fair 2019 Competition”. Competition closes at 23.59 on 2nd November 2019. There is no cash alternative.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Raze Hell With Doom Eternal At EGX 2019 Gamer Network, organisers of the UK’s premier games events is excited to announce that DOOM Eternal, the upcoming sequel to DOOM (2016), will be playable at EGX 2019! The UK’s biggest games event, EGX will take place at London’s ExCeL on the 17th - 20th October, where UK fans will be some of the first to play the blistering and brutal first-person shooter. Developed by id Software, DOOM Eternal is the direct sequel to the award-winning and bestselling DOOM (2016). Experience the ultimate combination of speed and power as you rip-and-tear your way across dimensions with the next leap in push-forward, firstperson combat. Powered by idTech 7 and set to an all-new pulse-pounding soundtrack composed by Mick Gordon, DOOM Eternal puts you in control of the DOOM Slayer as you blow apart new and classic demons with powerful weapons in unbelievable and never-beforeseen worlds. Fans looking for more DOOM and Bethesda action can also experience the sheer power of the DOOM Slayer at the EGX Theatre, with a DOOM Eternal panel hosted by professional wrestler and selfconfessed video games idiot, Simon Miller.

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Beverley Knight returns to symphony hall

head of her celebration of the songs of Stevie Wonder at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall on the 14th October, The Phoenix Newspaper caught up with Beverley Knight as she prepares not only for that, but for her own BK25 album release!

How did you react when you were asked to take this show on the road?

BK: I was like yeah I’m up for this! Did the show, absolutely storming, BBC came back and said do you fancy touring it and I said YES! It properly went crazy, but I cannot tell you how thrilled I am, I see myself as Stevie Wonders ambassador. It’s an ambassadorial role, saying check out the music of this wonderful man, he’s still with us and we need to celebrate him.

What can people expect from the show?

The main event will be Stevie’s glorious songs, it’ll be funky, emotional and soulful as hell. It’s my voice so there will be a lot of vocal interpretation, but not so

different that it will be jarring. I’ve got strong powerful memories of listening to Stevie from childhood to now. The last bit is a little of me doing some of my own songs from my 25 years in music. My plan is to send everyone home floating.

Are you excited for the tour to end in Birmingham?

It’s so perfect to have the last show home back in the West Midlands, I’ll have all the family there, my mum will bake a cake – she does, every time “I’ve just baked this cake for you, anybody want cake?” and no doubt it will have a picture of Stevie on the front of it as well, I just know what my mum is like! I’ll have so many friends and fans and family members on that last night it’ll be amazing.

After 25 years in the industry, how has it been making this album?

I love the fact that I’m still here after 25 years, that I’ve managed to build a career, and not just me but a whole bunch of people. It’s still going, in fact the train is

speeding up! I’m so thrilled that I have this legacy that I can celebrate. To be able to diversify and show the other things I’ve been up to like theatre , and some new studio tracks which are new and fresh.

What has been your most memorable moment?

There have been a million “OMG” moments, the Paralympics opening ceremony, the first time I went on Top of the Pops, hearing myself on the radio for the first time, receiving my MBE. The biggest moment though was being on stage in Prince’s house, in LA, with the great and good of Hollywood looking up at me with Oscars in hands as it was an Oscars party, singing and jamming with Prince, with no setlist, I just had to go with the flow. Luckily I know his back catalogue almost as well as my own! Then who walks through the crowd and joins us, but Stevie Wonder! When I think about it now, I’m like “That actually happened, it really happened!”

James Morrison Shares The New Single ' So Beautiful' Having returned with the strongest album of his career in the shape of ‘You’re Stronger Than You Know’, the latest stage in the James Morrison success story continues. Launched with ‘My Love Goes On’ (featuring Joss Stone) which was named Record of the Week and added to the A-list at Radio 2, and soon climbed to 13 million streams. He then hit the summer festival circuit, completing a triumphant set at Glastonbury, joining Joss Stone at Exeter’s Powderham Castle and guesting at Quincy Jones’ all-star celebration show at The O2. Now James Morrison shares his latest single to be taken from the album, ‘So Beautiful’. Originally co-written a decade ago with Gary Barlow and ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Steve Mac, James rediscovered the song during sessions for the album with producer Mark Taylor. He realised it was the perfect way to express his love and appreciation for his long-term partner Gill, and re-recorded the song to capture the Motown-meets-Stax vibe that informs the rest of the album. The single also includes a live version of the song recorded at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival for the Jo Whiley Show on BBC Radio 2. He commented, “After everything we went through, it seemed to say everything I wanted to.” James Morrison is poised to tour Australia, New Zealand and Europe in the coming weeks before returning to the UK

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ENTERTAINMENT

Gig Listings BIRMINGHAM O2 ACADEMY

October 01 House of Pharaohs 02 Sebadoh 03 ROMderful 05 The LaFontaines 06 CoCo and the Butterfields 06 Amber Run 12 James Arthur 16 Hootie and The Blowfish 17 Rak-Su 17 The Cult - A Sonic Temple 18 K.Flay 18 Mad Dog Mcrea 19 Killswitch Engage 19 Antarctic Monkeys 22 The Fallen State 22 A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie 23 A2 24 Lamb 26 Ashen Crown 26 Refused + Thrice 27 Royal Republic 28 Of Monsters and Men 30 Violet 31 Little Comets 31 MoStack

O2 INSTITUTE

October 01 Energy Birmingham 03 JAY1 03 Chase Atlantic 04 Static-X / SOiL / Wednesday 13 / Dope 05 Pierce Brothers 06 Black Peaks 09 Hussain Manawer 09 JP Cooper 10 Richard Hawley 10 Tion Wayne 11 Reverend And The Makers 11 The Divine Comedy 15 Old Dominion 16 Tessa Violet 16 Kate Tempest 16 Barns Courtney 17 Angie Stone 17 Kovic 18 Hot Chip 19 Gary Numan 19 Jah9 and the Dub Treatment 20 Real Friends 21 Kiefer Sutherland 22 Headie One 23 Conor Maynard 23 Michael Ray 24 Charles Esten 25 Life of Agony 25 blackbear 26 WSTRN 27 Skengdo X AM 28 Goodbye June 28 Charli XCX 29 NSG 31 Picture This 31 Keywest

RESORTS WORLD ARENA

October 02-06 Horse of the Year Show 2019 11 Alice Cooper 15 Boyzone The Final Five 17 Roy Orbison & Buddy Holly The Rock N Roll Dream Tour 19 Andrea Bocelli 26 Cage Warriors 109

100 Years of Magic! 26 Cher Featuring special guest Paul Young

NEC

October 02-06 Horse of the Year Show 04-05 The National Franchise Exhibition 05-06 Miniatura – The Dolls’ House & Miniatures Show 09-13 Grand Designs Live Birmingham 15-20 Motorhome and Caravan Show 2019 25-27 Destination Star Trek 25-27 The Vaper Expo UK: The Return 25-27 Sexpo UK 2019 26-27 DIVE 2019 26 GCCF Supreme Cat Show 31-Nov03 Bricklive – Play, Create, Discover 31-Nov01 GRADJOBS LIVE! 31-Nov03 Simply Christmas The Crafty Christmas Show 31-Nov03 The Creative Craft Show

TOWN HALL & SYMPHONY HALL

October 01 Lulu - On Fire 02 CBSO: Alison Balsom plays Musgrave 02 Armistead Maupin 04 An Evening with Will Young plus special guests 04 James Acaster - Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999 05 Jonathan Pie: The Fake News Tour 05 Kano 06 Malorie Blackman in Conversation 06 Pam Ayres Up In The Attic 06 Belinda Carlisle - Runaway Horses 30th Anniversary Tour 07 Midge Ure - Vienna & Visage - 1980 Tour 09 Walter Trout plus special guest Dan Patlansky 10 Al Stewart 10 The Greatest Love of All – Celebrating The Music of Whitney Houston 11 Bring Your Own Baby Comedy 11 Jazzlines Free Gig: Delano Mills 11-12 Henning Wehn: Getting On With It 12 Jazzlines Creative Vocal Group 12 Real Life Parenting: The Good, The Bad and The Funny 12 Jazzlines Gospel Ensemble 12 Ludovico Einaudi The 7 Days Walking Tour 13 Das Rheingold - BPO 13 Brum Craic

14 Friday Night Is Music Night Live Presents The Songs Of Stevie Wonder Starring Beverley Knight 15 Pre-concert Conversation with pianist Alexandra Dariescu 15 Nadiya Hussain: Finding My Voice 15 Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra –Shostakovich No 10 16 And In The End...A Celebration of Abbey Road and Let It Be 17 CBSO: The Thrill of The New 17 Kevin Bloody Wilson 18 Jazzlines Free Gigs: OxleyMeier Guitar Project 18 Music From The Movies 19 Jazzlines Ensemble 19 Rip it Up: The 70s 20 Live On Mars - A Tribute To David Bowie 20 Out of the Ashes: A Brand New Evening with Boycott & Aggers 21 Chris De Burgh 22 Ben Elton Live 23 Sons Of Pitches - Around The World 23 Squeeze plus special guests Heaven 17 24 CBSO: Bruch’s Violin Concerto 25 Jazz Jamaica All Stars: The Trojan Story 26 Sax In The City (October) 26 Jazzlines Gospel Ensemble 27 The Gruffalo & The Gruffalo’s Child Films With Live Orchestra 27 Rachmaninoff Vespers 27 Zog & The Gruffalo - Film With Live Orchestra 28 Margaret Atwood 29 Lisa Stansfield - Affection 30th Anniversary Tour 30 Big Big Train in concert 31 Halloween Silent Movie Special – The Hunchback of Notre Dame 31 A Celebration of the Music from Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit

SLADE ROOMS, WOLVERHAMPTON

October 04 Ferocious Dog 05 Fern Brady: Power and Chaos 12 Vicious Nature 18 An Evening With Don Powell 19 Slade Fans Convention 24 Darren Harriott 26 COBO: Comedy Shutdown 27 Gary Delaney: Gagster’s Paradise 31 Desiree Burch

ARENA BIRMINGHAM

October 01 Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back - Live In Concert - Film With Live Orchestra 05 BBC Radio 1Xtra Live 2019 11 The Cranjis McBasketball World Comedy Tour 11 Impractical Jokers Starring The Tenderloins 16-20 Disney On Ice celebrates

l Ludovico Einaudi will serenade the Symphony Hall on the 12th

GX AWARDS 2019

By Joan ‘LJ’ Hunter

he Gospel Xplosion Awards took place on Saturday 21st September 2019 , at the Town Hall Birmingham. GX is a Christian Music and Media Production Company, bringing you the only Gospel Awards of its kind for the 4th year. This Black and Gold glitzy affair was another successful event, showcasing and celebrating the vibrant, dynamic and impactful way Christian's spread the words through music, dispelling the myths that Christianity is boring and exclusive. Head of GX Ministries Annette Taylor, a Gospel artists of 13 years, known as 'Annette Bee",

who released an album July 2019, entitled 'I'm Free'. Annette Bee is driven to show that music is one of the biggest vehicles to spread the Gospel, with one common denominator, which was is "KINGDOM BUILDING". There were 22 Categories honoured, with International winners who flew in from Atlanta and St Vincent to be part of the awards. International Artist of the year went to Appointed, local winners were D Shy who won Best Hip Hop Artist, Best Album went to Lytie and Best Radio Radio Presenter went to DJ Proclaima who gave his Thanks on a live feed from Time Square. Other awards included

International Radio Station went to Life Radio, International Radio Presenter was Jay Williams, winner of the Media Publications went to Keep The Faith, The Best Choir award went to Kingdom Choir, whose award was collected by choir member Wayne Ellington. The GX Prestigious Award went to Raj Holness, of Breaking The Silence, addressing the issues of Domestic violence. Raj shared "many said I wouldn't be here, but my faith saved me" as she humbly accepted her award.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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Giant Playbill Marks Birmingham Hippodrome's 120th Celebrations

iona Allan and Professor Carl Chinn MBE Ph.D have unveiled a special Giant Playbill installation as part of Birmingham Hippodrome’s 120th birthday celebrations. Measuring 10 metres in length, the Giant Playbill was installed in the main foyer on September 20 and takes inspiration from the posters that hung outside the theatre a century ago announcing the acts for each week. As well as some of the more unusual variety acts from the theatre’s history, the playbill features a selection of some of the most famous artists who have tread the Hippodrome’s boards over the last 120 years, such as The Beatles and Julie Andrews. Fiona Allan, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Birmingham Hippodrome said: “This commemorative artwork is another way for the Hippodrome to mark

our 120th anniversary, and we hope it prompts visitors to recall some of the great performers they have seen here over the decades.” The Giant Playbill is completely free to visit and is situated in the main Hippodrome foyer, near the Coffee Bar.

