New Mayor of Solihull
It was a pleasure to meet up again with the new Mayor of Solihull, Councillor Annette Mackenzie in her parlour in Solihull. Mayor Annette is a former Police officer and she also worked in the Prison service as a family counsellor and so we had a number of topics of mutual interest. I look forward […]
Visit to Wolverhampton Magistrates Court
I had a very interesting and informative day in the Magistrates Court in Wolverhampton, hosted by Steven Cartlidge JP. I spent time in each of the four Courts that were operating on the day and had conversations with 2 of the Judges and a few of the JPs who were hearing a range of different […]
West Midlands Fire Service Cadets
I had a super afternoon at Sutton Coldfield Fire Station observing and presenting prizes at the inaugural games for branches of West Midlands Fire Service Cadets. The Cadets undertook a series of challenges directly linked to the work of the Fire Service and congratulations to all the participants, but particularly Wolverhampton Branch who were the […]
Visit to West Midlands Fire Service
I had the great pleasure of meeting the Chief Fire Officer, Simon Tuhill at WMFS Head Quarters in Nechells today. WMFS operates 70 vehicles from 38 stations across the County and employs just under 2,000 people. We talked about the 3 key pillars of the Strategy 2024 -27 around Prevention, Protection and Response and I […]
New Mayor of Dudley
It was great to catch up with the new Mayor of Dudley Councillor Pete Lee as well as his Deputy Mayor, Councillor Mushtaq Hussain. I explained the history and role and responsibilities of the High Sheriff and we discussed areas of mutual interest as we embark on our year’s in office. In particular we have […]
Serendipity Arts Festival Closing Concert
It was a real pleasure to attend the Closing Concert of The Serendipity Arts Festival ( mini Birmingham Version ) at Symphony Hall. “Thumri in the Chamber” featured a supergroup of Indian vocalists and instrumentalists bringing a fresh perspective to one of Hindustani music’s most cherished traditions. It is hoped to bring a full version […]
Visit to the Birmingham Civil and Family Justice Centre
I had an extremely informative and enjoyable visit to the Birmingham Civil and Family Justice Centre based in the Priory Courts. BCFJC is the largest business centre for Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service in the Midlands and houses 59 hearing rooms including Courtrooms. It covers a very wide range of civil cases including the […]
Visit of HRH The Duchess of Gloucester to the Edmonds Transplant Centre
Together with the Lord-Lieutenant and the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Birmingham, Amanda and I were honoured to welcome Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester to officially open the Edmonds Transplant Centre at the QE Hospital. The QE is one of Europe’s busiest organ transplant centres and it was a real pleasure to […]
New Lord Mayor of Coventry
I was honoured to attend the Annual meeting of Coventry City Council which was held at Coventry Cathedral and included a Celebration of the Commencement of the new Lord Mayoralty for 2025 -26. Councillor Rachel Lancaster gave an inspiring inaugural Mayoral speech in which her passion for the city shone through. In addition the outgoing […]
Aston Villa End of Season Awards
I was delighted to attend the Awards Dinner at Villa Park as a guest of the Aston Villa Foundation. Having attended school in Aston from 1975 – 1982, the Villa have been my team for the last 50 years ( although other teams are available of course in the West Midlands ! ) Many thanks […]