Tamworth Blog

Sweets - Pic: Louise Paisley

Go back in time as you step into Mr Simms sweet shop that has opened next to Scoop charity shop in Tamworth.

Your eyes will be wide making you feel a child again. Shelves reaching high of many jars which have chilhood memorys the mouth once enjoyed.

The outside, with its tall and slim black sign in grand victorian letters, tempting you into Mr Simms sweet world.

Sherbet lemons, jelly babys, black jacks, gobstoppers so big takes you weeks to suck them down to a size to put them in mouth.

Walk in and your memorys will came flooding back.  I’ll guarentee you won’t walk out empty handed.

Crafts Time Group will be holding a craft event on Saturday 27th February, 2010 between 10am and 4pm
Entry 50p at the Phil Dix Centre, with all proceeds in going to the ST GILES HOSPICE.

ST Giles are a registered charity offering high-quality specialist medical and nursing care for people with cancer and other serious illnesses as well as providing support for their families and helpers.

The dedicated team provides individually-tailored care either at the hospice or in patients’ own homes across the region.

The range of specialist services is provided free of charge to all who need it. Although St Giles receives some funding from the Government, the charity relies heavily on donations and fundraising.

The hospice began its life at the former vicarage of St Giles Church in Whittington in 1983, when the then vicar the Reverend Paul Brothwell became concerned at the level of care given to terminally-ill patients in local hospitals.

Today, St Giles is a centre of excellence and one of the best-known and most respected charities in the region, with over 150 staff, 900 volunteers, thirteen charity shops, the most successful hospice lottery in the UK, and £4 million spent on providing care every year.

If you are in Tamworth town centre and are able to pop in on the day, that would be great, if not and you would like to support the event, please send your donation to :
9 Leonard House, 14 Silver Street, Tamworth, Staffs B79 7NH.

For more information contact Sue Flint Tel on – 07980650038

Pancakes - Pic: Gwyn Fisher

Tamworth is the place to be for panacke fun on Tuesday 16th February 2010 starting 12noon at the Peel Status, Market Street, Tamworth.

Tamworth Rotary Club are holding a fun day to celebrate pancake day which this year falls on February 16th just after Valentines day.

Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday (the Tuesday which falls 41 days before Easter) is the traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday.

Lent – the 40 days leading up to Easter – was traditionally a time of fasting, and on Shrove Tuesday Christians went to confession and were “shriven” (absolved from their sins). It was the last opportunity to use eggs and fats before embarking on the Lenten fast and pancakes are the perfect way of using up these ingredients.

Some parts of Britain celebrate the day with pancake races. The oldest and most famous is held at Olney in Buckinghamshire. The race is run over 415 yards by women aged sixteen or older. They must flip their pancake in the frying pan at least three times during the race. The winner receives a kiss from the Pancake Bell Ringer – church bells were traditionally rung to remind parishioners to come to confession – and a prayer book from the vicar.

Fancy dress of your choice is optional and all proceeds will be going to local charitys plus Tamworth Rotary Club.

For entry forms and more details – RTN Doreen Boothman on 01543 – 473617 or tamworthrotary@btinternet.com

River Anker - Pic: Paulette Sedgwick.

Multi Agency River Clean up of Tamworth Town Centre Water Ways involving Tamworth Borough Council, Sea scouts, Fire Service, Police,Street Wardens (TBC), Street Scene(TBC),Environment Agency, The Angling Trust, HSBC Volunteers, Staffordshire Youth Service and more.

Anyone wishing to volunteer for the day meet at Holloway Car Park 9.30am for registration and health and safety brief.

Main activities will include litter picking, helping collate items recovered from the river, scrub clearance, information awareness on litter, fly tipping and pollution plus more plenty for everyone.
It will be a good day drinks provided, people are asked to dress appropriatley.

Traffic Madness in Tamworth on Friday Jan 29 - Pic: Paulette Sedgwick

Tamworth has come to a standstill this morning (Friday January 29), unable to go down Albert Road or Lower Gungate as its shut untill end of March 2010.

Traffic at lunch time goes past the courts, police station and around Aldergate, with inpatient drivers attacking there horns because nothing is moving.

Even though the National grid and South Staffordshire Water acknowledge there will be some disruption with the roads being closed, they said all access to business and properties will remain unaffected and will be accessible at all times.

Work is being carried out on the gas mains wotj contractors working to replace the pipes.  The work is expected to continue untill March 2010, ontop of this, as part of the on going mains rehabilitation programme, the water mains and service pipes in Albert Road and Lower Gungate are having restoration work. The work will last for 4 weeks.

Street parking bays may be temporarily suspended so that a safe working area for pedestrians and crew are maintained. At times, traffice will then be reduced to a single lane working to provide access for working space. During these times temporary traffice signals will be in use.

South Staffs said, ‘

“We will try to complete this necessary work as quickly as possible and keep any distruption to a minimum. Our liasion staff will be on site to assist and advice anyone during the duration of the works. The work carried out is essential to sercure the supply of clean and healthy water for the future”.

Anyone with questions or require information regarding the work being carried out can contact Peter Hanson the Customer Liasion Officer on 07702 759666.

Any issues relating to South Staffs water or the water mains replacement thats being carried out can contact Lee Webster on 07855 437751

Traffic Cones - Pic: Ian Britton

National Grid will be commencing work to replace existing gas mains and services in public roads with a polyethelene pipe to comply with regulation’s imposed by Health and Safety Executive on week commencing 21st January 2010 until 31st March 2010

Replacement of gas mains in Albert Road and Lower Gungate in Tamworth.