Allan added: “Now that we are open all day, visitors can drop by anytime to see the giant Playbill, and our autumn art exhibitions on Levels 2 and 3- and take some time out for coffee and cake whilst they are here!”

The fairest panto cast in the land.

...

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019 - Page 19

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BLACK HISTORY MONTH SUPPLEMENT

019 marks the 32nd year of Black History Month in the UK, where we observe those who came before us, making a difference to Empower the Youth to pick up the mantle left by previous generations as we move forward into a brighter future. The global world is shrinking, with advances in communication and technology, as black people now the opportunities are endless and the boundaries removed. This year The Phoenix Newspaper celebrates Black History Month: The Next Generation, as we look towards the leading lights of our communities to inspire the next generation to believe that no dream is impossible. With this special 12 page supplement, we are highlighting the unsung heroes and role models of all ages, backgrounds

Welcome and cultures to produce an inspirational publication for our youth. We want to thank Town Hall Symphony Hall for their unending support of both the newspaper, and the ongoing work sharing our vision of all people under one banner. We would also like to give thanks to the Royal Air Force, who have been staunch supporters of all communities, especially the black community in the region. Black History Month has a

special place in many peoples hearts, for a wide variety of reasons. While we will always look back and remember the feats and sacrifices made by previous generations for the betterment of all, especially those who were ‘Called To Order’ during and after the war, we must also be looking forward to our youth as the next generation in whom we trust. We have planted the seeds so now it is time for our children to reap the fruits of our labour.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Naomi Osaka – A True Woman of Excellence

two-time Grand Slam winner, at 21-yearsold an extremely shy and reserved Naomi Osaka stands supreme at the top of women’s tennis with years more filled with ‘Slams and other major titles to come. Not necessarily a household name outside the sport, within it she is one of the most respected players on the professional circuit with admirers forever growing in numbers both in and out of the game. Now ranked No.4 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) she is the first Asian player to hold the top ranking in singles having won four titles and reached six finals on the WTA Tour. Equally so, she is also the first Woman of Colour to do so since Serena Williams. Born in Japan to a Haitian father, Leonard François and Japanese mother, Tamaki Osaka, she is one of the most marketable women athletes in the world, ranking second in endorsement income in 2019 behind only Serena and is one of the most

marketable women athletes in the world, ranking second in endorsement income behind the afore mentioned Williams. The reigning Australian Open women’s champion, her father was inspired to teach her how to play tennis, after watching the Williams sisters (Serena and Venus) competing at the 1999 French Open. Having little experience as a tennis player himself, he sought to emulate how Richard Williams trained his daughters to become two of the best players in the world, despite having never played the sport. François remarked that, "The blueprint was already there. I just had to follow it". When she was 15 years old, she began working with Patrick Tauma at the ISP Academy before moving to the Harold Solomon Tennis Academy, then later at the ProWorld Tennis Academy. Described as various combinations of Japanese, Haitian, and American, although she was raised in the United States, Naomi’s parents decided that she would represent Japan.

"My dad is Haitian, so I grew up in a Haitian household in New York”, she said. “I lived with my grandma. And my mom's Japanese and I grew up with the Japanese culture too, and if you're saying American, I guess because I lived in America, I also have that too." Her Haitian grandparents only spoke to her in Creole while her mother conversed with her in Japanese. She recently faced a series of controversies about her mixed heritage in Japan after being the target of discriminatory incidents for not being able to speak perfect Japanese. And a female comedy double act said in a live set that Osaka was "too sunburned" and that she "needed some bleach". The duo, who are not hugely known in Japan, were immediately pulled up by their management company, with both the women apologising for making "inappropriate, hurtful remarks", but failing to directly apologise to Naomi.

Celebrating Their Courage

1–31 OCTOBER

By Joan ‘LJ’ Hunter

Come and help us celebrate Black History Month 2019 throughout the month of October. There will be talks, workshops, films, discussions, book groups, community events, competitions, quizzes, music and much more. Black History Month is for not just for BAME staff and students; everyone is welcome, so please do come along. For a full list of events visit: www.birmingham.ac.uk/bhm2019 C ELEBRATIN G | TH E PAST P RO M OTIN G | TH E PRESEN T B UILD IN G FO R | TH E FU TU RE

The annual 'ARISE' church service in Celebration and Remember of Ancestors of the African Caribbean community was held on Sunday the 22nd September 2019. This remarkable remembrance service was the held at Holy Trinity church led by Reverend Canon Eve Pitts. The service is in its fifth year a poignant moment to give space to the community to Arise and Honour their ancestors. The programme 'gives space for reflection and to begin a process of healing our historical pain thst goes deep' says Reverend Eve (as she's fondly know). The main speaker this year was Esther Standford Xosei, Jurisconsult Repatriationist Reparations Movement Historian. Her profound words to the over

200 strong congregation, was that repatriation is about more than just economics. It is about the acknowledgement and contribution of the generations

of a people who were stripped bare of their identity, and it's impact on today's generations. Esther Standford Xosei, left the congregation in no doubt that to 'Honour Our Ancestors' and to ensure we preserve their history for generations to come; the time is now as a nation of people to look inwardly and be part of a forward movement for Recognition and Repatriation. In the word of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. "The time is always right to do what's right". On 1st August 2019 (Emancipation Day), Glasgow University has announced that they will pay £20 million in REPARATIONS after its link to the transatlantic slave trade were revealed. A GlasgowCaribbean Centre for Development Research will have a base both in Glasgow and the West Indies.

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BLACK HISTORY MONTH SUPPLEMENT

Rotimi Flys The Flag For The RAF

or some, the idea of joining the RAF is akin to leaving home to never come back, that you will leave your old life behind and start a new one with the RAF, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. For Flying Officer Rotimi Keshinro, an avid basketball player with strong ties to his friends, family and home, in Leicester, joining the RAF wasn’t even a consideration until he attended a career fair and was approached by an RAF Ambassador. “I studied Physics and Maths at college, and at that point with the combination of the two I thought I wanted to go into engineering, so I continued onto Lancaster University and studied Mechanical Engineering because I wanted to make a difference, and do something where I could help people.” Wanting to make a difference, and to help people are two of the mindsets that meld so well into the culture of the RAF, and when Rotimi spoke with the ambassador at the career fair who told him that the RAF is screaming out for engineers, he thought he should check it out. “My first thought was “I’m not exactly like these people, I don’t talk the same way” but I wanted to stick with it because knowing what I can do in the RAF it could be on a far greater scale to help the world. “So I went to a Station Visit, was hosted by a good squadron leader Sqd Ldr Jacqueline

Miller who told me ‘If you want to make it through the OASC, just be yourself, don’t try to be anyone else. We’re looking for different minds, different ways of thinking,’ which was exactly the approach I went with.” Rotimi found that contrary to the beliefs he held about the RAF, it is a very open organisation with a lot of opportunities not only within the job, but of the extra-curricular variety. “I played a lot of basketball in college, and I’ve found since joining the RAF I’ve played far more basketball, and I’ve even

joined the RAF mens basketball team. “Before the RAF I wondered how different my life would be, would I be able to go home on the weekends, to see my friends, family and girlfriend? But you really do still keep all the ties to your life pre-RAF, and honestly my life has been better since joining. You won’t know that until you take that first step of looking into the RAF.” The culture in the RAF is one of the things that has stood out for Rotimi, with everyone working hard for themselves and for each other, to ensure that everyone succeeds, and therefore the RAF succeeds overall.

“I’ve improved my confidence, the RAF has built a lot of confidence within me, as we have to step up to certain challenges. Take that challenge head on. We have the support and guidance, and a good team to help us.” “My family were very reserved when I wanted to join, saying ‘are you sure that’s what you want to do?’ and it was only when they started to learn more about culture of the RAF that they began to understand. Now they couldn’t be more proud of me when I tell them what I get up to.” This link to his hometown was the reason that Rotimi was picked to be the star of the RAF’s ‘My Two Homes’ video, which documented life both inside and outside of the RAF for Rotimi. “We’re always looking for the best people, doesn’t need to be people from ethnic minorities, but in the RAF we are underrepresented compared to the UK as a whole, and I think there are people out there with the talent and the skill, but because they have this perception of the RAF, they hold themselves back. The force is really looking for that sort of skill and talent.” The RAF are looking for about 2,500 people this year, and with over 60 different job types available, and some not even requiring any qualifications to apply, starting on an apprenticeship program learning while earning a starting salary of around £18,000 has never looked like such a good offer! “In terms of commitment as

well, people think if I sign up to the RAF then I’m signing up for my whole life, and that’s not the case at all. You can leave if it’s not for you, but equally we’ll offer you a contract for 12 years and even over that, so job security wise it’s great.” So if you’re interested in joining the RAF, or like Rotimi, you’ve never considered it, there has never been a better time to get informed about what opportunities are on offer, and take a closer look at what goes on in the RAF.

Remembering Caribbean Soldiers Legacy For Future Generations

onald Campbell is a retired member of the RAF, who is now supporting the National Caribbean Monument Charity which aims to commission a Monument for Caribbean Military Heroes in the National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire. It will uphold and remember their contributions and sacrifices to the British Empire. To create a legacy for future generation through educational programmes in schools, churches and organisations. “I’ve been to many many places around the world from Cyprus to Denmark, Norway, Germany, Belize, Canada, USA, the Falklands. “I’ve very much enjoyed my time in the RAF. I still remember when the person in the careers office asked me if I was going to

join and I asked him ‘well what are my trades?’ I chose Survival Equipment Fitter as a trade, and I had no idea what it was. “I asked him and he told me ‘well you’re working with aircraft and you’re travelling’ so I said ‘well that is for me, I love that,’ and I certainly did more than I expected. Don was an avid football fan and player, and played for many stations that he was posted at, before realising that he was actually very quick and good and sprinting, so ended up being a sprinter for the RAF for many years. “Later on, because I still had that speed, I transformed that into playing squash, which I played for the RAF too, travelling around the country, even playing in Cyprus and against the national side. Mixing sports with work was a blessing.”

Don completed seven years at RAF Cosford as a Training Manager at the No 1 School of Technical Training, which gave him all sorts of different skills, from listening to dealing with people, which he has managed to transfer into his chauffeuring company, which has given him a very competitive edge when it comes to service. “I use that daily now, the RAF sets you up for life. It never leaves you, and you talk to some people or do some things and they’re amazed that you just get on with it, and I’m like ‘well you’re taught that way!’ So for me, joining the Armed Forces, the passion, the training, everything that I have got from that has set me up for life. For more information on the monument or to donate please visit www.justgiving.com/ nationalcaribbeanmonument .

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Meeting the Young Curators of BASS 2019 B ASS Festival is back for October 2019 and this year, we're shining a spotlight on the future. Now in its 13th year, BASS Festival has teamed up with two of Birmingham's brightest young creatives to curate the festival and leave a new legacy. This year's curators, Aliyah Hasinah and RTkal, will be showcasing exclusively black artists, creatives, speakers & performers from Birmingham, the UK & beyond. Expect 6 days of live music, workshops, panel discussions, exhibitions and film screenings across some of Birmingham's hidden venues, as well as an unveiling ceremony of the 'Future Faces Of Birmingham' mural. Future Artists include

Naomi Cowan, Jevon, Randy Valentine, Sevana, Big Zeeks, Cali P, 808INK, Anaïs, Jamie Rodigan,Italo Skarcha, Layfullstop, Bake Off's Liam Charles and many more. We caught up with Aliyah and RTkal to find out a bit more about the duo.

Introduce yourself for us. Who are you and what do you do?

