Tamworth Blog

Circus Starr arrives in Tamworth on Bank Holiday Sunday 2nd May 2010 to raise both smiles and money for St Giles Hospice.

The circus is a magical mix of top flight acrobatics, breathtaking balancing and non-stop comedy.

It’s laughter all the way with the hilarious antics of Duo Delbosq whose infectious style of physical comedy knows no boundaries of language or age when it comes to pure entertainment.

The outstanding Argentinean Gaucho, as featured on the Paul O’Grady Show, with the famed Bolas Dance of Courage set to wow any audience.

The Julio Troupe from Bulgaria once again returns with their thrilling acrobatics. Their springboard acrobatics will have people on the edge of their seats with excitement and the Russian Swing seems to enable them to defy gravity.
In addition Tracy Jones brings grace, skill and sheer beauty to the world class line up with her international acclaimed Corde Lisse act.

Circus Starr occupies a unique position in British circus by raising thousands of pounds for local charities with the advance sales of show tickets to local businesses.

The donations from those sales go towards specialised equipment for hospitals and hospices.
Since proudly taking to the road 23 years ago, Circus Starr has raised more than £2 million for local charities.

The circus will be in Tamworth, Castle Pleasure Grounds, with two shows at 2pm and 5pm.

Sport Relief Mile

It’s that time of year again, Sport Relief is just around the corner and the Sainsbury’s sponsored Sport Relief Mile is back at the Castle Grounds.

On Sunday March 21 the Castle Grounds will play host to a 6, 3 and 1 mile run all in aid of the Sport Relief charity.  The 6 mile run will begin at 11am with the 3 mile run starting at 12 noon and the 1 mile runs starting at 1pm and 2pm.  The event is part of the Sport Relief weekend which takes place the weekend of 19 March thru to March 21.

Councillor Jeremy Oates said:

“The Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile in Tamworth is here and it’s your time to shine.  From teeny-tots with their mums and dads, to super sprinters up against the clock there’s something for everyone on the big day – whether you do 1, 3 or 6 miles.  Best of all, the money you raise by getting sponsored will be used to transform lives forever.  So come on Tamworth, rise to the challenge!”

The money raised by the events off the weekend will be used to help those who are poor abnd vulnerable both in the UK and abroad.  To register for the Sport Relief mile simply visit the Sport Relief website and ensure to register for the Tamworth Mile.

Work on the Skate Park

Skateboarders of Tamworth are eagerly awaiting the completion of their new Skate Park which is now taking shape on the Castle Grounds in Tamworth.

The Skate park will be moving from it’s current home between the Strykers Car park and the river to a new home on one of the old Tennis courts.

The move has been facilitated by a group of enthusiasts who along with the Council are now seeing their plans take shape.

The old skatepark is located on a flood plain and in the (all to often) event of heavy rain, it regularly floods.  It is also hidden away, out of the way of the towns CCTV footage, which has led to the park attracting some unwanted visitors who don’t want to skate, simply want to use the facilities for hanging around.  This lead to many parents not allowing those who wanted to skate to use the facility.

The new site will have many benefits for those who like their wheeled sports.  Not only will it be safer as it’s in a highly visible location with coverage from the towns CCTV system, but it is allowing the park to use concrete which provides a better skating surface.

Michael Dryburgh, speaking to us at Tamworth Blog said:

“Two of the main reasons for us moving was location and safety.  The existing park which regularly floods meant when it was built it was built with materials that could withstand that much water.  Ideally the park would be built from Concrete, but that doesn’t deal with lots of water to well.

“The new park is being built on the old tennis courts, thanks to the Council who suggested the location. We can now use concrete to build the features as well as provide peace of mind to users.

“The old park was blighted with non desirables who used it as an area to drink and cause nuisance due to it being well hidden from CCTV and passers by.  Many days boarders couldn’t use it because of glass on the ground.

“The new park will open early next year, with a grand opening in the summer.”

Michael has been keeping users up to date with the building progress on the Facebook Page, this week he also recorded a video showing the progress.  (A little warning that there is a little bit of swearing in the video)

Michael will also be providing updates through the Blog as the project progresses.

Christmas Toys at Market - Pic: Patrick Lauke

St Giles Hospice are holding their first festive Plod in the Castle Grounds this Christmas, giving families the opportunity to get outdoors and enjoy some festive fun whilst raising much needed cash for the hospice.

The Christmas Pudding Plod is suitable for all ages and takes place in the Castle Grounds on Sunday December 20, starting at 10.30am.  Whilst the emphasis will be on enjoying time as a family and enjoying it, entrants will be able to complete the 2.5 mile course at the pace they wish.  With Christmas only being 5 days away, there will be prizes for the best seasonal fancy dress costume.

Everyone who takes part will receive a Christmas Pudding, getting them in the festive spirit.

Helen Relihan, Head of Fundraising for St Giles Hospice, says:

“Taking part in the Christmas Pudding Plod is the perfect way to get some fresh air and exercise and have some fun with the family this Christmas.

