City News: What’s reopening and how to navigate a new normal in the city

CITY NEWS

Central England Co-op has shared out £6,000 between four good causes in the West Midlands picnic and party as they watch the festival-style full

to ensure they can continue their vital community work during the Coronavirus outbreak.

A wide range of charities and community organisations in Lichfield, Burton and Rugeley were delighted to receive the funding boost during these uncertain

setting adhering to the Government’s current social

times. The money will now be spent by charities and organisations to ensure that events, activities and support that otherwise might have been postponed or cancelled can still go ahead and provide a vital boost to the local community.

Lichfield-based Foresters Scout Group has been handed £2,500 to buy tents for youngsters to use when they are allowed to meet up together again. Memberled Friends 2 Friends, in Lichfield, will use £1,000 to buy laptops and computers to help people in the area increase communication and social skills. Belvedere Park Junior Football Club has been handed £2,000 to help pay for fencing around its facilities in an effort to deter ongoing vandalism and Rugeley Community project to help youngsters impacted by holiday hunger with a £500 donation.

DIVORCED, BEHEADED, DRIVE - IN CONCERT

The international smash-hit SIX is coming to Brum as a Drive In summer show allowing audiences to length show live from their own dedicated area next to their vehicle.

Designed to comply with all official guidelines, boasting concert quality sound from a live stage with a full state of the art sound system, lighting rig and high definition LED screens, audiences will enjoy an arena or stadium concert feel in a safe Drive-In

Church will be able to support its fit and fed family

distancing rules to protect fans, artists, crews and staff at all times.

From Tudor Queens to Pop Princesses, the six wives of Henry VIII take to the mic in SIX to tell their tales, remixing 500 years of historical heartbreak into a 75-minute celebration of 21st century girl power. These Queens may have green sleeves but their lipstick is rebellious red.

Tickets go on sale from 8AM Friday 3 July at theticketfactory.com

BUNS AT THE READY! THE UK’S NUMBER ONE BAKING EVENT IS REOPENING

having fun and immerse themselves in the full cooking experience.

The award winning team behind the Big Bakes are reopening their famous baking marquees from July 4th and it just so happens that their venues are the perfect socially distant day out.

Since launching in 2017, The Big Bakes has welcomed over 60,000 customers to their unique baking events, and this Summer will be no different. With all the hassle handled by them, bakers can just focus on

With 12 separate baking stations, a light and airy marquee and all the kit ready for you on arrival, you can put those new found baking skills to the test whilst having a day out with friends and family. The award-winning baking experience is led by a team of professional patisserie chefs, who guide budding bakers with cooking and creativity tips whilst supplying all essential ingredients needed to create their ultimate baking creations.

Everything from the ingredients, decorations and aprons to all the hand sanitiser and face masks you could possibly need is supplied. To book your baking experience visit www.thebigbirminghambake.com

With pupils beginning to return to class, West Midlands mental health charity Living Well UK is warning of the wellbeing impacts of navigating a ‘new normal’ for kids, with signs of stress starting to show around Covid-19.

Qualified Children and Young People IAPT therapist at Living Well UK, Emma Lee, wants to ensure that children are taking care of their mental health and wellbeing in these ever-changing and confusing circumstances as they return to education. To help, Emma has pulled together her essential tips that could be crucial in giving young people extra support and guidance:

Point One Covid-19 has had a huge impact on the mental health of adults in ways which no one has experienced before, but for children and teenagers, the pandemic presents a whole new challenge that will likely be outside their range of understanding. As a result, many may find it difficult to recognise and deal with the accompanying emotions that are completely new to them, leading to a change in routine or habits.

Emma comments: “Going back to school will be a huge change for them with the introduction of social distancing, so try to avoid stressful situations before leaving for the day. If you do find that your child is upset in the mornings, try to encourage them to go to school, as avoiding it for a longer period of time could only further increase their stresses and worries.

“There are various ways in which you can help your child to navigate these emotions, but keeping a calm approach in both your body language and tone of voice is essential, as well as ensuring that they have a routine to give them a sense of normality.” Point Two With this new range of emotions during these troubling times, educating your children about what they are can help normalise these feelings. There are plenty of resources from books to apps to help children and young adults deal with their feelings. Emma explains: “Some adults heavily rely on meditation apps like Headspace and Mindfulness and these can also be incredibly helpful to teenagers who might find themselves returning to schools. For younger children, there are books available that your child might find comfort in, including ‘The Huge Bag of Worries’ and ‘How Big Are Your Worries Little Bear’.