RT: My name is RTkal, I’m an artist, entertainer and creative entrepreneur from Birmingham. I am the co-founder of beats & barriers music academy, I co-own IDST music studios and I run a business called The MBC (Music, Birmingham, Culture) all of which are based in Digbeth. AH: My name is Aliyah Hasinah and Im a curator and aspiring historian and filmmaker. I started my career in digital marketing then ended up as

producer by the end of an apprenticeship. I then became freelance and worked on a variety of different project with an organisation called Apples and Snakes which was my first actual contracted job. But, a lot of my works actually been pretty DIY, if I have an idea and its an exhibition for example can we just put it up in a cafe? Can we speak to this artist and get work shown? I’ve also worked with loads of artists and organisations around the theme of decoloniality and what it means to move the gaze away from the white gaze and to not be apologetic about the way we curate and take up space.

This year's theme is the future. Where do you plan to take it?

RT: I’m booking artists from different parts of the world and different parts of the country and having them perform alongside Birmingham based artists. It's going to highlight the calibre of artists that we as a city have to offer. I also want to highlight the skills and high level of entrepreneurship we have in the city. We have so much to offer. AH: Just BLACK! I’ve been thinking a lot about reimagination and what it means

to be black and everything that that is. Not just one idea of Blackness. I think the future is Blickityblack-black! It’s independent and its decolonial.

What would you like the future of Birmingham's creative industry to look like?

RT: Us. It's an authentic Birmingham culture. AH: I’d like it to look more like an industry. I’d like infrastructure. I’d like us not to have to steal resources from other places and I’d like there to be spaces for people to reap benefits from. Whether that be artistic development programmes or places to pitch your ideas or create them. And I’d like it to be based on the merit of the idea rather than how many followers you have and I’d like it to be a decentralisation of everything which is stuck in London. Because a lot of the industry is there, but a lot of the talent is here. So we have to connect and build something sustainable. All events can be seen on www.punchbass.com

“We Were Called To Order” - The Journey Of Three Women Who Answered The Call To Serve

By Marcia Irving

he journey of Commonwealth people of the Caribbean who answered the call from The United Kingdom for citizens of the Commonwealth needed for their skills and labour to rebuilt a devastated nation after World War 2 is well documented. Much is known about the Windrush generations - named after the HMT Empire Windrush, originally a German passenger liner given to the UK as war reparation in 1945 and converted to a troopship renamed HMT Empire Windrush in 1947. The British troopship HMT Empire Windrush anchored at Tilbury Docks, Essex, on 21 June 1948 carrying hundreds of passengers from the Caribbean, answering The Call to Order. Here is the story of 3 people who answered The Call to Order - the term used by Mavis Wilson - explaining why many people came to the UK. Mavis was a qualified teacher in Jamaica. Happy in her profession and surrounded by family, friends and living a healthy lifestyle in rural Jamaica. In 1955, 4 years into her teaching career Mavis decided to join siblings and friends who answered the call to help rebuild services in the UK after a savage world war. “Yes, we felt it our duty to come and help. I told my parents who were not pleased” Mavis continued. “How can you go to be a nurse when you

hate the sight of blood”, Mavis laughed recalling her mother’s response. Two months after completing Invitation Application Form which was accepted within days, Mavis bags were packed for life into the unknown. Planes had replaced ships by 1955 and before reaching the UK Mavis encountered snow when her BOAC flight had to wait 2 days in Newfoundland, Canada due to bad weather. “We got a real shock, we were dressed in cotton clothes, freezing and given smash potatoes to eat”, Mavis recalled. Finally arriving in the UK and linking up with her 3 family members - cousin Ivy, Sadie, they entered nurse training in Eastbourne. We all qualified in a couple of years and were dispersed into the NHS - Mavis as a qualified midwife, Ivy into

Domciliary nursing, Sadie as an Eye Specialist and worked at Moorfield Eye Hospital. Sixty years later as citizens of the UK much needs to be celebrated. “We sacrificed much and most of us should be recognised for building this country after World War II and putting this country back to a high standard”. People from Barbados came as drivers, conductors because that was The Call to Order from the UK”, Mavis continued. Even women came as drivers, rare thing at that time. We were invited to come and rebuilt the country”, Mavis concluded. Sadly, Ivy died in 2010, Sadie August 2019 - and Mavis, now 88 years old and wheelchair bound attended Sadie’s funeral recently made the 250 miles round trip to pay respect to her friend, who made that Call to Order over 60 years and have achieved the mission of rebuilding the United Kingdom into a place many have called home.

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From Target To Protector: Big Dave Continues to Inspire

rom being a target of bullying at a young age, to targeting bullies and bullying through his tireless work with young people across the country, strongman ‘Big Dave’ Gauder continues to preach the power of strength of mind over physical strength. Birmingham born and bred, in Sparkhill, ‘Big Dave’ hasn’t always been a force to be reckoned with. Starting at Dennis Road Junior School in Sparkhill before his family moved to Castle Bromwich, it was while at Alderley Boys School where Dave first encountered the bullies. “People get picked on for whatever reason, could be because you’re black, white, Chinese, Irish, Scottish, you might limp, stutter, have ginger hair, I was very small, very quiet, very shy, and I didn’t really mix very well with the others, which is what made me a target. “It starts with things like name calling, then progresses to being pushed around, things taken off you, up to the point of violence, kicking and hitting you. They groomed me into robbing and stealing for them, with the promise of it would stop, but it would only be for a couple of days, then they’d start again.

“There’s always a gang, in my case there were 5 of them, and I can remember their names, faces, what they did to me, what they made me do, it’s all embedded into your mind. Being frightened is the worst thing.” Dave is now an antibullying ambassador and has created Big Dave’s Buddies and Big Dave’s Safe Station as ways to help combat the bullies. 25 years ago, Dave started training and powerlifting, and it became a way of life for him, but it left him asking ‘What do I do with this strength now I’ve got it?’. It was around that time that a client of his from the gym, a radio presenter from Worcester, approached him to pull a single decker bus for a charitable cause. “I said ‘I can’t pull a bus!’ but I practiced and eventually did indeed pull the bus at Worcester Racecourse,” beamed Dave. “It was for a young lad that had a muscle wasting disease and wanted a keyboard that he could play with his mouth because he didn’t have the use of his arms.” From that point on, it naturally became the case that Dave had to keep pulling bigger, heavier objects, from single to double decker buses, to a fully laden fire engine. “I used to know someone high up in St Johns Ambulance - who arranged with British Airways for me to pull Concorde for their Anniversary. I went from pulling 10 tons to 110 tons!” Fluctuating between only 16.5 and 17 stone, Dave is very light for a strongman, especially one pulling the weights that he does. Following pulling a Jumbo Jet for the Red Cross, Dave started

working with West Midlands Police fronting a scheme where he stopped two 3 litre cars from breaking his grip at full throttle, which then took him all around the country working with police forces all over the UK. “At one of these events, my wife spoke to the Chief Superintendent who couldn’t believe what he’d seen, and she said ‘you wouldn’t believe he was bullied at school’, which led to them asking me to stand up and be counted as an antibullying ambassador.” Over time the talks have evolved to include anti-social behaviour, and gun & knife crime as times have changed, and Dave has worked with 32 police forces and local authorities from the Shetland Islands to Cornwall, and has reached over 1,000,000 children and pulled over 1,000 buses over the years. Dave has more recently moved into working with the prison service on the back of the riots at HMP Birmingham, and has developed courses that he runs with prisoners handpicked to work with him. “It worked really well, some very positive results, was rolled

out into another prison, and now it looks like it will go into a further two prisons as well. “I designed another course for the prisoners to work with the design and print shop in the prison to come up with an anti knife slogan – which they came up with a fridge magnet which are now produced at the prison, stamped with the prison info, and can be given out to the community. “If you choose to carry a knife, chances are you’ll take a life” Dave wants to achieve a lot, to work with other organisations to help other people in the community. “I’ve had to take my work into Sandwell due to a lack of help from organisations in Birmingham, despite being made an ambassador for Birmingham,” explained Dave sadly, “We’d love for the kids site that we’ve been

working on, for the kids to start to take ownership and put their stories on there – Big Dave’s Safe Station – and we’ve got a couple of schools lined up to start working on it in a big way. “I’m lucky that I have some very supportive people behind me, but I do hope that I can find the financial and technical support, to help push this forward. I’d love to give a huge thank you to Harbourne Parish Lands Trust, they’ve supported me year in year out for the last 10 years without fail.” One of Dave’s mottos is “whatever the mind of man can conceive, they can achieve”, and with the work that he is doing to keep kids off the streets and on the right path, Dave is certainly helping to shape future generations across the country.

Doug Wright: A Stalwart Of All Communities

oug Wright is a McDonald’s Franchisee who employs in excess of 2000 people across Greater Birmingham and who has created over 310 management positions in the last 15 years. He has always been a strong brand ambassador and ensures that he embeds himself within the communities that he operates in. “I was taught by my parents many years ago to always respect the local community and to be part of it from an early age. “Again I have taken this advice and stance into running

my restaurants and my own business.” In 2016, Doug became a recipient of the Fred L Turner Golden Arch Award which is a global award which is given every two years to recognise the best McDonald’s Franchisees in their entire system. “Even now I am bursting with pride at receiving such a prestigious global award.” In recognition of his tireless work supporting communities, and not least The Phoenix Newspaper, the partnership seeing The Phoenix Newspaper stocked at his McDonald’s stores across the region, with

more exciting things to come, in February 2019 Doug received two amazing external accolades. Doug was made a Deputy Lieutenant in the West Midlands. The prestigious appointment was confirmed by John Crabtree, Lord-Lieutenant of the West Midlands, who is the Queen’s personal representative in the region. During the same month, he was also awarded an honorary doctorate by Birmingham City University ‘in recognition of outstanding business achievements and philanthropic support of the Ronald McDonald House Charities’.

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l News clippings of Santa World donations

l Lesa’s ‘hidden treasure’ of Jamaican memories

Lesa Is Inspir Others To Fly The Hi Of Hei B

orn in Islington, London, Lesa Crossman-Dodd had a turbulent childhood. Losing her mother at the tender age of just 5 while in Jamaica with her, Lesa was raised by her grandmother, a strict disciplinarian, who instilled the importance of education, focus and determination. A businesswoman herself, Lesa’s grandmother didn’t have a lot for herself, but wanted her children to achieve the very best that was available to them. Lesa lived in St Catherine in a group of about 10-15 family members in adjoining houses with her grandmother as the matriarch. Lesa’s siblings had returned to the UK upon her mothers death, but Lesa, due to her age, had remained behind in Jamaica. “I enjoyed my time in Jamaica, I

knew that my mum was missing, but not knowing any different really, my nan was my mum. I knew that I was British however, and that I wanted to return to the UK to continue my education and life.” Taking a shine to the Navy, and with a love of boats and ships, Lesa’s early dreams were to become a ship captain, however upon returning to the UK at age 15 to live with her uncle, she found that things were very different over here. “I realised I was a bit different, I found my ambitions were far higher than that of my siblings and classmates, and I didn’t get the support to be what I wanted to be or achieve what I wanted to achieve like I did in Jamaica.” Attending Hackney College where she achieved her GCSE’s and

l Captain Martin Sutherland

O Levels, education was different and difficult, without the discipline from her grandmother. “I had to try to discipline myself and remember and act upon what she had instilled in me,” Lesa mentioned, smiling fondly. “Jamaica had the drive to be who you wanted to be, but that wasn’t present in the UK, at least not for me.” Studying Travel and Tourism at college, Lesa aced through her exams before completing a counselling degree, and then applied for a job at Heathrow, but as a security agent. “That was more to get a foot into the airport, but I worked my way up through security, until it became a wider area with more specialities, so I went back to school and took a job working with companies in high security such as aviation

l Captain Michael Scarl

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ring y To ighest ights

let

defence international, dealing with immigration, passport checks and more.” This very sensitive area of security work enabled Lesa to meet some very interesting people during her 10 years in the role. “I loved it, it was brilliant for me. The airport and the people I was working with became my family, fuelling me with the determination and ambition to grow and continue, until I was working with Air Jamaica, where a number of the pilots became my trusted mentors and friends.” Lesa learned a lot from them, including Captains Vivian Thomas, Michael Scarlet, Martin Sutherland and Basil Ferguson, and they exposed her to a different vision, and outlook, especially when it came to Jamaica itself. “Grandma and Grandpa Thomas

