Tamworth Blog

This weekend is the third weekend of the Let’s Go Outside programme organised by Tamworth Borough Council.  The Let’s Go Outside programme is a series of event in the town centre at the weekend.

The event, which is sponsored by Ankerside Shopping Centre extends the traditional bandstand programme to incorporate the canopy and Castle Grounds.  Events throughout the summer include Orienteering, Salsa Dances, and much much more.

This weekends events are:-

Saturday 25th July: Street Dance – Upper Lawn

Street Dynamix is a group of friends who live in the midlands who participate in the “art form”, “discipline” and “sport” known as Parkour/Free Running. They have been participating in this quickly developing phenomenon for over four years. From its roots in the suburbs of Paris this new concept of complete freedom of movement has taken the world by storm and has revolutionised the extreme sports scene.

(l to r) Emily Howitt, manager of plumbers’ merchants Graham in Burton-upon-Trent, Peter Holliday, Chief Executive of St Giles Hospice and Steve Cowles, manager of Builders’ merchants Jewson of Tamworth pictured on the site where the new In-Patient Unit at St Giles Hospice will be

Tamworth’s branch of Jewsons, the builders’ merchants have teamed up with St Giles Hospice as part of the nationwide “Together” campaign.

The “Together” campaign which was launched in 2002 by the local firms parent company Saint-Gobain Building Distribution (SGBD) and has already raised £1.6million for Hospices around the country. It is hoped that this year will be the best yet.

Jewson of Tamworth already have plans including the branch manager dying his hair, the assistant manager doing a sky dive and a sweepstake.

Manager Steve Cowles said of the events:

“Everyone here is very enthusiastic about taking part in ‘Together’ and making a difference to local hospice care,” he explains, “and so I have agreed to have my hair dyed the colours of the football team which wins out ‘Jewson of Tamworth League’.

“Each team scores a point for every £1 donation it attracts, and so I could well end up with my hair in Aston Villa’s claret and blue colours, or Wolves’ gold and black. Personally I’m a Norwich City fan, and so unfortunately I’ll be urging donors to turn my hair green and yellow.”

Peter Holliday, Chief Executive of St Giles Hospice and Chairman of the Help the Hospices Advisory Council, says:

“We’re really excited about the partnership. Our carers and patients are extremely grateful for the support offered by local businesses, which can be as straightforward as a donation towards nursing care or volunteering time to help with serving meals, gardening or redecorating. However they choose to support us, they’ll be able to see the difference being made in the community with their own eyes.”

The local building merchants support is particularly fitting for St Giles Hospice, which is building a new 27-bed IPU to replace the existing 18-bed facility at Whittington and extend significantly the hospice’s specialist care for people who are living with cancer and other serious illnesses. Work on the facility began in July 2008.