“It’s just as important that you’re learning as a parent too, so you can also educate yourself on how to support your child, by reading books filled with top tips. And, if you’re looking for a different approach, you could also treat your child to a Worry Monster, which acts as a comforter and even has a zip pocket for them to conceal their worries and fears.”

Point Three “Your child could become upset or angry about things that might not bother them normally, resulting in them crying, shouting or snapping at others. If you have a younger child, you might find that they begin to regress, for example, they begin to behave in ways they have outgrown – talking or wanting to play in a ‘baby’ manner or wetting the bed again.

“If you feel like your child might need extra support, there’s always the option of seeking out specialist help if the methods that you’ve already tried haven’t had the desired effect, and your child is continuing to experience these emotions after being back at school for some time. Equally, you could also talk to your GP or seek guidance from the school nurse or counsellor.” THE EVER ADAPTING EVENTS INDUSTRY

As an event management Company, there have been many times that we’ve had to adapt to accommodate current climates and our client needs, but adapting to a new normal due to the global COVID-19 pandemic has certainly been a new challenge writes Emma Jones, MD of AllinAll Events.

AllinAll Events is a Birmingham based event management Company and we work with businesses across the country in producing, managing and delivering their events and vision. From receiving a brief from a client, we work with them on the journey transforming their vision into a reality. For the last two years, we have had the pleasure in working with the Birmingham Law Society in supporting them with the delivery of the annual Legal Awards and Annual Dinner.

The current normality for the events industry is virtual events, in the past few months we’ve delivered conferences, awards dinners and more all via virtual platforms such as Zoom. They remain engaging to the delegates, provide the information required to be delivered, profile all sponsors and much more.

There is talk as whether virtual events will be the future, but we feel that there is nothing better than the atmosphere and excitement of the live, real thing. Whether that be an awards dinner, a festival, a conference or a charity dinner, the buzz of the real thing can’t be beaten. Live events will be safe to take place in due course, but until then virtual is definitely the safest way forward.

If you don’t know where to start with a virtual event for your Company, or want to forward plan for your live event for 2021, we’re here to help, please get in contact to arrange a free video consultation: emma@all-in-all.co.uk

OPINION

ARE YOU SICK AND TIRED OF THE ‘R’ WORD?

The end of another week in lockdown, how was it for you? Are you fighting for band width with your household and having the cat strut over your key pad only to show your client their delightful bottom? No? Well then you are doing better than me writes Rebecca Mander of Guru You Coaching.

As you know, we don’t like to clog up your inbox with ‘news’ letters and there is so much noise right now I try hard not to add to it, but when a theme such as resilience keeps coming up for my clients,I feel compelled to comment!

Last week a company director confessed...“If I hear that bloody word one more time!..” Of course he was relating to the word resilience. What it means for him and his team are not the same thing. What it means to you and I are different so who are we to judge what is resilient or not?

During my own setbacks I have been told I am strong and resilient but what makes it appear that way? I may have coped well because I had aunties on tap to help, a loving partner, an understanding boss, great team working with me and the ability to outsource housework. I am the queen of delegation (My little brother would say ‘bossy’) and I am not afraid to ask for help. When I stood in the hospital after Charlie died, I knew I had a choice. Recently when I had to bury my father during COVID and face not having a ceremony, I knew I had a choice. If we are response-able we are therefore in a position to make a difference. But not everyone is aware they have a choice, not everyone has aunties or an understanding boss. Not everyone is confident enough to ask for help.

Would it be fair then to compare me with someone else going through setback without the same level of support and experience who as a result may be showing signs of stress? Aren’t we all being as resilient as we know how to be given our frame of reference, environment and experience?

Everyone is coping the best way they know how within the parameters set by the organisation, and possibly without tools or know how to support the strength of mind and creativity that getting through setback demands.

• Do you know your strengths?

• Have you got an encouraging support network?