adopted me into that family. They had so much love and care and motivation for me, on a different level to that which my grandma gave me – I was still trying to find myself while not being sure how to find myself.” In her early 30’s, Lesa decided that she wanted to settle down with her family in Jamaica, but that just led to another opportunity for her. Having left her job at the airport, she opened her own company in Jamaica, Dodd’s Management, taking on prestige tier event management, for banquets, awards and the like. “I realised my decorating skills came alive, and I was very close to Nestle Jamaica and so was asked to do events for them, and before long other companies saw the calibre of events that I was producing and wanted to use me

l Captain Vivian Thomas

including flying to Dubai, and all this by myself, I had to get in yourself and go out there and even circumnavigating the globe involved with the right set of get it done. If the hill was smooth in a Helicopter! people, who I’m still holding you could not climb it, there has Up to 3 times a week, Lesa onto to help me climb. It’s very to be some bumps along the way. flies as a Private Executive important to me to recognise all Thank god for everything that you Commercial Pilot, while still the people that have helped me receive.” doing her security work, event get to where I am and give respect Wise words, from a lady who planning both here and in Jamaica, where its due.” has lived what she preaches. and writing security programs for “Whatever you want, believe other companies. “You can be whoever you want to be, irrespective of what you’re told or have seen. Patricia Griffiths and Cecile Dodd were a driving force behind me during all of this, and I have them to thank also for where I am.” Lesa’s dream is to open her own flight school, to be able to bring more Afro-Caribbean children through the system so that they too can achieve their dreams to become pilots, to prove to them that anything is possible, so look out for “Lesa’s Flight Academy” or something similar soon! She has also set up a number of charities in Jamaica, including Santa World which ran from 2015, which donated school supplies to children in St Catherine among other worthy causes. “I couldn’t have done l Air Jamaica memories and messages for Lesa

as well.” Working with the likes of Glaxo Smith Kline and Kraft among others, Lesa worked between Jamaica and the UK for 3 years before deciding to settle back in the UK in 2011, where she started working with top tier security services with a high clearance in 2012, working with the police and other high profile services. It was during this time that she started to learn to fly, a long-time dream of hers. “I obtained my Private Pilots License and then my Commercial Pilots License, specialising in private executive helicopters.” Flying a range of helicopters, including Airbus and Robinson, Lesa has made a large number of European trips, but as soon as the technology is available, has her sights set on some lofty feats,

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l Dr. Toni Luck Chairman of the Africa Legacy Fund with Ms. Halima Dangote, President,Board of Trustees, The Africa Center, Ms. Florie Liser, President and CEO of The Corporate Council on Africa, Rosa Whittaker, CEO of the Whitter Group in Ghana with international business women at the Future Africa Forum, standing in the room completing construction for the Aliko Dangote Hall.

THE GREAT GATHERING AT THE FUTURE AFRICA FORUM HELD AT THE AFRICA CENTER

r Toni Luck, Chairman of the Africa Legacy Fund was amongst the elite guests invited to the Future Africa Forum, celebrating the completion of the second phase of construction of The Africa Center, which announced a transformative $20 million donation by the Aliko Dangote Foundation to advance and accelerate the Center’s capital campaign, further activate its public spaces and programming, and support ongoing operations. In recognition of this historic donation – one of the largest known donations of its kind by an African philanthropist to a U.S. non-profit organization — the Center renamed its venue “The Africa Center at Aliko Dangote Hall” at a ceremony during the Future Africa Forum. A dedicated philanthropist, Mr. Dangote, founder and president/chief executive of Dangote Industries Limited, the largest conglomerate in West Africa, made an initial endowment of $1.25 billion to the Aliko Dangote Foundation in March 2014, enabling it to scale up its work in health and nutrition, education, and economic empowerment. “We need to seriously recognise the founding visionaries that came up with

this amazing contribution to our society and indeed the world, very amazing young women, Hadeel Ibrahim, Board Director of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Chelsea Clinton, Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation and Halima Dangote, Executive Director of Dangote Industries Ltd, who are the driving force behind this initiative.” explained Dr Luck. Alongside this at the Future Africa Forum, there was a new $5 million grant announced by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation grant is directed to the Center’s capital campaign and for the development of its policy initiatives. There are a number of other individuals, foundations and corporations that have provided leadership support including the Mo Ibrahim Family, who have given over $7 million to The Africa Center in recent years, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, who were also recognized at the event, which marked the conclusion of the second phase of construction. “The Africa Center is showcasing Africa in a contemporary, multifaceted manner as a center of innovation, growth, and limitless potential, which makes this project extremely important and worthy

of support through my foundation,” said Mr. Dangote. “There is an opportunity to establish new narratives about Africa today, with its unrivaled mix of people, ideas, and resources, which are both its greatest strength and the basis for its tremendous, untapped promise. “The connections The Africa Center will make between Africa, the United States, and the rest of the world, including members of the Diaspora, are more critical now than ever before.” Cultural Affairs Commissioner Tom Finkelpearl added “Congratulations to The Africa Center on the announcement of this extraordinary gift from the Aliko Dangote Foundation and the conclusion of another phase of construction, marking the latest milestones for this important addition to NYC’s cultural landscape.” “The City is pleased to have contributed over $4 million in public capital support for the Center, which is already offering vibrant programming that solidifies NYC’s connections with contemporary Africa and provides a new anchor for Museum Mile at the northern end of Central Park.” Halima Aliko Dangote, Group Executive Director of Dangote Industries

l Dr. Toni Luck Chairman of the Africa Legacy Fund with Actor Boris Kodjoe and president of The Africa Center, who is leading the Center’s successful capital campaign, said: “The Africa Center is an important gateway to understanding contemporary and future Africa and Africans. “The Capital Campaign has received remarkable leadership support from institutions and individuals that recognize the role it has to play in building bridges between cultures in a globalized world village. “That support has enabled us to complete the first two public spaces and activate them with programming that has already proven to be compelling and popular among our local community. “We are building on this momentum by reaching out to additional business leaders and global philanthropists and asking them to invest in The Africa Center’s

mission.” Dr. Uzodinma Iweala, Chief Executive Officer of The Africa Center continued “The Africa Center is proud to have the support of the Aliko Dangote Foundation and the Dangote Family, whose vision for the future of the African continent is perfectly aligned with The Africa Center’s mission to advance African policy, business, and culture of the 21st century. “We are profoundly grateful to the Aliko Dangote Foundation, the Mo Ibrahim family, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and all those whose commitment is enabling us to realize our plans to create a vibrant and essential center of ideas and action focused on the 54 nations and people of Africa and its Diaspora.”

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019 - Page 27

BLACK HISTORY MONTH SUPPLEMENT

Queen Diambi Kabatusuila

iambi Kabatusuila was crowned as the ruler of the Bena Tshiyamba People of Bakwa Indu of Central Kasaï Region part of the ancient Luba Empire in the Democratic Republic of Congo on August 31st 2016. She has been enthroned by all the Bakwa Luntu Chiefs on July 15 2017 and now holds the Title of Diambi Mukalenga Mukaji Wa Nkashama Wa Bakwa Luntu (Queen of the Order of the Leopard of the Bakwa Luntu People). She was invested and enthroned in Kinshasa by the Association of Congo Traditional and Customary Authorities on August 5th 2017. Born in Belgium to a Belgium

Mother and Congolese Father who was a Diplomat. She grew up in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Queen has an extensive experience of multiculturalism not only because of her own background but also because she has traveled and lived in many different countries. She speaks several languages. Queen Diambi holds a Doctorate of Laws and a Doctorate of Philosophy, a Master of Science in Applied Psychology and a Master Of Science in Mental Health Counseling. She has worked as an infants and children Mental Health Therapist as well as a Substance Addiction Specialist. Queen Diambi has consecrated much time mastering issues relating to trauma and how it affects identity. She is a trained EMDR therapist and holds a Degree as a Practitioner of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Queen Diambi is also a certified Math and French Teacher, she taught French in an International Bacaloreate program in Florida. Queen Diambi also hold a Bachelor Science in Business Finance and Economics. She has worked for several years as an Economic

Consultant with the Observatoire Social Européen in Brussels for the European Commission and other governmental agencies in the EU. She has two sons and a grandson. She is Founder and Executive Director of Elikia Hope Foundation, New York USA, the Vice President of FONKABE non-profit in Kinshasa, D.R. Congo, she is the Minister of Health of the 6th Region of Africa-Diaspora that is recognized by the African Union, she is the Director of Public Relations of the PanAfrican Council of Traditional and Customary Authorities and she sits as the President of the board of Directors of African Views, New York, USA. From a young age Queen Diambi has always been very interested in all matters concerning the restoration of the African Identity through the study of African history and of the cultural traditional Heritage of the continent and beyond. One of her main projects, besides the enterprise of rural development of Central Kasaï is to seek alliances to change the narrative about African People. Indeed the expressions of African cultures have been so brutally repressed and demonized during

Suzanne Shank: Taking The Bull By The Horns

aving been mentored by Muriel ‘Mickie’ Siebert, the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, Suzanne Shank, the CEO of Siebert Cisneros Shank & Co., L.L.C., is one of the top female leaders in the financial sector and, now a billionaire, is one of the richest Black woman in the world – with figures suggesting that her wealth far exceeds that of that well-known billionaire – Oprah Winfrey. She, along with her former partners, built a firm that has managed over two trillion dollars in financings for municipal users, corporate bonds and equity transactions and now she has taken the lead in continuing to create and develop opportunities for women and young people in finance. “When your book of business is so robust you can compete head-to-

several centuries in the sole purpose of exploiting the Africans and their land that many Africans have lost the sense of self and what it means to be African today. Africans across the globe have come accustomed to believe that they are not worthy and that the only way to better their life is to adopt and imitate all the standards of the West to regiment all aspects of their life. Since this is truly an unattainable, utopic and maladaptive enterprise, the Africans are destined to continue their downfall into poverty; that is material, mental, emotional and spiritual poverty. To help remediate that situation, Queen Diambi works on promoting the restoration of the African Identity by encouraging people to learn about their true history, and by promoting the appreciation of their African Ancestral heritage in cultures, languages, folklore and traditions, all of which place the greatest value on compassion, respect, solidarity and the primordial role of the Creator in all aspects of existence.

head with your competition without a lot of explanation,” she explains. Initially working as a structural engineer, Shank began to realize that without an advanced degree there was no career path; there was no room for growth. She enrolled in the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Her interest in finance piqued. “I was naturally inclined to pursue a career in public finance,” she recalls, “because of my infrastructure background. I was focused on financing those projects. I was one of the few people who could understand the engineering reports.” After making her first $Billion, Suzanne became the first woman president of the New York Stock Exchange. “I’m proud that now I can have the opportunity to hire women in our business and young people who are extremely dynamic,” she said.

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Page 28 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019

BLACK HISTORY MONTH SUPPLEMENT

The Legacy Centre of Excellence Opens Its Doors To A New Era

ising, like a phoenix, from the ashes of the historic Drum Arts/ Theatre Centre, the dawning of a new era was heralded as the Legacy Centre of Excellence opened its doors to an eagerly awaiting community – and beyond. Standing on the shoulders of the legacy left by the Drum – a new legacy stands ready to create tomorrow’s history…today! Fronted by three young local entrepreneurs with a joined vision – Keith ‘Cypher’ Smith, Selina Brown and Paul Knight – a mass crowd was present to witness the ‘birth’ of what promises to be something special. Following its transformation, by organisations including Birmingham Social Enterprise 7E Youth Academy, the venture opened its doors with a special ribbon cutting ceremony with a beaming Smith, CEO of 7E Youth Academy, saying: “This is not a short term

thing but a long term goal. “I have been concerned about the welfare of the young people, the elders, the job opportunities, the business opportunities that are available in and around the area and the Legacy Centre will provide access for people most marginalised in communities throughout Birmingham and the wider West Midlands." With rented offices, a co-working hub, events space, education courses and a newly refurbished live music theatre, the creation of an Entrepreneurship, Science, Technology and Engineering

Academy will train and prepare young people for careers in business, banking, finance, engineering, science and technology. The Legacy Centre of Excellence has also established itself as a venue for local and international live music, across genres and cultural events, with a state-of-theart recording studio facility also available. Everyone concerned is right behind this new venture. We will be doing a special feature on the main man Keith ‘Cypher’ Smith in the very near future.

