Banking on Food

Late this afternoon, three of us went over to The Thomas Project in Lancaster Avenue, Aldridge to drop off our Christmas donation to the Black Country Food Bank.

I had always thought that any donations would be sorted and distributed centrally. Not so. If you take food and other donations to Aldridge they are used in Aldridge, unless there is a large surplus. For some reason this piece of knowledge touched me. Perhaps it's something to do with Aldridge being considered one of the more affluent areas of Walsall, not even worthy of a youth centre any more. Yet here we are in the 21st century and Aldridge has its very own food bank because there are people here that for whatever reason, find themselves in need of the emergency three day supply of food that is supplied to anyone who is given a voucher by certain agencies.

We had added lots of Christmas type treats to our donation and I'm so glad that we did because the sheet that I was allowed to take describing what is supplied to a single person as the basics for three days is not luxurious. Take a look and remember that say for a family of four then the amounts are multiplied by four.

Item	Amount
Cereal	1 Small packet or 4 single servings
Soup OR Cup a Soup	2 std cans or pkts
Beans OR spaghetti	1 std can
Tomatoes	1 std can
Vegetables	2 std cans
Tinned potatoes/Mash	1 sml
Meat OR Veggie Option	1 small can
Ready Meal	1 sml pky/can
Sav.Rice OR pasta OR noodles	1 pkt rice, pasta OR 2 pkt noodles
Fish	1 sml can
Fruit	1 std can
Rice pudding or Dessert	1 std can/pkt
Biscuits	1 sml pkt
Sugar	250g
Pasta/Dried spaghetti/Rice	Small – 500g
Pasta/Cooking Sauce	1 regular
Tea or coffee	20 bags/small jar
Fruit juice UHT	1 carton or 4 ind. Cartons
Milk UHT or powdered	2 x ½ litre or 4 ind. Cartons
Baby milk or food	Dependent on age
EXTRA TREATS WHEN AVAILABLE
Sauce or cooking ingredient	1
Chocolate/Sweets	1 sml
Healthy snacks	3 individual (1 per day)
Peanut butter/Jam/Marmalade	1

When Iain Duncan Smith walked out of the food bank debate the other night and when all those MPs voted against the motion, did they for one moment, consider what it is to find yourself in the situation where you are issued with a voucher to use at a food bank and also what food is then given to you. It isn't luxurious. It's basic and there's nothing fresh there for very obvious reasons.

If you've a few tins spare or pasta or rice or you've some home made jams, chutneys, mince pies, can I urge you to pop down to your local food bank, you can find details HERE for the Black Country, before Christmas Day and put a smile on someone's face at a time when they personally have little to smile about.

Thank you and a very Merry Christmas to all who read my mad ramblings.

Sharing blessings

Snow Bunting at Titchwell

When I made the decision that I was finally ready to date again, after suffering the devastation of a relationship break up that all but broke me as person, I was in my late forties and to be honest was scared to death. When I had last dated the t'interweb and its plethora of sites for the purpose of, was in its infancy and was a far friendlier and more intimate place than now. On first dangling my toes in the water of such sites I discovered that many read 'late 40s' as meaning 'desperate' and 'ready to consider anything', neither of which applied to me, as was soon made clear to those with such uneducated thoughts!

What I lacked in recent experience though was made up by the fact that I knew exactly what I was looking for in a partner and wasn't prepared to compromise. Late forties meant that I had lived enough life and made enough mistakes to not settle for second, third or fourth best. Confidence in your own qualities and abilities is a powerful thing, as is the knowledge that you're happy enough on your own but that it would be nice to share once again, provided the strict criteria for doing so, was met.

Eventually I met Aiden and being honest, it became clear within days of our first date that he was someone who was going to become very special to me. Just how special and how lucky I am to have met him has become something that I have been reflecting upon in the last few weeks. Not for any other reason than we have shared some exquisite moments in those weeks.

Seal at Blakeney Point

As regular readers will know I have a deep love for the natural world, the bounties of nature and the beauty of this planet, country and town that we live in. To meet someone who shares and matches if not exceeds that love, who wants to do and share the same things that I do without any question whatsoever, is a lucky thing indeed.

In the last month I have seen and experienced  things I've never seen or experienced before. At every step and for every moment holding my hand and feeling the same as I did, was Aiden. We watched seals in Norfolk and saw otters playing at Leighton Moss and then on Sunday we witnessed a murmuration of starlings at Middleton Lakes. In between we did our usual bird watching at Sandwell Valley and further afield, made cider and have walked and walked. If I said that I valued every second of sharing a love for the wonders of nature with a wonderful man would you believe me? Well you should because I did. He is one of the reasons that all of this is so very special. And I wouldn't want to experience these things with anyone else. The shared peace and tranquility cannot be described. At one with each other and at one with the world.