“It’s also a great way to raise money for a really good cause and every penny we collect will go directly towards caring for local people with cancer and serious illnesses.

“So bring your family and friends to Castle Gardens on the last Sunday before Christmas and help spread some seasonal cheer. The more the merrier!”

For those who feel a little more energetic and want to pre-empt running of the Christmas Turkey, there is the 5 mile Ruddolph Run, which takes place on the same course but begins at 9am on the same day.

Those looking to take part in the event should register with St Giles Hospice by giving them a call on 01543 432 538.  Entry is £10 for adults and £5 for children under 16.  All those who take part are encouraged to raise additional money through sponsorship.

Tamworth Blog will be there to get some pictures of the festivities.

We here at Tamworth Blog have done some searching to see how many people got their phones out and recorded some of the fireworks events from Saturday (November 7) from the Castle Grounds.

One of our friends from Lichfield Blog was in the crowd and even live Streamed a huge portion of the display, his results are below:

Other Tamworthians who attended the event have throughout the past two days been uploading their videos to YouTube, a selection of which can be found by clicking here and going to the Event Page on Facebook.

Did you attend the fireworks this weekend in Castle Grounds?  If you did then your Tamworth Blog needs you…

We were busy filming the event so you guys could watch it back (click here to watch our video), but, because we were videoing it, we were unable to take any photos.

We have seen plenty of photos on the Castle Grounds and Fireworks Spectacular Event Page on Facebook and we would like to share them with the world and our hundreds of daily readers here on Tamworth Blog.

We have setup a Tamworth Firework Spectacular Group on FlickR (which is free to sign up to and share your photos).  Simply add your photos to our group and they will be shown in the slideshow above. There are some great photos out there and we would love for you to share them with the rest of the community.

If you have any questions on how to upload them and share them then please email us at blog@tamworthblog.co.uk.

Saturday November 7 saw Tamworth’s Firework Spectacular in the Castle Ground.  In it’s 2nd year since it’s reintroduction, Tamworth Borough Council laid on an evening of Fireworks and entertainment for the town’s people.  Best of all, for FREE of charge.

The Fireworks were once again unbelievable and again set to music as they were in 2008.  Hits this year included Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars, Killers and Travis.

1,000’s of people descended on the  Castle Grounds to see the Fireworks and entertainment beforehand from dance troupe, Urban Fusion Dance Crew and the fire eater entertainers.

The fireworks as last year were launched by Dragon Fireworks and the 17 minute display surpassed last years.  This year though, we were fortunate enough through some assistance with Castle staff to record the fireworks from the Tower on Tamworth Castle.  Giving us a birds eye view of the fireworks, so we could all relieve the event.  The video can be found below.

Tamworth Firework Extravaganza 2009 from Warren Free on Vimeo.

So what were your thoughts about the fireworks?  Did you enjoy them?

Congratulations to all at Tamworth Borough Council for once again bringing so many people together in the Castle Grounds to enjoy the event.

Live coverage from Tamworth Lives Tweeting at the Tamworth Fireworks Spectacular

Thanks for following us.

Urban Fusion Dance Crew - Pic: TBC

The Urban Fusion Dance Crew will be performing before the eagerly anticipated Tamworth Firework Spectacular.

The dance crew which have been dubbed as Tamworth’s answer to Diversity will be performing a range of dances between 7pm and the beginning of the fireworks, keeping the thousands expected to descend on the Castle Grounds entertained before the start of the firework display.

The UFBC is made up of people aged from 4 through 26, was setup a year ago by Professional Dance teacher, Lucy Turner, will be showing their latest choreographed moves with the use of white gloves and neon paint.

Lucy said:

“My ultimate aim is to encourage so many young people into Street Dance in the Tamworth area. It promotes confidence, a healthy lifestyle and most of all enjoyment. Keeping young people active an engaged in activities out of school is my main priority… especially when they perform at large scale events such as this one… it’s the most rewarding job in the world… I am very proud of each and everyone of my members”.

So to catch UFDC and the Fire Eater’s, be sure to get to Tamworth Castle Grounds early.  Tamworth Borough Council are expecting more people than last year, especially with the weather being forecast as fair (see the MetCheck report here).  Last year saw some 12,000 people brave the bad weather to see Tamworth’s first Firework Spectacular in decades.

Tamworth Blog will be there, photos from the event and also video of the firework display will be posted on Tamworth Blog exclusively early next week.   We will also open up a FlickR photo group for you to share your photos of the Fireworks with everyone who reads the blog. On top of this, we will also be live tweeting from the event using our @TamworthLive account.  See you there.

Autumn is here and the leaves are changing and turning Tamworth into a place of beauty. We here at Tamworth Blog decided to take a trip around the Castle Grounds and take some photos of the changing scenery.

OK, so it isn’t really news, but shows how beautiful our town can be when you stop and appreciate the surroundings.

With half term here and plenty of budding photographers in Tamworth, we welcome you to add photos to the above selection by adding to our FlickR group here.  We’ll then get them published in the above show.  Happy photo taking.