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019 - Page 29

BLACK HISTORY MONTH SUPPLEMENT

Extra Reason For Celebration For Erma

t was supposed to be a night to mark the 21st Anniversary of relentless fundraising, but Erma’s Jamaica Hospital Appeal Fund Gala Ball took on a very different, and somewhat surprising, night as the High Commissioner for Jamaica in the UK made an impromptu visit to the event at the H Suite in Birmingham. Former nurse Erma Lewis has raised over £3 million for various initiatives, including support for the Port Antonio Hospital and Infirmary in her native Portland as well as focusing on distributing recycled wheelchairs to disabled persons. But, as a hall full of noted dignitaries and business people gathered to acknowledge the achievement and raise further

funds, it was the appearance of High Commissioner, Seth George Ramocan raised much more than a sharp intake of breath, it was nowhere near any of the plans for the night’s activities. Him being there was all the more compelling because he was due to be at another event at the other side of the city. Erma was awarded the 2019 Governor General’s Diaspora Achievement Award (United Kingdom) for her contribution to the land of her birth. Governor General Sir Patrick Allen presented the award to her during the eighth Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, held at Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston. Unaware that a presentation would be made in her home time, Mr Ramocan proudly made that

extra effort to present her with the Governor General’s Diaspora Achievement Award She was recognised for her ongoing contributions to Jamaica over the past 20 years, which have seen her giving back through her ‘Erma’s Jamaica Hospital Appeal Fund’. “When deliberating at our annual Diaspora Conference we couldn’t help but appreciate the work that you, Erma, have been doing – almost single-handed – over the past 21-years”, the High Commissioner said, “for Jamaica, the Diaspora and wider afield over the past 21-years. “May God continue to strengthen you and respect you. Erma, we are proud of you”. A proud and emotional

Erma said: “With the money you have donated over the years, we have seen a lot of great things happening, like the opening of a new cardiac unit at the Bustamante Hospital for Children in Kingston. To date, Mrs Lewis has raised over £3 million for various initiatives, including support for the Port Antonio Hospital and Infirmary in her native Portland. She has also undertaken work through her Wheels 2 You charity

that was founded in 2007. It focuses on distributing recycled wheelchairs to disabled persons in Jamaica. Only four outstanding Jamaicans living overseas, who have volunteered their service to the Diaspora community in the United Kingdom, USA and Canada, have been presented with the 2019 Governor-General’s Diaspora Achievement Awards. Erma’s Jamaica Hospital Appeal

Fund Gala Ball, compered by radio presenter, Nikki Tapper, saw the likes of musicians; Peter Campbell, Millicent Williams and Owen Uriah, plus comedian Ping Wing, proving, yet again, to be testament to the heart, soul and dedication Erma Lewis demonstrates year in, year out. And, there’s no stopping her anytime soon.

Page 30 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019

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The fairest panto cast in the land.

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019 - Page 31

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e had exclusive backstage access with Rachel Stevens of S Club 7 and Pussy Cat Dolls Melody Thornton. The two popstars joined Mark Dwayne on their hectic schedule as part of their Rip it up 70s show which will take place at Symphony hall Birmingham October 18th Speaking to them they are really excited bout the high energy tour. Everybody loves the 70s and here we get a glimpse into the type of acts on stage and costumes.

MD: What acts do you love from the 70’s era?

Rachel Stevens: I just love Michael Jackson, Abba, Queen

...

lots of old music Melody: the Tina Turner number is hard on your body, working in the 70s was a very hard time especially as you had to really sing from your diaphragm. My mother plays a big part as she was really into the 70’s and she had an afro.

MD: How does it feel to be apart of that the 70s era?

Melody: 70’s was my parents they were in their prime, this show talks about what was happening in the states and over UK with soul rock and roll

MD: When doing the rehearsals do you feel like you’re in the 70’s?

Melody: For me its not like I am stepping into a different time but its high energy its a lot its

he cast of the fairest panto in the land came together for the first time in costume to officially launch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs which plays at Birmingham Hippodrome from Saturday 21 December 2019 - Sunday 2 February 2020. The spectacular production will feature Lesley Joseph as the Wicked Queen, Matt Slack as Muddles, Joe McElderry as The Spirit in the Mirror, Faye Brookes as Snow White, Flawless as The Wicked Queen’s Men, Doreen Tipton as The Lady in Waiting, Andrew Ryan as Nanny Annie Aspirin and Jac Yarrow as The Prince. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will feature stunning costumes and sets along with

hard work on your body. I was able to choose the wigs from the production they have given me some stage creativity.

MD: You epitomise pop icon, from the 90s SCLUB 7 I think they did great choosing you for the line up.

Rachel: 70s was so exciting time I’m obsessed with the whole fashion so when I was approached to do it I jumped at the chance

MD: Don’t it feel great to work with those other pop icons?

Rachel: Lee, Giovanni its a crazy and bizarre business because it always leads to things you have never done before but I love it. I been around for 20 years

outstanding special effects direct from the sold-out London Palladium production in 2018. Lesley Joseph’s extensive career has seen her appear on stage in dramas, musicals and reviews in the west end and across the UK and on every major television channel and on film working with major directors including Franco Zeffirelli. Most recently Lesley starred as Miss Hannigan in Annie, Mrs Meers in Thoroughly Modern Millie as well as appearing in Home directed by Peter Hall. Last year she starred in the musical adaptation of Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein in London’s west end starring as Frau Blücher, a role for which she was nominated for the 2018 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical.

Lesley most recently appeared at Birmingham Hippodrome as Jessie in Calendar Girls The Musical. Birmingham’s much-loved panto favourite, Matt Slack will return for the seventh consecutive year, bringing his trademark comedy and chaos. Making Midlands panto-goers laugh every year, The Great British Pantomime Award winner has also recently been seen on Casualty and EastEnders, both for the BBC. The production will once again be directed by Michael Harrison who has been at the helm of the Hippodrome pantomime for the last nine years. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is produced by Qdos Entertainment, the world’s biggest pantomime producer.

ENTERTAINMENT

BGT 2019 Winner Colin Thackery to perform at Town Hall Birmingham Colin Thackery, the winner who stole everyone’s hearts on Britain’s Got Talent earlier this year, has announced a major tour for 2020, including a show at Town Hall Birmingham on Wednesday, 25 March 2020. From the Royal Hospital Chelsea, to the Britain's Got Talent Final, Colin Thackery made quite an impression from start to finish. When the 89-year-old Chelsea Pensioner Colin Thackery started to sing, there was barely a dry eye in the house. Performing on Britain’s Got Talent in his iconic scarlet jacket, with a row of medals across his chest, he mesmerised the audience as he lifted his voice in memory of his beloved wife Joan. When he left the stage, he was told that even the technicians were crying. Colin is an incredibly worthy winner. Since the show, Colin has become the oldest person to ever sign a record deal at the age of 89. His debut album Love Changes Everything is out 6 December on

Decca Records, in partnership with Syco. The show will see Colin perform his favourite songs from the album as well as his much-loved tracks from Britain’s Got Talent. Colin will also be joined by acclaimed

musical director, supervisor and conductor Jae Alexander. Speaking about the show Colin says, “I am so excited to continue this journey and meet lots of new people”.

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Page 32 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019

Red Carpet Glitz & Glamour

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019 - Page 33

“The OFFICIAL AND Exclusive Black Tie awards after party”

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Page 34 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019

ENTERTAINMENT

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LITTLE BUT LARGE

ituated just east of the Peak District lies the dynamic and vibrant city of Sheffield. Widely considered to be the birthplace of Bassline in the early 2000s, Sheffield’s underground music scene bubbled for years embracing many different genres, one in particular it took into its arms was grime. Keiren Adshead, otherwise known as ‘AK’ is largely known and accepted to be a main front man in the ‘up north’ grime movement very much embracing his accent as well as his surroundings. As a young lad, he grew up in the suburban area of Wybourn, AK had a passion for football as a young lad early on. This later got pushed aside as he started MCing at a youth project linked with his school on Friday nights with fellow MCs KDot, Milks, and Tempo. Originally spitting to other MCs tunes, he then went on to writing his own material as the group rapidly discovered that they had a natural flair for catchy hooks and skippy flows. Growing up, music was always present in AKs household, anything from Oasis to Reggee, his biggest influence growing up was garage. With the arrival of So Solid Crew, AK appreciated the MCing on tracks from the collective,

this naturally gave way to grime with which he wholeheartedly fell in love with. What started out as a escape from problems at home, exploded into something that he enjoyed and was very good at. At school, AK recalls how it changed his image. “It was exciting, we were the cool kids at school because we could MC and we could DJ”. After a while, the group quickly started turning heads with some of the older MCs locally. One in particular was the infamous Tez Kidd. After completing his Lord of the Mics 3 clash against Hypez in 2012 Tez, later came back to Sheffield to form the 2nd generation ‘Scumfam’, the name of which was originally attached to a previous crew that Tez was a part of. Outside of London, Scumfam was revered to be one of the strongest grime movements in the country. Originally Scumfam was a means to showcase Sheffield talent, not necessarily a grime crew but blossomed into one of the hardest hitting collectives in the scene. Being a part of this movement, the group didn’t realise at the time just how influential Scumfam would be “people say we were one of the more talented crews outside of London. It’s humbling, once you’re in the bubble

you don’t realise what you did was working”. AKs ‘tag’ name was not as straight forward as being named after a gun, he acquired the name because of his vocal ferocity and skippy delivery just like the firing of a AK rifle. Visceral, harsh and piercing, traits any MC would appreciate for a reputation. This translated to his MC clashes, ‘sending’ for MCs and never shying away from a challenge which is evident for his rap-battle legacy. he went onto clash on ‘Lord of the Mics’, a highly regarded high intensity rap battle platform that has seen the likes of Wiley, Kano, Skepta and many more bless it’s manifesto. This, further propelled AKs career to new highs within the battle scene becoming one of the most respected lyricists in grime. Never really having a low point in his career, AK still has had his doubts about his musical direction but always pushing through the doubt persevering his vocation in music, “I could never imagine not doing music in some shape or form whether it be MCing or DJing, it’s the drive to make me want to do better, coupled with my passion for music that keeps me pushing”. AK has just dropped his new single ‘Next In Line’ (produced by Alien Muzik) which is available on digital platforms worldwide with the video filmed by JDZ Media, with exciting upcoming projects in the pipeline, it’s a given that AK is in it for the long haul. Twitter : @Akscumfam Instagram: akscumfam Spotify: AK Facebook: Ak - Scumfam

Interviews

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019 - Page 35

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International Drag Superstar Bianca Del Rio Wows Audiences Across the UK By Mandip Singh Taunque

hat do you get when you cross a drag queen superstar with a clown that’s more likely to haunt you in your dreams rather than entertain your children? The answer is arguably the funniest insult-comic drag queen in the world, Bianca Del Rio. Miss Del Rio brought some muchneeded comic relief to Birmingham when she visited the city as part of her ‘It’s Jester Joke’ tour. The record breaking drag queen is no ordinary drag queen. Winner of season six of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Bianca Del Rio, the alter ego of 44year old Roy Haylock, has worked as an award winning costume designer, wowed critics and fans in the films – Hurricane Bianca and Hurricane Bianca: From Russia with Hate, has released a book ‘Blame It On Bianca Del Rio’ and starred in many theatre productions over the past 20 years.

Part way through her current tour she paused to take on the role of Hugo/Loco Chanelle in one of London’s most successful theatre shows ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’. Supported by comic Wendy Ho, the pair ripped off the roof of Birmingham Arena and brought the house down with their hilarious jokes, anecdotes and of course the reasons why everyone came to the show – innuendos and insults. While Wendy Ho managed to turn well loved songs from the likes of Stevie Wonder and Oletta Adams into innuendo fuelled and crazily obscene songs of her own, Bianca did what she did well – insult practically every group of people imaginable and the crowd went wild for it. No one escaped – it didn’t matter if you were a man or a woman, gay or straight, young or old – everyone regardless of race was targeted. The show was not for the fainthearted but that’s what the fans demanded and that’s what they got.