• Do you celebrate your successes? • Do you take time out for yourself?

• Do you find you are optimistic about the future?

• Are your expectations realistic?

• Do you feel you have a choice?

If the answer to two or more of these questions is “no”, then see what you can do to address the balance to help you bounce back from setback more easily.

As I said, I am finding this a common theme with my clients... No one ever sets out to lack resilience!

We can never assume someone is not resilient because of what we see on the surface or simply in the workplace. When we ask our team member to be more resilient are we helping them get there or throwing the ball into their court dissolving ourselves of all responsibility? We need to offer tools and support or else we are no different to a doctor telling a patient with depression to pull themselves together!

I would love to know your thoughts on this. If you would like a virtual cuppa to discuss how you can help yourself or someone else in your team with the ‘R’ word, then email: rebecca@ guruyoucoach.com

OPINION

Will Aid is an annual campaign that takes place every November. Founded in 1988 by solicitors inspired by Live Aid, it is designed to reinforce the need for everyone to have a will drawn-up by a professional solicitor while raising vital funds for the lifechanging work of nine of the UK’s leading charities at the same time.

Participating solicitors offer some of their time to write basic wills, waiving their usual fee and instead invite clients to make a voluntary donation to Will Aid.

Demand for Will Aid continues to increase year on year and sadly, so does the demand for the vital support the nine partner charities provide to those in need here in the UK and around the world. Last year alone there were tens of thousands of will-maker enquiries and we didn’t have enough solicitors to fulfil them, resulting in a loss of vital funds.

In 2020 we are expecting unprecedented interest from potential will-makers following the COVID-19 outbreak which has prompted a surge in the number of people looking to get their paperwork in order to protect their loved ones.

The COVID-19 outbreak has also had a devastating impact on the finances of our 9 charities, with events and shops having to be cancelled and closed, which has had a detrimental impact on their ability to supporting the vulnerable people and communities they work with.

To meet the expected demand of will-makers and to continue to raise vital funds for our partner charities, we need more solicitors to sign up and take part in this year’s campaign.

By volunteering your time and expertise to Will Aid, you can help change lives for the better, both here in the UK and around the world. The scheme needs more solicitors in the Birmingham area to meet demand, so sign up today!

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

Since 1988, Will Aid has enabled the legal profession to raise over £21 million for good causes and helped more than 300,000 people to make their wills. It has also helped raise millions in pledged legacies.

But it’s not just about raising much needed funds, Will Aid is great for business and is a fantastic opportunity to give back to your community. Participating solicitors say that Will Aid has not only helped them with generating positive local publicity, but it has also introduced them to valuable new clients. You can read about how they have benefited from the scheme on the website: https://www.willaid.org.uk/ solicitors/case-studies professional locally and nationally and we have a team of PR professionals involved behind the scenes to facilitate this.

Mayflower Solicitors from Birmingham has taken part in Will Aid for the last four years. Andrew Thomas from the firm said: “We are very excited to be involved in Will Aid. It gives us an excellent opportunity to reach people in our community who do not have a will and help them to protect their loved ones for the future. It also means we can raise funds for nine incredible charities which make a huge difference to millions of vulnerable people both here in the UK and around the world.”

Most of the solicitors who take part use our template press releases and expert contacts and guidance to celebrate their success in the media.

Others use their connection with Will Aid on their publicity materials, emails and websites, helping the community identify them as generous, responsible companies.

Will Aid generates a lot of positive media attention – and that can only be good for business. And when you register we provide you with a whole range of publicity material to help you with your PR.

SIGN UP NOW!

The simple initiative is easy to sign up to and you can pledge as much or as little time as you want.

The Will Aid team carries out all the admin associated with the donations so there is no complicated paperwork or VAT for you to deal with.

As part of the Will Aid programme the solicitors waive the fee for writing a basic will or pair of mirror wills and instead, clients are just asked to make a voluntary donation to Will Aid.

Any additional work to the will can be charged separately and is paid to the legal firm. To donate your time and skills to Will Aid, please sign up online today: https://www.willaid.org.uk/solicitors/ register and the team will send you the information to participate in the scheme this November.

If you have any questions about the scheme or want to talk it through before signing up, please contact the publicity team on pr@willaid.org.uk

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