As a Gas Transporter, National Grid has powers to replace the main without the need to acquire consent from owners or landlords. These are set out in the Gas Act Schedule that deal with powers to break up streets in relation to any street which has been laid out wheather adopted or privately owned.

Leaflets have been delivered to propertys in Albert Road and Lower Gungate giving under law 7 days notice before work commences plus a road sign is at the end of Albert Road.

All the reinstatement work will be compliant with both New Roads and Street Works Act stipulations and Gas Act obligations to reinstate all disturbed services to condition existing prior to entry being taken.

If you require more information in relation to this matter please contact there call centre 0800 521 660

At a meeting on 1 December 2009 Cabinet members discussed the council’s bi-annual off Car park street parking charges which are due to increase in the New Year.

Councillor Boughton Said

“Given the current economic climate, the increase in parking charge is unfortunately inevitable”

“We have delayed the increase for as long as possible as we did not want the increase to hit people before Christmas. Every two years the parking charges are assessed to make sure that we are covering any costs and the recession has had a knock on effect causing many organisations to face difficult financial decisions. Although the prices are set to rise we are still offering value for money and keeping prices down as low a possible compared to other councils in the region and privately run car parks.”

Car Park Location and Notification of Increased Parking Charges Effective Monday 4 January 2010
Location

Tariff from 4 January 2010
Short Stay Car Parks
Charging Period 8am – 6pm
Monday – Saturday
Aldergate
BolebridgeIsland(Odeon)
Spinning School Lane
Church Lane
Lower Gungate
Up to 2 hrs £1.20
Up to 3 hrs £1.70
Up to 4 hrs £2.00
All Day £5.00
Disabled Parking with blue badge free
Mill Lane
Hospital Street Short Stay
Holloway
Up to ½ hr 50p
Up to 2 hrs £1.20
Disabled Parking with blue badge free

Long Stay car Parks
Charging Period 8am – 6pm
Monday – Saturday
Marmion Street
Albion Street
Hospital Street Long Stay
Up to 4 hrs £2.00
Over 4 hrs £4.00
Disabled Parking with blue badge free
Jolly Sailor
Riverdrive
All Day £2.50
Disabled Parking with blue badge free

Disabled Parking only
Assembly Rooms Car Park, Corporation Street
Blue badge holders only
24 hours per day

Season Tickets
Business Passes (Long Stay ONLY)
Marmion Street, Albion Street, Hospital Street Long Stay
Jolly Sailor, Riverdrive
Annual £440
Six Month £225
Quarterly £130

Town Centre Resident Passes (Restricted postcodes only) All Car parks
Annual £165
Six Month £85

An early Christmas present for Tamworth motorists may be in store with Tamworth Borough Council cabinet members discussing free parking in the town centre for the two Saturdays before Christmas, making getting those final gifts that little bit easier.

The suspension of parking charges on the next two Saturdays (December 12 and 19) will be discussed at the next cabinet meeting this Thursday (December 10).

Leader of the Council, Councillor Bruce Boughton said:

“The idea behind the change is so that people can get real value from the free parking.

“Saturday is usually the busiest shopping day and we want to give our local businesses a boost as well. Traditionally we choose the two days before Christmas but I know that most people have already finished their Christmas shopping by then and we want people to really feel the benefits of this gift from the council.”

It’s not all great news though, at the same meeting the cabinet will be discussing the rise of parking charges across the town, which happens every 2 years and this year will see a rise in the charges to use the Council run off-street car parks.

Councillor Boughton commented:

“Given the current economic climate, the increase in parking charge is unfortunately inevitable.

“We have delayed the increase for as long as possible as we did not want the increase to hit people before Christmas. Every two years the parking charges are assessed to make sure that we are covering any costs and the recession has had a knock on effect causing many organisations to face difficult financial decisions. Although the prices look set to rise we are still offering value for money and keeping prices down as low a possible compared to other councils in the region and privately run car parks.”

We will publish information on whether parking at the Borough Council run car parks will be free the next two weekends as well as information about next years increases.

So were you in Tamworth Town Centre last night for the big Christmas Light Switch On? If you were? Are you in the photos below?

The Christmas Lights were switched on by Joshua Reeve who won a competition in local newspaper Tamworth Herald. Joshua was joined on the stage by Mayor of Tamworth, Cllr Gerry Pinner and special guest, Father Christmas who had come all the way to Tamworth especially for the lights switch on.

The town centre was packed with numerous events on at the same time, including a Christmas Fayre in both the Castle and Assembly Rooms, live entertainment under the canopy in St Editha’s Square and the Christmas Tree Festival in St Editha’s chruch proved a hit with people browsing the tree’s and getting out the cold.

Wherever you was in Tamworth there was something going on, George Street saw Street Dynamix entertain the teenagers who were in town, this roving reporter got caught at the cash point as they setup.

What was good was that many of the shops remained open, Co-Op, The Works, Costa Coffee, and Interflora to name a few remained open for the waves of people.

At 8pm, Santa Clause appeared as if by magic to join Joshua and the Mayor on stage, ready to light up Tamworth. The lights came on then Tamworth Ladies Choir led the crowd in a selection of Carols, accompanied by the Amington Band.

More feedback and stories from the event will be on the blog tomorrow. If you would like any photos please contact us.

You can also view the photos on our Facebook Fan Page, click here.

We are slowly uploading all the photos from last nights Christmas Lights Switch on in Tamworth.  We will have these posted shortly. In the meantime, here are a small selection of photos from last night.

Christmas Pudding Making in the Castle

Pupils from Millfields Primary School with their Tree in St Editha's Church

The Christmas Lights are Switched on

The Christmas Lights up George Street

Keep an eye on Tamworth Blog for more photos from last nights festivities which will be posted this afternoon.