Brownhills Walsall
West Midlands
Staffordshire

Brownhills Library
The Parkview Centre
Chester Road North
Brownhills
Walsall
WS8 7JB
Tel: 01922 650731

Your on-line web guide to Brownhills Walsall

Free graffiti removal service from Brownhills area private properties by walsall council. A new initiative to remove graffiti without charge from privately owned residential properties has been launched by Walsall Council's Street Pride team subject to the owners signing disclaimers. Graffiti is one of the issues being targeted by the council as part of the Wipe It Out section of its ongoing Cracking Environmental Crime campaign. Between January and December 2009 180 reports were received of graffiti and 198 removals took place. Previously the Street Pride team was only able to remove graffiti for free from publicly owned land, street furniture and buildings. It is hoped the new approach will help improve the overall appearance of Walsall borough and encourage more people to report graffiti. The scheme will initially run on a six month trial basis upto approx December 2010 and if successful could be made permanent. Andy Ody, Street Pride Grounds Manager, said: "Traditionally people tend not to report graffiti and instead just accept it as part of the street scene. "Probably the one area which causes real concern to people is graffiti appearing on private properties. In the past we have been able to remove this but only at a charge. Service standards set by the council relating to publicly owned land, street furniture and buildings outline racist and offensive graffiti will be removed within 24 hours and the remainder as quickly as possible. Graffiti in parks will often by removed by park rangers with the more difficult cases referred on to Street Pride. On the spot fines of £80 can be handed out to anyone caught spraying graffiti. If a prosecution is pursued through the courts, the maximum punishment available is a 10 year prison sentence if the case is sent to crown court. Graffiti can be reported to Walsall Council on 01922 653344 or by e-mailing streetprideemail@walsall.gov.uk

Gardening fans of BBC Radio presenter Steve Brookes will get the chance to quiz the garden guru at a special event when the charismatic gardening presenter will bring his entertaining and informative 'The Greatest Gardening Tips in the World' show to Brownhills Library on Friday 25 June 2010 between 2.30pm and 3.30pm. The show is part of the BBC Dig in campaign, which encourages you to grow your own food. Steve fronts a lively and popular weekly gardening show on BBC Radio Coventry & Warwickshire which won him the prestigious Garden Writers Guild award for the Best Radio Gardening Programme. Steve Brookes can also be seen broadcasting and presenting on stage around the country at the top gardening shows. Steve has also been a presenter of Central TV's popular Gardening Time programme and has also won a coveted Royal Television Society Award for his Channel 4 series Growing Plants. The event is free and visitors are encouraged to confirm their attendance by calling Brownhills Library on 01922 650730 or pop into the library at the Park View Centre in Chester Road North, Brownhills. Children from St James' School will be present to listen to Steve's gardening tips. Steve's professional gardening career began in his early years. At age 16 he was the youngest ever associate member of the National Vegetable Research Station - now Horticultural Research International (HRI). After training as a horticulturalist and becoming a soil scientist there for a number of years, Steve went on to run a very successful landscape and garden design company for 16 years. He was born and still lives in Stratford-upon-Avon, has three children and one granddaughter and owns five cats and six chickens.

Brownhills Big Tidy Up event, linked to the Keep Britain Tidy national campaign, part of a series of Sunday clean up efforts across Walsall parks and open spaces takes place on 13 June at Holland Park, Brownhills, from 11am to 1pm, and is an opportunity for residents to make a difference to their community. Equipment including litter pickers and bags will be provided and there will be a full briefing on the day. Anyone interested in taking part should meet by the children's play area just before 11am for a briefing by the park rangers. recently Walsall Council's Street Pride team and Community Payback have also been out and about taking part in litter picking and general tidy up work in the community. Areas being covered include litter picking and removal of flytipping at Pelsall Nest Common, general tidy up at Barnes Lane Pool in Rushall and litter removal from several alleyways in the Area Partnership covering Pelsall, Rushall, Shelfield and Brownhills. Councillor Anthony Harris, Walsall Council cabinet member for leisure, culture and environment, said: "It is important we all take responsibility for keeping our communities clean and tidy and these Sunday tidy ups are a great way for people to get involved. "We know from listening to residents one of the things they often highlight as an issue is rubbish on our streets and parks. Walsall council is working hard to keep our environment clean and tidy and for the next few weeks we are asking residents to join and support us in this ongoing work." Among those lending their support to the Big Tidy Up is Walsall Housing Group (whg)who will be holding a series of estate tours for their customers throughout June and July when residents can raise any concerns about their area.