There was even time to poke fun of Brexit with Del Rio declaring that if you can’t handle her show then ‘the nearest Brexit is here, here and here’, whilst pointing at various exits. Even UK cities got a mention with insults hurled against Manchester – only God knows what she said about Birmingham on the next show of the tour. One thing fans love about Bianca is she not only finds ways of insulting everyone on the

l Mandip with international drag queen superstar Bianca Del Rio

l In a class of her own – Wendy Ho

Billie Eilish Announces World Tour Global, chart-topping artist Billie Eilish has announced her 2020 arena WHERE DO WE GO? WORLD TOUR. Starting on March 8 in Miami, FL, WHERE DO WE GO? tour will take her live show to some of the world’s most famous arena’s including New York City’s Madison Square Garden on March 15. Following the release of her official music video for ‘all the good girls go to hell’ – accompanied with the important call to action on climate change

– Billie Eilish continues to set an example by partnering with nonprofit organization REVERB for her upcoming tour. To help create and encourage an eco-conscious environment both backstage and for her fans, Billie Eilish will be allowing fans to bring their re-fillable water bottles to the shows, waterstations will be available at every venue for both attendees and crew backstage, plastic straws will not be permitted and a Billie Eilish Eco-Village will be stationed at every show, providing attendees

planet but is equally able to make fun of herself. She is a self-confessed clown and she is not afraid to admit it, this only makes us love her even more. The highlight of the show came from the audience Q & A. There were some rude and tasteless questions, but Bianca was able to turn that around by putting on the arena lights and making the members of the audience asking the questions stand up in front of thousands whilst their faces were projected on two massive arena screens. They of course both squirmed and delighted in Bianca’s replies and of course the insults that followed. Behind the scenes this Bianca Del Rio is an intelligent, wellarticulated and a quietly caring drag queen having spoken to a fan who brought his pensioner mother ‘listen you know how rude my show is right? Have you warned your mother?’ and then speaking to the mother ‘it’s quite a rude show but I think you will love it’ all said with a twinkle in her eye. By the end of her UK tour Bianca Del Rio will go down in drag ‘herstory’ as the only drag queen in the history of drag to headline an arena tour. Bianca, you might be the jester on this tour, but we all bow down to you. 5/5

information and resources on ways to help combat climate change and preserve the Earth. Billie Eilish is officially the first artist born this millennium to achieve both a No. 1 album and single, and is now the third female solo artist in the 31-year history with multiple songs topping the Billboard Alternative Songs airplay chart (alongside Alanis Morrissett and Sinead O’Connor). “bad guy” also hit #1 in the Pop Songs airplay chart after leading the Alternative Songs airplay.

ENTERTAINMENT

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Page 36 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019

ENTERTAINMENT MOTORS

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94 Blue Badge holders battle for one parking space - study reveals New data shows there are 94 Blue Badge holders in the West Midlands battling for one dedicated council-owned parking space, on average. Warwickshire faces the biggest battle, as data shows there are 286 Blue Badge holders to one council-owned parking space, on average. And with more people eligible for Blue Badges under the new criteria, this shortage is only likely to worsen. Under the scheme, drivers with hidden disabilities in England will be eligible for a Blue Badge. Councils in Wales and Scotland have been working to this criterion for a number of years. Dedicated Blue Badge parking spaces are available for badge holders, as they’re often located closer to entrances or offer more room to get in and out of the car. However, new data obtained by Confused.com found that many drivers are abusing this luxury. Last year, more than 11000 parking charge notices (PCN) were issued to drivers in the West Midlands for wrongly parking in a Blue Badge parking space – with drivers in Staffordshire receiving almost 4000 of those issued. A battle for Blue badge parking spaces is widespread across the

UK, as on average there are 30 blue badge holders to once council-owned parking space. This shortage is made even worse by non-blue badge drivers abusing the use of these spaces. In fact, 156,000 fines were issues to drivers for misusing spaces in just one year. Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at Confused.com, says: “Clearly more parking for Blue Badge holders is needed – 94 Blue Badge holders to one dedicated parking space in the West Midlands is quite a challenge. It’s no wonder some of these drivers have had to park elsewhere. “Drivers who misuse these spaces are making the problem even worse. They should be more respectful and leave them free for those who need them.

100,000th Maserati Ghibli

n the morning of the 24th September, at the Avv. Giovanni Agnelli Plant (AGAP) where the Ghibli sports sedan and the Quattroporte flagship are built, celebrations were held to mark the production of Ghibli number 100,000. The car in question is a Ghibli S Q4 in the GranSport trim with Blu Emozione exterior colour and interior in black natural full-grain Pieno Fiore leather. Externally, the Ghibli GranSport features Adaptive Full LED Matrix headlights and is also recognisable for the Black Piano inserts on the front bumper, the “GranSport” badge on the front wing, body-colour side skirts,

red brake callipers and 20-inch polished alloy wheels. The car is destined for the Italian market, where the Maserati sports sedan has been a great success since its launch in 2013, due to its comfortable ride, exquisite finishes, sporty character and enjoyable driving experience. Thanks to the powerful 430 HP 3.0 litre V6 Twin Turbo engine, the Ghibli S Q4 with Q4 intelligent all-wheel drive delivers impressive performance: a top speed of 286 km/h and acceleration 0-100 km/h in just 4.7 seconds. The Ghibli is available with V6 Twin Turbo 3.0 litre petrol engines with power outputs of both 350 and 430 HP. The

range also includes the mighty V6 turbodiesel with the same displacement, producing 275 HP. The sports sedan can be customised with a choice of 10 different bodywork colours, including Blu Nobile, a tri-coat colour with sparkling glass flakes in the paint which shimmer in the sun, and five interior colours. There are no fewer than 150,000 possible combinations. The alloy wheels are available in six designs with various finishes, in sizes ranging from 18 to 21inch. Ghibli number 100,000 is a major milestone for Maserati and for the people who work at the Grugliasco plant. Since its launch at the Shanghai Motor Show in 2013, Ghibli has garnered

positive reviews in the world’s top motoring journals, and has also found favour with many customers around the globe. The Maserati sports sedan’s main markets are the USA, China, Italy, Japan and Germany Since its debut, the Ghibli, the first Maserati car to be fitted with a Diesel engine, has benefited over the years from a large number of continual updates covering every aspect of its design and engineering, to constantly increase its market competitiveness. What’s more, every car is road-tested for approximately 40km by a professional testdriver, after which it leaves the production plant for shipment to the customer.

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019 - Page 37

OBITUARIES AND NOTICE BOARD

Robert Mugabe B

nown as Big Shiz, the New York-born Grammy Awardwinning songwriter and producer was known for his credits on songs by the likes of Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Destiny’s Child, Michael Jackson, Toni Braxton, Jennifer Lopez, the Spice Girls and Whitney Houston – just to name a few.

LaShawn Daniels

Married to wife, April, the father of three was a victim of a fatal car accident, age 41.

orn in Kutama, Southern Rhodesia, he was educated at Roman Catholic mission schools, he qualified as a teacher after winning a scholarship to Fort Hare University in South Africa, and taking seven academic degrees before becoming Zimbabwe's first post-independence leader ruling the country - first as Prime Minister, from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. Embracing Marxism he established his leadership of ZANU (Zimbabwe African National Union), overseeing its role in the Rhodesian Bush

K B

Abdul Qadir

orn in Lahore, the leg spin bowler was regarded as the best in the 1970s, 80s and early 90s - appeared in 67 Test and 104 One Day Internationals. His best bowling figures for an innings were nine wickets for 56 at the Gaddafi Stadium in a Test match, against England, in 1987. In ODIs, his best figures were five wickets for 44 runs against Sri Lanka during the 1983 Cricket

World Cup. After retiring he became a top class commentator and Chief Selector for the Pakistan Cricket Board. His three sons, Rehman Qadir, Imran Qadir and Sulaman Qadir, also represented Pakistan - his younger son, Usman Qadir, played in 12 List A matches. Suffering a cardiac arrest, he died aged 64.

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nown for her good works, in 2013 she was honoured by Global Media Foundation, human rights and anti-corruption media advocacy organisation for her excellent leadership exhibited as the Queen mother of the Sunyani Traditional Area in Ghana and was inducted into the GLOMEF Hall of Fame a year after receiving the award. Initiating the ‘Keep Sunyani Clean Campaign’ to rid the city of filth and bring back its beautiful scenery she was cited as being a compassionate humanitarian whose life was dedicated to the pursuit of justice, an advocate for children and women’s rights as well as peace-builder. Installed as Queen at age 17, she ruled for 47 years she died age 64 leaving behind four children - two females and two males.

War, fighting Ian Smith's predominantly white government. With Zimbabwe called the ‘Bread Basket’ of Africa’ he promised democracy and reconciliation, following years of British colonialism, imperialism, and minority rule. As Prime Minister, he expanded healthcare and education and oversaw conservative economic policies. As President he became an outspoken critic of the West, especially the UK – denouncing it as an "enemy country" whilst brutally treating his political opponents at home. In 2000, he lost a referendum, after which pro-Mugabe militias

Chester Williams

he rugby union player was a notable member of the South African team that won the 1995 World Cup which was hosted on his home soil. There he made history being the only Black player in a new post-apartheid Springbok team. Becoming a worldwide legend, after his retirement from the

game, he was portrayed by McNeil Hendricks in the 2009 Clint Eastwood film ‘Invictus’, a biographical sports drama film about the events before and during that memorable World Cup - helping to coach Matt Damon and other actors for the rugby scenes used in the film. He died from a suspected heart attack, aged 49.

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in as prime minister. In 2017, he sacked his long-time ally VicePresident Emmerson Mnangagwa - his wife Grace succeeded him. Forced to step down by the army, Zimbabwe’s parliament’s speaker of the House of Assembly announced his resigned that year. After illness, he died age 95.

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invade white-owned farms and attack opposition supporters. In 2008 he came second in the first round of elections to former trade union leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, who pulled out of a run-off amid nationwide attacks on his supporters. In 2009 he swore Tsvangirai

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Page 38 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

My Happy Place: Debunking the Stigma Around Mental Health

ach year, millions of people globally do face the reality of living with a mental health condition of some sort. Mental illness affects people whether directly or indirectly through family, friends, colleagues or neighbours that is affected. Nonetheless although there has been quite a bit of awareness raised about mental illnesses’ somehow the stigma still lingers unfortunately event to this day. It is estimated that 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives yet the direct shame and silence can be as detrimental as the challenges of mental health disorder itself continues to plagued its victim.

How did this happened versus the reality of the public perception of the mentally ill can make it appear hurtful whilst stigmatising assumptions about the condition.

The Truth Factor on Mental Health

Mental health consists of a healthy mind that allows you to learn, play, and understand others on a typical day. Mental health also translates into having good coping mechanisms in dealing with your emotions by enjoying the best of your life even when the going gets tough. Emotional, psychological and social well-being are all paramount and it affects how each individual act, feel and think. Mental health is paramount at every stage of life from infancy

through to adulthood. Research confirms that two thirds of individuals have experience a mental health problem in their lifetime which stress was the main contributor to the illness. By tackling stress which for most is the root cause of mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and bipolar conditions many can be supported before the condition get detrimental to their wellbeing. Mental illnesses on the other hand, are health conditions involving changes in the state of emotion, thinking or behaviour. In essence it is associated with negative functioning in socially, professionally and with their family lives. Stigma occurs as society labels

someone as less desirable as a result of ignorance, prejudice and discrimination.

Why Do We Suffer in Silence?

Within the last 20 years there have been numerous studies which indicates that people of BAME (Black Asian and Minority Community) do have an increased risk of being treated for serious mental illnesses. Such alarming rate of increase is reported to be 5 to 12 times greater than for other ethnicity. If nothing is done, it will get much worse as the years go by. A dose of reality is to debunk these assumptions which are rapidly needed to eradicate the perceived shame and stigma. As we jubilantly celebrate, we most certainly welcome October as it is an annual reminder in history of the achievements and contributions of black people in the United Kingdom. For most, Black History Month is a means of reflection for our diverse histories of those from African and Caribbean descendants for their contributions to the economic, social, political and cultural development within our country. It is an integral part of our nation’s tradition to promote positive examples with poignant historical events, great leaders of the past, present and huge steps towards societal change for the improving lives. It is estimated that Black people in the UK are more likely than other ethnic groups to be diagnosed with mental health illnesses and to be sectioned.

Is this generational?