I am well blessed and I know it.

Sunset at Middleton Lakes

Further News on The Manor House Aldridge

I complained to Walsall Council about the break of promise in holding a further public meeting regarding the future of The Manor House and the Youth Service in Aldridge.

The response is below.

Couple of points. The so called minutes of the meeting are not minutes but a log. They are inaccurate and misleading. I was the person that called for a further public meeting and was told that there would be one. There are lots of witnesses to this including councillors. Furthermore, tweets from Walsall Council indicated that a further public meeting was being planned. Previous blogs detail all of this.

Someone is lying.

Yes, I shall be taking this further. I'll let you know the outcome in due course.

Oh and I saw no evidence whatsoever of 250 flyers. 13 people attended. I do not consider this to be because of apathy but because there was virtually no publicity. Walsall Council relies too heavily on their own social media for publicity. This meeting wasn't given any other publicity by local bloggers/twitterers prior to the event. With a few lines in the local freebies, the drop in session was doomed to failure before it began.

And perhaps I'm being a little cynical in noticing that the drop in session was arranged for a date when local councillors were all busy at a local community area meeting and therefore could not attend to face their electorate.

Petition the current Lords of the Manor House

Please could you find 30 seconds to sign my new e-petition on the council's web site calling for the promised public meeting into the sale of Aldridge Manor House and future youth provision in Aldridge?

The petition reads:

We the undersigned petition the council to  hold a public meeting in Aldridge with regard to the sale of the Manor House in Aldridge and the future provision of youth services in Aldridge. This meeting should take place before the end of October 2013 and should be widely advertised and publicised using all forms of media and social media.

Press LINK to open up the page to sign.

Thank you.

Pillage at The Manor: A Tale of Broken Promises

Forgive me for returning to the subject of Aldridge Manor House and Youth Provision in Aldridge once again but even I was surprised by the audacity of the lies and broken promises from Walsall Council, that were highlighted yesterday afternoon by a single tweet to this mad old baggage.

As I have recounted previously, back on 13 June this year, a hastily convened public meeting was held to discuss the council's plans to run the youth provision for Aldridge from the back of a van. A further public meeting was promised for the community of Aldridge, a promise made in front of five councillors including the Deputy Leader of the Council, who were present. It was clear from the meeting that people present were not only concerned with the proposals for youth provision but also about the sale of the building. The two subjects are entirely separate but also linked.

My attempts to chivy the council along in setting a date were detailed here and I continued to tweet them on a regular basis throughout the summer, even from holiday, mostly to a blank wall. However, any responses always led me to believe that a meeting would be held.

Earlier this week, the council issued a press release, praising themselves on their 'consultations' with the young people of Aldridge and their reassurances to the residents regarding the sale of the building and announcing a 'drop in' event to be held at the Manor House on 1st October. My instincts were aroused and so I asked a lot more questions. Yesterday afternoon the council confirmed in a tweet to me that the 'drop in' session is in the place of a further public meeting. How dare they and what justification can be given for the  such an important announcement has been made? They had the opportunity to make this clear in the press release but failed to do so, deliberately so in my opinion because this whole episode has been handled badly with not even lip service paid to the local community.

It is fair to say that the young people of the area have been consulted but confirming my suspicions from 13 June when I said there appeared to be no desire by the council to engage with the wider community, there has been very little attempt to consult with anyone else and what consultation that has taken place has been given very little publicity. The council have been keen to promote their view that it is the service users, in other words the young people, who are playing key roles in decision making about the future of youth provision but I know of young people who have snorted in a derisory fashion when asked if all of their opinions and views are being listened to. Furthermore when the council makes consultations about other areas of service provision, say provision for the elderly, libraries and leisure, green spaces, education do they consult only with the service users? Of course not! Services are provided for the benefit of the whole community and therefore the whole community is invited to voice their views and opinions. Clearly in this case IYPSS (Integrated Young People's Support Service - the department responsible for this shambles), has tried to keep a lid on consultation but at whose request? Cabinet members? Councillors? Officers? And for what purpose and reason? I only see party politics or perhaps council people politics at play here. Whatever happened to accountability?

