Community First meeting – Tuesday 13th March, 7pm St Michael’s Church

The Community First panel meeting will be taking place tonight, 13th March, at 7pm at St Michael’s Church.  It will be an opportunity to discuss progress to date on the match funding for community groups in the Brierley Hill ward, and to outline the next steps to be taken.

 

Neighbours News Competition – WIN tickets to see Kenneth Grahame’s Wind In The Willows

7th to 10th December 2011

Come and meet Rat, Mole and of course the flamboyant Mr.Toad as they venture forth on the open road and fight the dastardly Chief Weasel and his followers. The perfect treat for the dark winter nights!

Neighbours News has teamed up with Dudley Little Theatre to give away complimentary tickets for Kenneth Grahame’s immortal ‘Wind in the Willows’, at Netherton Arts Centre, near Dudley.

The play runs from Wednesday 7th December – Saturday 10th December at 7.30 PM and the lucky winner will get to attend a performance of their choosing.

On the Saturday, there will be two performances, a matinee at 2.30pm as well as an evening performance. Doors open at 2:00pm, curtain up at 2:30pm.

Tickets for both stalls and circle cost £6.00 (concessions £5.00).

To find out more about the show, visit the website at: www.dudleylittletheatre.org/

HOW TO ENTER
To stand a chance of winning (only one entry per household) simply answer the following question: Wind In The Willows is based on a children’s book by which author?

Email your answer to: neighboursnews@yahoo.co.uk and put ‘Wind In The Willows’ as your subject heading. In your email, please remember to state your preferred date and time for the performance as well as your name and a contact number.

Closing Date: 5th December 2011

HND Fine Art Students Exhibit Drawings

Stourbridge College HND Fine Art students are exhibiting drawings at the Savoy Centre in Netherton on Tuesday 6th December between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm.

The exhibition, called Displacement, aims to provide a loose fitting, yet considered reflection, on the term ‘displacement’ through drawing. Subject matter includes population movements, the perception of alternative worlds and architectural spaces amongst others.

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Mags Winthrop

Communications Co-ordinator

01384 399660

07525 822026                                                        

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Art & Design Centre

Venture Way

Brierley Hill

Dudley

DY5 1RG

stourbridge.ac.uk

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Santa Claus is coming to town

Father Christmas will be making a star appearance in Brierley Hill town centre this weekend.

Dudley Council will be hosting its Christmas lights switch on events in the Moor Centre in Brierley Hill on Saturday 19 November from 1pm to 5pm with new boy band Eli Prime performing at 1.30pm.

Brierley Hill has a Christmas grotto and will provide a selection of free entertainment and family fun.

There will be reindeer, stilt walking elves, fairground rides, a bouncy castle, face painting and a caricaturist at the Brierley Hill event.

Lights will be switched on at 5pm.

For more information visit www.dudley.gov.uk or call 01384 815496.

 

Celebrity kick-start to Poundland in Stourbridge

Emmerdale actor Tom Lister, who plays Carl King, officially opened the new discount store in The Ryemarket at 10am on Saturday November 12.

The grand opening took place two days after the store opened for customers, which will be boost for the town according to Ryemarket manager Karl Taylor.

Mr Taylor said: “The store will be a great addition to the shopping centre and will attract many customers, especially at this time with the build-up to Christmas.

“We look forward to a long and successful association and to working closely with them.”

Did you miss the spectacular “One Boy. One Town. One Big Idea!” last February?

You did?   Well here is your chance to see it again. 

You can now watch the entire Dudley Performing Arts dance and drama production online (it’s in 3 parts, so you can even have an interval and make yourself a cuppa!).

Featuring real life stories of local residents, this charming and entertaining production looks back on Brierley Hill’s past and celebrates its modern changes.

This is a recording of the live performance at the Brierley Hill Civic Hall in February 2011 – part of the Brierley Hillness project.

The production features Buzz Youth Theatre and children from Quarry Bank, Blanford Mere, Belle Vue and Withymoor Primary Schools.

http://brierleyhillnesstoolkit.wordpress.com/creative-community-responses/live-performance/one-boy-one-town-one-big-idea/

Well done again to all the young people and children involved.