Tuesday, 25th May. Author Alan Apperly at Brownhills Library from 2.30 - 3.30pm. Contact 01922 654865.

5 May 2010, Brownhills History event from 10am-12 noon.
Walsall Local History Centre has joined forces with Brownhills Library for the photographic heritage event. History experts will use their hi-tech scanning equipment to digitally preserve any treasured pictures of Brownhills that visitors wish to contribute. Ruth Vyse, Local History Centre manager, said: People really will be making history and helping us preserve pictures Brownhills for future generations who will find them equally as fascinating. There will also be the chance to see a small display of rarely-viewed old pictures of Brownhills. To take part in the Click in Time session, people must book a place in advance via Brownhills Library by calling 01922 650730. People can simply pop into the Make Brownhills History session in May armed with their old photos.

New bus network in Brownhills From Sunday 25th April 2010
There will be major changes to some bus services in Brownhills on Sunday 25th April 2010.  These changes will reflect modern journeys that people want to make.
Partners Arriva Midlands, Centro, Midland, Midland Rider, National Express West Midlands and Walsall MBC are working together to deliver a better North Walsall bus network. The network will begin from start of service on Sunday 25th April, and in the run up to that date you will see some numbers and timetables changing at bus stops and shelters in key centres, and on roads across North Walsall. Please visit the website network westmidlands website and click on North Walsall for further information.

Over a dozen new jobs have been created at five new shops in Brownhills town centre between January and April 2010.
Amongst the new businesses in Brownhills are Thoughts cards and gifts, Serene Beauty, Star Coffee, YRS Wines and Beers and the Hiba restaurant. Walsall Council launched the Shop Smart Shop Local initiative in 2009 which encouraged people to use their neighbourhood shopping centre. Walsall Council works with district centre shops across the borough to maximise trade.
For more information about how Walsall Council works with district centre shops contact Antonia via pompaa@walsall.gov.uk.

Hunt down Easter Egg treats in Brownhills park
Children can find Easter treats in Walsall's parks thanks to a series of Easter egg hunts being staged in April.
Teams of under 10s and teams of under 14s are invited to take part in the free Easter fun events. Each team can have a maximum of three members.
Registration for all egg hunts is at 10.30am and they will get under way at 10.45am.
The Easter egg hunt is at Holland Park in Brownhills on Saturday 3 April and the play area is the place to meet.
For more information contact the parks development team on 01922 65893/4/5/6 or 07736 388402.

Wagon Automotive site in Pelsall Road, Brownhills is being turned into a Walsall Council depot
Smart-thinking by Walsall Council has led to them getting a £7 million purpose-build depot for a six figure sum.
The move breathes new life into the former Wagon Automotive works which has been empty for two years.
Costs are being eased thanks to the sale for housing of the current Street Pride depots in Norfolk and Suffolk Place, Bloxwich.
More than 400 Walsall Council staff will be based at the site which will include office space as well as a base for 52 refuse vehicles and grounds maintenance teams. Social services staff and other teams will also be based at the new hub.

How to craft a fence with countryside experts in Brownhills
Rustic crafts will be the order of the day when Walsall Council’s countryside services teams up with the Forest Of Mercia for a free event.
People will be able to see how hurdles are made out of cut hazel stakes at the demonstration session which is being held at the Innovation Centre in Chasewater, Brownhills, Staffordshire, on Friday 12 March from 1pm-3pm.
Senior countryside ranger Eric Clarke said: “Hurdles are traditional sheep fences and are made from cut hazel stakes.
“This session will be interesting to those who want to learn more about an ancient craft as well as people who like the idea of making their own garden fencing.
“I look forward to seeing people ready to pick up these traditional skills.”
People do not need to book in advance, they can simply turn up on the day.
Forest of Mercia
Chasewater Innovation Centre, Chasewater Country Park, Pool Road, Brownhills, WALSALL WS8 7NL
Telephone 01543 370737