Very commonly, BAME groups disproportionately suffer from mental health issues and grave social stigma. As we examine historical spectrum of slavery, sharecropping and race-based exclusion from the educational, health and social resources. Could our past be

relevant in this notion? This is translated into socioeconomic disparities experienced that is directly linked to mental health as a basis of the impoverish, those who are homeless, incarcerated or affected directly with substance abuse issues that are deemed to cause higher risk of poor mental health. It is safe to say, that Mental Health conditions do not discriminate based on class, colour, gender or identity as all are susceptible to mental illness

regardless of their background. The evidential stigma act as barriers where there is particular disparity in relation to ethnic minorities not accessing medical treatment available.

Thus the silence in pain

Both black men and women were not immune to the constant oppression and inequality faced centuries ago and this seems to continue in today’s age. The strong stereotype historically makes it difficult to express our emotions as a feeling of less than will present itself and appearing fragile. Of lately, this millennium have seen where depression and mental health have become a huge part of the cultural conversation and to some extent, it has extended to the Church and celebrities are now identifying with the challenge as well. The mass media, Pastors and public figures have resorted to suicide as their trials were

overwhelming and they thought there were no way out. There is a call on Churches to support people who struggle with mental illnesses as the stigma is also attached to having faith in Jesus makes you immune from suffering from mental challenges. If truth be told, Christians get depressed and are becoming a bit more open to access help and thankfully are willing to talk about their concerns. We are experiencing a massive shift in the way others view and are now discussing their struggles utilising their celebrity platform about mental health concerns. The conversations are happening and more awareness on the subject of anxiety, addiction and depression are now in the public arena. It does help to spark discussions, support and even motivate people to seek treatment. “Health does not always come from medicine. Most of the time. It comes from peace of mind, peace in the heart, peace in the soul. It comes from laughter and love.” – Unknown

9 Tips to improving your mental state

1. Seek therapy from a professional 2. Join a Support Group 3. Build a Support System 4. Journal Writing your thoughts 5. Forgive Yourself 6. Visualise a happy place 7. Take time out 8. Go To Your Happy Place Literally 9. Travel Somewhere New For A Fresh Perspective Having more open conversations in the black community can help destigmatise mental health issues and putting to bed the shame of struggling with anxiety and depression before it escalates to being sectioned. Words by Dee Burrowes, Certified Professional Coach and NLP Practitioner, International Speaker and Author.

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019 - Page 39

AZUZA STREET

group of Jesuit Novices from countries across Western Europe visited Smethwick, in the West Midlands, to learn about interfaith engagement and meet religious groups in the town. The visitors - members of the Roman Catholic Order of the Society of Jesus, known as the Jesuits - attended a week-long conference, the Internovitiate, at Manressa House, an international centre for novices, in nearby Harborne, Birmingham. Arriving at Galton Bridge railway station, they were welcomed by Sandwell Deputy Mayor, Councillor Suzanne Hartwell, on the historic Thomas Telford bridge built in 1829, giving them a taste of Smethwick's industrial heritage. They then walked along the High Street to get a feel of modern-day Smethwick, where they were greeted by Surinder Josan, owner of All Seasons DIY, a family-run business in the area for more than 40 years and the immediate past President of the British Independent Retailers Association. The day was hosted by Holy Trinity Church, Smethwick and also included visits to the nearby Abrahamic Foundation and the Guru Nanak Gurdwara to meet members of the local Muslim and Sikh communities. The group also enjoyed presentations about a number of local inter-faith projects including Faithful Friends on Tour, Women First and the Common Ground Community Orchard. Event co-ordinator and Novice of the Society of Jesus, Dunstan Rodrigues, said: "We're delighted to have been invited to Smethwick, we've had an extremely warm welcome from

Jesuits visit Smethwick to learn about interfaith engagement

l Sandwell Deputy Mayor, Councillor Suzanne Hartwell and consort Geoffrey Deakin welcoming the novices on the historic Thomas Telford Bridge in Smethwick everyone we have met, beginning with the Deputy Mayor, the team at Holy Trinity and the other individuals and groups we have visited. "It's been extremely encouraging to see the work going on in Smethwick and to learn from the wide range of different religious traditions in this diverse community of Smethwick."

Reverend Nick Ross, from Holy Trinity Church, said: "It was a privilege to host this visit so we could talk about the richness of Smethwick's diverse faiths and cultures, and the experience of interfaith work in the town, and to be refocused by the questions and comments from young people who are much less familiar with ministry in this sort of setting."

Selassie I 89th Anniversary Celebrated Worldwide Born Lij Tafari Makonnen Woldemikael, Haile Selassie I, a member of the Solomonic dynasty, who traced his lineage to Emperor Menelik I and was a regent from 1916 to 1930 and emperor from 1930 to 1974. Full name Ras Tafari Makonnen, he is a defining figure in modern Ethiopian

history and lived in Fairfield House in Bath in the UK from 1936 to 1940 after being rescued by the Royal Navy when Italy invaded his country. He also regularly visited Weston where he swam in the Tropicana pool. Weston Civic Society and Fairfield House recently

organised two Blue plaques which were unveiled by the Emperor's grandson and this year Rastafarians around the world will be marking the 89th anniversary of his coronation to the throne with celebrations to highlight his huge influence to this day.

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Page 40 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019

BCU MICRO PLACEMENT AWARDS

Top Local Businesses Recognised Following BCU Micro Placements

t the Clayton Hotel in Birmingham on the 5th September, Birmingham City University brought together students and businesses from around the region who had taken part in their recent Micro Placements Programme. The programme saw groups of students placed with businesses of a wide variety of backgrounds right across the region, with specialities from everything from design, to marketing, business and law. The placements gave the students

l Best Business/Student Collaboration - Careers+

l Outstanding Overall Project - Bluesky Business Consultancy

real hands-on experience working with established companies who provided the live projects to work on. On the night there were a number of awards for students who shone the brightest during their placements, as well as the businesses that helped their students to achieve the most. Ongoing Engagement with Birmingham City University was won by HF Contracts, Best Business/Student Collaboration was won by Careers+, Most Supportive Micro-Placement Host went to National Express, and Outstanding Overall Project to Bluesky

Business Consultancy. Students recognised included f o r Innovation and Contribution, Shamei John-Wood, Kat Bartlett, Melissa Kirkham and Leon Rembges, for Going The Extra Mile, Puja Bhavsar, Georgia Powell, Lea Lepur and James Mahal, and for Outstanding Breakout Student, to Marcin Grzybowski, Aisha Tanveer, Shenika Brathwaite and Ayesha Williams-Bhatti. A wonderful evening was had by all, and special thanks must go to the Micro Placements team at BCU for their hard work.

l Most Supportive Micro-Placement Host - National Express

l Ongoing Engagement with BCU - HF Contracts

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019 - Page 41

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Page 42 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019

OVERSEAS NEWS

Ovolo Group Founder & CEO Calls For Industry Assistance Ovolo Group's founder & CEO, Girish Jhunjhnuwala, has called on the Hong Kong Government for assistance for the local hospitality industry given the current economic downturn in the region. The situation in Hong Kong has hit been felt across all corners of the city including the retail, aviation and financial sectors, with the tourism industry being the hardest hit. Ovolo Group has become one of Hong Kong's largest independent owner / operator hospitality companies, employing over 190 people in Hong Kong across head office, four hotels and five F&B venues, providing an estimated 100,000 business and leisure guests with effortless living experiences and serving approximately 165,000 diners and drinkers annually. The company keeps in touch with the modern traveller through award-winning interior designs, detail-driven comforts and cutting-edge technology, all done in Ovolo Hotels’ signature style. A proud Hong Kong brand, Ovolo Group remains a family-owned and privately-operated business with a charitable core.

osa Parks, known as the ‘Mother of the Modern Civil Rights Movement’, is being honoured with a Barbie doll that resembles her. Children can now play with a toy that will truly inspire them, but the doll is also expected to be popular with collectors. Ms Parks' refusal to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in 1955 prompted a mass Black boycott of buses, organised by Martin Luther King Jr. She was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999, one of the highest civilian awards in the USA. Mattel, the makers of Barbie, is recognizing the achievements of many historical women including Rosa Parks who “made the world better for future generations of girls.” A spokesperson for Mattel said: “By celebrating their achievements with dolls made in their likeness, we hope girls will be inspired to pursue their dreams.” The Barbie doll will feature Parks’ authentic clothing and accessories as well as educational material about her contributions to society. The launch of the new dolls comes as part of the brand’s Inspiring Women Series which aims to honour historical role models who paved the way for generations of girls to dream bigger. Moreover, Mattel stated that research found that girls from the age of 5 are more likely than boys to experience the “Dream Gap” wherein they could feel like their own gender isn’t smart and

Movement icon, Rosa Parks to be honoured with very own doll Father Christmas Is Back in His Tower Toymaker's Workshop!

competent enough. To address that, showing girls more role models and telling their stories could be beneficial. Speaking in 1992, Ms Parks said: "The real reason of my

not standing up was I felt that I had a right to be treated as any other passenger. We had endured that kind of treatment for too long." Ms Parks died in 2005 aged

92. Other women who are part of the new collection are Katherine Johnson, Frida Kahlo, Amelia Earhart, and Sally Ride.

This Christmas, Father Christmas is setting up his toy making workshop at Emirates Spinnaker Tower. Join Santa's elves in the Tower's workshop as they make the finishing touches to their latest batch of cuddly reindeer. Each child will name their toy, fill it with stuffing and place a magic charm inside before carefully sealing it up. Once their cuddly toy is finished, no trip to Santa's workshop is complete without a visit to see Father Christmas in his grotto! Entry is £15 per child which includes a soft toy to take home and unlimited entry to Emirates Spinnaker Tower on the day of their visit. Accompanying adults pay the standard Tower admission price of £11.50 per person (£10.50 for concessions). It is also possible to just do the Toymaker's Workshop experience, without admission to the Tower, for £10 per child. Advanced booking is highly recommended.

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019 - Page 43

HOLIDAY AND TRAVEL

Time Travel Is On The Rise

Samoa Sees an Increase in European Tourism Samoa, The Treasured Islands of the South Pacific, has experienced a rapid increase of visitors from European countries in the past year. The Polynesian islands have seen the number of tourists from Europe rise by 18% between July 2018 and June 2019. Composed of a collection of islands, the most popular destinations of Samoa include the island of Upolu, Savaii, and Apia, the capital. Known for its golden beaches, colourful culture and flourishing nature, the paradise is a popular destination for explorers and romantic holiday seekers alike. The biggest jump of holiday

goers from the region came from the United Kingdom, closely followed by the rest of continental Europe. A number of reasons have contributed to this accomplishment, including the recent introduction of Samoa Airways. The new Air carrier allows travellers to reach the Polynesian islands in an easier way, offering flight opportunities from Australia and New Zealand. There has also been a boost in support from destination management companies Island Hopper Vacations (a part of the Turama Group) and Samoa Scenic.

Responsible Travel, the world's largest responsible tourism website, has seen enquiries for history-related trips surge by over a third, year on year, with travellers looking to discover more about the culture and history of the places they are visiting. Interest in archaeology trips has risen by over three quarters (78 percent); specialist history tours increased by a quarter; and trips to ancient civilisations has risen almost a quarter (22 percent). Responsible Travel Customer Director, Tim Williamson commented on this trend: “People are now more interested than ever in the world and the places they are visiting. Trips where you barely scratch the surface of a destination are falling out of favour and being replaced by deeper dives into destinations and cultures. Travellers want to understand the history of a place through the eyes of local guides – those people who understand it best.”

What’s new in Singapore?

ith more than 700 years of history, miles of tropical hidden nature reserves and a skyline that looks firmly to the future, Singapore is unlike anywhere else. This year culture is at the forefront as Singapore commemorates its Bicentennial year. Join in the diverse array of events which are still to take place, including:

· The extraordinary The Last Overland expedition which is currently on its way from Singapore to London; · A new and exciting edition of Grand Prix Season Singapore 1322 September with artists such as Swedish House Mafia and Red Hot Chili Peppers as well as the adrenaline of the world’s first F1 night race; · New hotel openings including The Barracks Hotel Sentosa (Dec 2019) and Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore (Q1 2020), which

follow the recent re-opening of iconic 19th-century Raffles Hotel Singapore, birthplace of the Singapore Sling. What’s more, travellers can now enjoy fantastic holiday deals and savings from UK tour operators such as Trailfinders and Abercrombie & Kent in a new section on the Singapore Tourism Board website. There is still plenty of time to experience Singapore in its multicultural glory.

