Make 2012 great in Solihull

The New Year is always a time for making resolutions, so why not see how we can help you with yours in 2012. Whether it's getting healthy, saving money or getting more involved in your local community, we can offer a helping hand.

If you're making one or many New Year's resolutions as we head into 2012, why not see if we can help you achieve them. Below are details of a number of ways Solihull Council might be able to put you on the path to a great 2012.

Get healthy

Resolving to get fit, lose weight or generally improve your health is a common pledge for many at the start of a New Year and if this is one of yours then we've got your ideal training partner - Solihull Active.

Solihull Active is a partnership of organisations working together to promote sport and physical activity in Solihull. Members of Solihull Active include: the Council, Solihull Primary Care Trust, SUSTAiN, ENABLE Solihull, Parkwood Leisure, Solihull College, LTA Warwickshire, Sport Solihull and numerous local clubs and volunteers.

If you visit the Solihull Active website you can find a searchable database of sports and physical activities taking place; from archery through to zumba, there's sure to be something for everyone. You can search by activity, by day of the week or just enter your postcode and see what is going on in your area.

As well as using the Solihull Active website, why not like them on Facebook too?

Another great way of improving your health if you are a smoker is to quit the habit. You can find advice on our website with useful links on doing just that.

Save money

Trying to save more money is particularly relevant in the current financial climate, so if you want some useful information on where to get started head over to our Money Counts pages.

You'll find information on budgeting, money/debt advice, tips on how being more energy efficient can help cut your bills, details about financial benefits you may be entitled to and a list of top 10 tips on making money count for you. You may even find you are entitled to a reduction in your Council Tax. There are also links to a number of useful contacts for further information.

Another great way of saving money is to start loving your food and hating wasting it.

Each month, the average family throws away £50 worth of good food that was bought but not eaten. That adds up to a shocking 8.3 million tonnes of good food and drink which is thrown out every year by households in the UK.

We’ve signed up to the national Love Food Hate Waste campaign to help us all save time and money and cut down on food waste. Whether it’s getting store cupboard savvy or making use of your lovely leftovers, head over to our Love Food Hate Waste page and see what you can do.

Take the next step in your career

If you want to find a new job but need help with things like writing a CV, searching and applying for jobs or building your qualifications, then the Solihull for Success employment team can help.

A series of work clubs run across the borough that offer free advice and support for you to get your career moving, while the Solihull for Success website is also a great resource.

If you have a great idea for a business and want to take the leap into self employment, then the Enterprise for Success programme should be your first point of call.

The scheme offers free assistance and mentoring for local start up businesses and has already seen a number of success stories from across the borough.

Head to their web page to get started.

Get involved in your community

Why not get resolve to get more involved in local life in 2012? There are a number of ways you can do it and you may just enjoy yourself too!

If you like being outside and have fingers of the green variety, then you should sign up as an Environment Champion. These volunteers work on projects across the borough all year round and are always looking for more volunteers to help.

Head to the Environment Champions page on our website for more details about their work and details on how to sign up.

If you like the sound of volunteering and want to see the wealth of other options available in the borough, visit Solihull SUSTAiN’s website.

On the SUSTAiN site you can find a host of details about volunteering in the borough. You can also promote any volunteering opportunities you may want to offer to local people.

Another great way to be involved in local life is to take an interest in local democracy and not just by voting in elections.

A great majority of Council meetings take place in public and you are free to come along and watch proceedings; whether it’s taking in the budget-setting process at Full Council, taking in the discussions on key policies at Cabinet or listening to the debates and speeches at planning, there's plenty to choose from.

Check the list of forthcoming council meetings to see what takes your fancy.

Finally, why not get to know your local councillor a little better? Each ward has three councillors elected to represent them and they often provide advice surgeries where you can meet with them and discuss problems.

The list of Councillors gives you the names and photos of your Councillors, together with a brief profile, details of their roles and responsibilities, and contact details. Don’t know which ward you live in? Use the find my ward page to search by road or postcode.

Have your say

Finally, why not make sure your voice is heard in 2012? We run a number of public consultations each year to help us make the best decisions for the borough and its residents.

Right now we want your ideas on how we can save £10million in our budget and we want to know what you think of our libraries, among others.

Head over to the consultation page and have your ideas heard.