Examining the five buildings identified as possible alternative venues for youth provision in Aldridge, I am not entirely convinced that any of them will be viable. The young people have made it clear through surveys conducted in June and July (who has been sitting on them since then?) that they don't want pop up or back of the van provision and have made suggestions about what sort of building they want and where it should be.  The Scout Hut in Middlemore Lane lacks space and has limited evening availability, as does the Community Centre which also lacks flexibility (read, we don't want a youth club there thank you very much) and the Outdoor Activity Centre at Aldridge Airport does not offer safety when considering there are not even lights for the road leading to it and whose car park is a hub for anti-social behaviour of a most unsavoury nature, even in broad daylight. Officers  couldn't even contact the relevant person for another building; The Anchorage 55+ Club in Leighswood Road. This leaves Croft House at 45 High Street which has identifed as an issue 'would require partners', read we would have to pay rent etc to a landlord.

The aim of IYPSS is to close the youth centre at the Manor House at Christmas this year and reopen in the new building in January. It is now September and a suitable venue hasn't even been identified. The five buildings is merely a list of desirable places with a further list of excuses attached as to why they are not suitable. Truth is there aren't any suitable buildings in Aldridge that meet the criteria for running a youth centre other than the building it is already in.

And what of that building? The Leader of the Council says assurances have been issued to residents regarding the safety of the building between it's closure and eventual sale. When? If he means those given at the meeting in June then forgive me if I take those with a rather large pinch of salt because other promises were made that evening that have already been broken. The council also says that any  future use of the building is open for debate. Hmmm, like the debate that we're not having the moment? One local councillor has talked about the proceeds of the sale being invested in Aldridge but official council press releases and utterances on this matter are very careful in their avoidance of such promises. There will be no sight of the £1 million proceeds in Aldridge. One of its few historic buildings left will be sold and there will be no recompense for the local community for that pillage. This is in stark contrast to the investment made in Willenhall by the council in preserving the historic buildings there. I have no problem with the wider Walsall community benefiting and certainly have no beef with investments being made in historic buildings, if I thought the investments were a worthwhile benefit but not everyone cares for a town centre Primark or whatever scheme is brought about behind closed doors, with no public consultation, debate or accountability from those who happen to be Walsall Cabinet members. It's a very private club that cabinet.

If you feel as enraged about this as much as I do, then I urge you to complain to Walsall Council about its handling of this sorry episode as I have done and I also urge you to sign the e-petition that I've set up calling for a public meeting, that will go live next week. Link to be posted then.

Omnishambles is now defined in the OED. It's alive and well in Walsall too.

Ramblings from a bike

If you've a little spare time this week I urge you to take a walk, or a ride along the canal from Longwood Bridge to Daw End Bridge. During my ride this morning I was struck once again by just how beautiful this stretch of canal is and how 'unWalsall' it is, that's of course if you've never been to Walsall and are stuck with M6 stereotypical thoughts of the town! If you go this week you will still be able to view the golden wheat in adjacent fields which, surely will be harvested very soon.

The contrast between the verdant greens along the canal bank with the golden wheat and the reds of haw berries and various plants now passed their best with regards to flowering but still adding enchanting russets and yellows to the scene, is a glory to behold. My only annoyance today was that I had forgotten to pick up my camera.

Today's ride was a quiet, reflective affair. I was alone and it was peaceful. I disturbed the water vole near Longwood Bridge once again and a little further along the local Heron took flight speedily as I approached. The buzzards were calling and several times I stopped to watch them gracefully swooping and gliding, looking for prey. Swallows were still swooping down to the water and the dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies all added to a smorgasbord of colourful end of summer delights.

I was happy to see that many fathers had taken charge of their children and were introducing them to fishing and equally happy that no (underage) teenage idiots were riding the towpaths on unregistered, uninsured motorcycles with no number plates. Last week, three of us nearly ended up swimming on our bikes following such an encounter between Brownhills and Walsall Wood. I enjoyed a more pleasurable encounter today along that stretch with two young men who were surveying the banks and embankments for subsidence. There's a lot of it along there surprise, surprise!

It was also pleasing that today's dog walkers were the  responsible sort that keep their dogs on leads. After several worrying encounters recently with dogs who have a very aggressive bent towards cyclists, I was relieved.

It's been nearly two years since I got on a bike. When I first started, a ride of 10 miles was an achievement, now it's a cheeky little spin and this despite the fact that I'm now the wrong side of 50. I did query (out loud) when I started as to whether I would be able to lose my self by allowing my mind to wonder whilst cycling in the same way that walking had always allowed me to do so. It is pleasing to report that for some considerable time now my mind does its own thing quite a lot of the time whilst I'm turning the pedals allowing me to think through whatever happens to be bothering me.