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Page 44 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019

PROPERTY AND REAL ESTATE

Don’t miss our Education, Training & Recruitment Section

Coverage on Pages 10 & 11!

More people are saving to pay for care in old age As the debate over how to afford the UK’s social care system intensifies, new research from AIG Life shows nearly half of adults would be willing to save into a special fund to pay for any care they might need in later life. According to finance and insurance corporation AIG Life, around 48% of adults say they would back paying into a special fund for care in later life which can be left to family when they die, making it the most popular of six options tested through the nationwide study with 3,000 adults aged 18-plus Selling homes to fund care was the least popular option – just 20% said that would be an acceptable way to fund social care.

Key findings show: • Just 11% of Brits are confident they will not need any support in old age • On average people expect they will need either care at home or in a care home after their 76th birthday AIG’s research shows adults accept they will need some form of care in later life – just 11% are confident they will not need any support in old age and on average people expect they will need either care at home or in a care home after their 76th birthday. The study among 3,000 adults tested six options including tax rises and an increase in the retirement age as potential Government solutions to the social care funding issue.

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New homes set for former industrial estate A 135-home development is to be built on a former Cradley Heath industrial estate in the West Midlands. The plan by Galliford Try Partnerships is for the former Woods Lane industrial site close to the local train station. The plan, which has been approved by Sandwell Council, includes a variety of housing types ranging from one/two bedroom apartments to three/four bedroom houses. It is anticipated that the scheme will bring regeneration and growth to an area that has historically suffered from industrial decline and will provide much-needed new homes for the Cradley Heath

area. Sandwell Council has worked for a number of years to bring forward development on the site and was previously successful in securing funding to demolish the existing industrial units, which occurred in 2016. Councillor Joanne Hadley, cabinet member for homes, said: “The development on the site demonstrates the council’s commitment to enable the delivery of new, affordable housing and ensures that Sandwell continues to become an aspirational place where people decide to live, work and raise their families. "This is a golden opportunity to use the land for house building in such a prestigious plot near the

station”. Black Country LEP board member, Chris Handy, said: "This is great news for Cradley Heath and the Black Country. "We are working in partnership with Sandwell Council and Galliford Try to ensure we deliver affordable homes encouraging more people to choose the Black Country as the place to live." James Warrington, Galliford Try Partnerships West Midlands regional managing director, added: "Working with Accord and Sandwell to secure gap funding from the Black Country LEP is a great example of partnership working to bring forward much needed new housing for the area."

Failure to switch mortgage deals may cost thousands Home owners who lapse onto their lender’s Standard Variable Rate (SVR) mortgage are paying and extra £4,500 per year for their loyalty, according to new research. The study, which comes a year after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) received the loyalty penalty super complaint, explored loyalty penalties across a number of different household bills. Gas and electricity fared the worst, after mortgages, as

failing to switch tariffs costs bill payers £269 on average, per year, the data from online mortgage broker Trussle. Those with household insurance could be overpaying by £238 per year by not switching deals. Similarly, broadband customers face an average annual premium of £192 for not switching. Meanwhile, those on a pay monthly mobile phone deal face an annual penalty of £132 for not renegotiating their deal and combined, the average annual loyalty penalty for gas and

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electricity, household insurance, broadband and mobile phone customers stands at £831. However, the loyalty penalty associated with mortgage switching inertia works out at a much higher £4,500 per year, some 540% more than the other bills combined. The firm says that the scale of the problem is illustrated by the two million borrowers who are currently sat on an SVR. This means they collectively risk missing out on £9 billion worth of savings a year by not switching to the best deal.

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019 - Page 45

BCA PRE-KNOCKDOWN GAMES

BCA hosts ‘Pre Knockdown Games’ as stadium redevelopment begins S ome 40-plus specially invited guests we amongst a large, exciting yet tearfully emotional, crowd as the ‘Pre Knockdown Games’ saw some of footballs former star names turn out to say their final ‘Good Bye’ as the bulldozers laid in wait to begin redeveloping the aging athletics venue in time for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022. The Birmingham Commonwealth Association (BCA), partnered by United Community Activity Network (UCAN) and supported by Birmingham City Council, held the Commonwealth event prior to its partial demolition and redevelopment with footballing hierarchy including; David Barnett, Tony Daley, Paul Devlin, Darren Byfield, Dennis Bailey, Darren Carter and Deon Burton just some of the star

names who turned out for this absolutely ‘final’ sporting event before the diggers roll in. With a barnstorming parade, by the Warwickshire and West Midlands Army Cadets to excite and make proud a large turn-out, the ‘kick about’ hosted by the legendary ‘Voice of Midlands Football’, Tom Ross, ‘kind of’ assisted by Ethics Committee Member at Office of the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Rebecca Hemmings and bespoke poet Dave Wilks, all was set fair for a day of fun and frivolities at this, the very last ‘hurrah’ at the home of British Athletics. BCA chair, Keith StokesSmith, said: “What a day this was, to be part of the event, with UCAN, the City Council and other partners, in celebrating something which is close to our hearts, our shared commonwealth identity – through sports, music and food.

“And, like many others”, he continued, “we (BCA) now stand ready, willing and able to support the Commonwealth Games Federation, the Commonwealth Board and Birmingham City Council in its endeavour, in its needs, in readiness for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, here in our city, a city UCAN is rightly promoting as your city – a city you should rightly be proud to declare ‘This is my city’. Birmingham 2022 gives us a fantastic platform to promote the city and wider region to the world and create opportunities for longer term investment, tourism and trade”. Continuing, he added: “Let’s give the city all our support – which UCAN and the BCA fully intend to do”. The 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games takes place between July, 27 and August 7.

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Page 46 - The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019

SPORT - WITH STEVE WILLIAMS

Olympics champ, Semenya, turns to football for solace

Reports of racist abuse ‘on the rise’

Having been cast aside by the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations), twotime Olympic 800m gold medallist Caster Semenya has joined JVW, a women’s football team South Africa. With the 28-year-old unable to compete without taking testosterone-reducing drugs following a rule change by the athletics' governing body, she couldn’t defend her 800m World Championship title in Doha – despite the fact that she is fighting the rule change through the courts. Now training with the Gautengbased women's football club, the three-time world champion, who announced in July that she would not be defending her 800m world title, cannot start playing for JVW until the 2020 season, having joined outside the country’s transfer window. The 28-year-old Olympics legend said: “I am looking forward to this new journey and am really appreciating the love and support from my new teammates”.

Statistics gathered by an anti-discrimination charity showed reports of racism in English football rose by 43% from 192 to 274 - last season with reports of faith-based discrimination - including Islamophobia and antiSemitism - rising by 75% from 36 to 63, a higher percentage than any other form of abuse during the period. Kick It Out chief, Roisin Wood, claimed: "We're seeing a lot of reports of 'go back to where you came from' which we haven't seen for a while which seems to be on the back of Brexit." It is the seventh consecutive year reported incidents of discrimination within football have increased, and the 581 total reports is more than double the figure from five years ago. "If we're seeing a rise in hate crime, the Home Office is seeing a rise in hate crime and other bodies are seeing a rise in hate crime, it's linked because that's what is going on in society at the moment," Wood added. Incidents of racism marred the 2018-19 season, with Raheem Sterling and PierreEmerick Aubameyang among several players to face abuse. Incidents this season include racist messages sent to Manchester United players Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford – following missed penalties. Chelsea, again, hit the headlines when racist trolls targeted Tammy Abraham after he missed a penalty in the Super Cup Final against Liverpool. In Italy, Romelu Lukaku was racially abused by Cagliari fans while playing for Inter Milan. He said: "We are going backwards. In Germany, Borussia Dortmund's young England striker, Jadon Sancho says "No player wants to play football and have abuse like that. It puts players’ confidence down and the love of the sport will go very soon if it doesn't stop”.

Cricket club scoops grants to boost children and ladies sessions

ricket-loving young people in the Old Hill area of Rowley Regis have been given a £2,000 grant boost – to encourage more to take up the ever-increasingly popular sport. Sandwell Council's Town Grants team has awarded the junior section of Old Hill Cricket Club a grant to provide more equipment and first aid kits for young people between the ages of five and 15 and the ladies section. The council’s local grant of £2,145 has paid for extra equipment to be used for junior and ladies section practice sessions, cricket matches and tournaments. The organisation has received the Club Mark accreditation and cricket coaches at Old Hill Cricket Club are ECB qualified and have received relevant first aid and safeguarding training. The approval of the funding will enable new cricket equipment to be purchased by Old Hill Cricket Club to be used by all youth cricket teams and

members of the ladies section. Councillor Maria Crompton, cabinet member for Safer Communities, said: "The grant encourages young people to get involved with cricket, at a time when there is a big increase in the interest in the game following England’s World Cup success. "It is important that the young cricketers get good equipment and that they have adequate first aid facilities at hand for games. Town chair for Rowley Regis, Cilr Lorraine Ashman, said: "The new equipment is a big boost for the many junior practice sessions and the competitive matches they enjoy." Mohammed Javaid, club chair, added: "We were delighted to receive the grant. To play safely you need the essential equipment which is expensive and we have used the money to provide it for our youngsters for practice sessions and matches. "We also use it for the ladies sections and for taster sessions we have been involved in with Sandwell Leisure Trust."

Ethiopia not ready to host 2020 - CHAN

The Ethiopia Football Federation (EFF) has admitted it doubts it will be ready to host the 2020 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN), with the EFF president Esayas Jira saying preparations are behind schedule. "The stadiums are not ready and next year being a (parliamentary)

election year also makes it tricky for us to host this event," Jira told BBC Sport. "I'm worried as President of the EFF because although we are still willing to host, I doubt we can be ready." Jira was voted into office last year after Caf (Confederation of

African Football) had awarded the hosting rights to Ethiopia for the tournament that is only open to locally-based players. He added that a Caf inspection team visited Ethiopia over a month ago but are yet too release their findings.

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The Phoenix Newspaper - October 2019 - Page 47

Cricket club scoops grants to boost children and ladies sessions - Page 46

BCA Pre-Knockdown Games - Page 45

Netball success rewarded with move to larger Games venue l The winning 2018 Gold Coast Team England Netball Team

irmingham 2022 has announced a change in venue for netball, following the recent growth in popularity of the sport. After a massive increase in its profile since Team England’s gold medal winning heroics on the Gold Coast in 2018 and England’s hosting of the Netball World Cup in July, the sport moves from the Coventry Indoor Arena to the NEC. The venue refresh follows on from the recent announcement that Birmingham’s iconic Edgbaston Stadium is now an official venue for Birmingham 2022, after women’s cricket was added to the sports programme. With beach volleyball added too, there are now even more sports taking place in and around the city. Liz Nicholl CBE, President of the International Netball Federation said: “We are delighted by Birmingham 2022’s decision to relocate netball for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. While Coventry Arena is an excellent venue, this move to the NEC will increase the capacity significantly.” Birmingham 2022 Chief Executive Officer, Ian Reid, said: “We are delighted to be able to relocate netball into a larger venue as this sport’s profile has massively increased since the 2017 bid.” Chief Executive (Venue) at Wasps, Stuart Cain, added: “This is a great extension and gives us the chance to work with the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games to deliver another successful rugby tournament in the region. We’re also excited to host the wrestling and judo within the Coventry Indoor Arena.” The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will be held in venues across Birmingham and the West Midlands.

Gateshead to host world class athletics from 2020 onwards

l Gateshead International Stadium will host the Müller Grand Prix

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British Athletics have confirmed that the Gateshead International Stadium will play host to the Müller Grand Prix in 2020, 2021 and 2024. The renewed partnership means world class athletics will be returning to the North East in what has become a passionate host to the sport of athletics over the years. Gateshead hosted international Grand Prix between 2003 and 2010, and

is also the only venue to have held the European Athletics Team Championships three times (1989, 2000, and most recently in 2013). Major Events Director for British Athletics, Cherry Alexander OBE said: “It’s brilliant to be returning to Gateshead International Stadium. We know how passionate their spectators are and how much they appreciate and respect the heritage of the sport.”

Leader of Gateshead Council, Martin Gannon, said: “Hosting world-class athletics events will showcase Gateshead to an international audience helping realise our ambitious plans for growth and regeneration in the next few years. Gateshead has a proud history of staging major sporting events with athletics at its heart, so we welcome the opportunity to once again work with British Athletics”.

0121 339 5885 (Birmingham)

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