CHARITY CONCERT

THE LEUKAEMIA UNIT APPEAL
(WHICH SUPPORTS THE GEORGINA UNIT)
and ACTION HEART

PRESENTED BY:

GENTLEMEN SONGSTERS
MALE VOICE CHOIR

Featuring Guest Choir

BUILTH WELLS MALE VOICE CHOIR

ST MARY’S CHURCH, KINGSWINFORD

7:30 pm on

SATURDAY 8TH OCTOBER 2011

TICKETS £5 EACH

Tickets and information available from:

Pauline Jenkins: 01902 680412 Mobile: 07727 134358

Georgina Charity Shop, Kent Street, Upper Gornal

Georgina Unit Reception, Russells Hall Hospital

Joy Brown Action Heart 01384 292233

ALL PROCEEDS TO GEORGINA UNIT AND ACTION HEART
(Reg Charity Nos: 701336 and 518586)

Nautical fun in Netherton for anchor return

Many borough residents turned out to welcome home the replica Titanic anchor.

The 15-and-three-quarter-ton anchor was officially unveiled in its new permanent position outside Netherton Arts Centre during a celebratory nautical-themed event on 17th September.

The anchor, which was made last year as part of a Channel 4 documentary about the ill-fated Titanic, has spent the last 12 months outside the entrance of the Black Country Living Museum.

But Netherton residents and councillors called for it to be returned to the town, after the original anchor was cast by Noah Hingley and Son’s.

Netherton Regeneration Strategic Group organised the event to coincide with the return, which included a market, street entertainment, activities, pirates, sea-shanty bands, shire horses, donkey rides and a fun fair.

Following the unveiling of the anchor by the Mayor of Dudley, Councillor Michael Evans, a nautical float parade took place along Northfield Road, which was judged by Captain Jack Sparrow.

Official unveiling of the anchor
Sea shanty group perform to crowds
Captain Jack Sparrow with Glen Ostins
Pirate belly dancers

Olly launches music spectacular at Merry Hill

Singing star Olly Murs performed an intimate gig at Merry Hill on Sunday 25th September to launch a music spectacular.

The exclusive show, saw the X-Factor sensation sing a four-song set after hours, including his chart topping hits ‘ Please don’t let me go’ and ‘Heart skips a beat’ to 300 lucky listeners of BRMB, Beacon, Wyvern and Mercia Radio who successfully won tickets to the show.

The current Xtra-Factor presenter, who stopped off at the shopping centre last year to switch on the Christmas lights, was also joined by new girlband Parade, to launch this year’s Live 2011 pop concert which takes place at the LG Arena on November 26.

During the event, Pixie Lott was announced as the first act to appear at the concert, which last year saw the likes of The Script, Alexandra Burke, The Wanted, Example, McFly, James Blunt and Mark Ronson and Olly Murs perform.

More chart-toppers set to appear at the concert will be announced over the airwaves over the coming weeks.

For more information about Live 2011 tickets, visit www.theticketfactory.com

Olly performs for his adorning fans

Brierley Hillness memories…

“All the big firms they all had a social club. I mean Round Oak social club we used to go dancing there as a teenager, I used to have dances every Friday night… and then Marsh’s one, that’s still standing… and they all had their football teams, and the cricket teams and they used to have outings and children’s parties… I can remember going to children’s parties at the brickyard where dad worked. So it was very much involved, there was all this involvement… There was this sort of sense of pride…and competition.”

 Jeanette Grazier, Stourbridge (from audio recording)

 “It was a farm of grassed-over pit banks… Ken Thomas (the farmer) used to keep Devon Red cattle… so in those fields on a nice sunny evening you could have the light reflecting off these Devon Red cattle… it was lovely. When they moved out… saw Cis once, that’s his wife, and, you know… apparently the story was she never came back to Merry Hill when they left… she never saw it. “Hello Cis, how you doing?” “Oh, alright”, she says “Not come back have yer? “No”, she says “they’ve put some shops there haven’t they?”

Dave Galley, Brierley Hill (from audio recording)

For more memories gathered during the Brierley Hillness project visit

http://brierleyhillnesstoolkit.wordpress.com/creative-community-responses/memories/audio-extracts/

Visit this site for live performance, artwork, memories and photos about the town – and add your own!