I still find cycling on roads an ordeal however and I get quite anxious around female drivers of 4x4's but there again I'm always nervous when I'm being approached by a single male rider in his 30s because I have never yet met one who was prepared to give way to me. I've got used to teenage lads shouting what they believe are hysterically funny retorts at me but who scatter four sheets to the wind if you slow down and give them 'the glare'. I perhaps take for granted the friendliness of most people that you meet along towpaths but the one thing I never get used to is the utter beauty of our urban canals and how the views change as the seasons progress.

Just to finish a few photographs taken in August in earlier years:

A Vote for The Manor?

On Thursday the electorate of Aldridge Central and South will be voting for a new councillor to represent them following the sad death of Cllr Tom Ansell.

The candidates are:
Bob Grainger - Labour
Liz Hazell - UKIP
Chris Newey - English Democrats- "Putting England First"
Roy Sheward - Liberal Democrat
Tim Wilson - Conservative

During the campaign I have eagerly awaited the campaign leaflets in order to see how much each candidate is aware of local issues and in particular the sale of Aldridge Manor House and the closure of the youth club currently being run from there.

The only leaflet I received from the English Democrats was one asking me to join them. Nothing has been received regarding the candidate nor of any issues pertinent to Aldridge.

Similarly the UKIP leaflet although giving details of their candidate focused on national issues and nothing was mentioned at all about The Manor House and Youth Services. Apparently there has been a leaflet issued recently but that has not been delivered to my home, where Liz pledges to save Aldridge Manor House Youth Club. I am not aware if this means she opposes the sale of the building or not.

Tim Wilson in his latest leaflet states:
"Committed to close the 'not fit for purpose' Manor House, but expand the youth provision and ensure that youth clubs are fully supported and finances."

Whatever Tim's personal opinions are about the sale of the well loved and historic Manor House, he has to toe the party line and in particular support the council's 'working smarter' initiative, which is responsible for labelling the Manor House as not fit for purpose. If Tim had attended the first (and so far only) public meeting he would have heard that the younger people of Aldridge who attend the Manor House Youth Club also love this building and want to see the youth service continue there.

Bob Grainger's leaflet mentions the youth service in terms of seeing the proposed pop-up service not providing the same level of service that a dedicated centre would offer. To get a more detailed view it is necessary to visit Walsall Labour's press releases where Bob says:
"The Labour Party has said it would suspend any possible closure till next year and monies gained from any sale would be ploughed back into replacing the service. "
Bob also called for the public to be given their meeting in order that this important local issue could be debated with all candidates.

The Lib-Dem leaflet made no mention of the Manor House and it's Youth Club either and having searched for and not found any press releases regarding his position on our youth service I emailed Roy Sheward asking for a clear and unambiguous statement regarding the closure of the youth club and the sale of the Manor House. 

Roy does not support the closure of the youth club and states clearly that youth provision in Aldridge should be retained. However he does believe that the sale of the building should go ahead stating that:
"I'm persuaded that the Manor House no longer provides the young people of Aldridge  in particular, or residents of Walsall overall, with a viable venue for a Youth Club.  As such given the high maintenance /upkeep costs of this building then selling it seems to provide only real option."

There we have it. It isn't pretty is it? The point is that the land that surrounds the Manor House is a prime development opportunity for someone. The saving of an historical. listed and well loved building takes a back seat. The Tories may boast about having ensured that The Avion remained a listed building but what happens to The Manor House? One local councillor has been heard saying that the £1 million proceeds will be invested for the people of Aldridge but the truth is that the proceeds will be placed in Walsall Council's capital receipts fund and then used to fund capital projects that could be anywhere in the borough. There is no guarantee that the residents of Aldridge will benefit directly or indirectly if the building is sold.

Then there is the small matter of the promised second public meeting. It hasn't happened. There have been no statements by the council regarding their promise to hold another meeting. Draw whatever conclusions to that you like but by their prevarication the local residents of Aldridge have lost valuable time in the extended consultation process in having their views heard and debated.

Youth Service provision isn't just about our young people; it's about the whole community and the effects upon the whole community when adequate provision is not made. No doubt we'll be told that the young people have been consulted as we were at the public meeting, only for the young people to blow a hole in the so called consultation and tell us that their views had been ignored. Well the views of everyone else in the community are being ignored too.

Welcome to the world of non-accountable representatives. Or can they be made so? I urge you to use your vote wisely on Thursday.