This week we opened The Grove, an exciting new centre for Post-16 provision based on the site of Tudor Grange Academy Kingshurst. It will provide much needed education opportunities for local SEND students in a dedicated newly refurbished building. It is spacious, self-contained in a way that allows it to have a distinct identity, and offers facilities that were not previously available in Solihull.
The official opening was on Wednesday, and the Deputy Mayor Cllr Martin McCarthy was there to meet some of the 32 students already attending The Grove and take a look around the brilliant new learning environment. There’s been a lot of hard work and collaboration between the Council, TGA Kingshurst, and Forest Oak to get to this point and I’m proud we’ve been able to get it open and ready for these students, and more who will join them in the future, so they can make the most of everything it has to offer. We’ll have a news story with all the details on our website next week.
On the subject of Post-16 opportunities, the latest edition of our celebrated Apprenticeship and Pathways Show is coming up on Wednesday (22 October) at Cranmore Park. Visitors will have the chance to speak to employers and training providers from manufacturing, construction, engineering and public sectors. Current apprentices will be there to share their first-hand experiences. It’s not too late to register, there were over 1200 people in attendance at the last one so it’s sure to be popular.
There’s been quite a bit in the news this week about prostate cancer screening. I want to echo the calls coming from many people for the government to roll out a targeted national screening programme of the type that exists for other forms of cancer to help increase early detection rates for this terrible disease.
Solihull’s Green Doors initiative returns this October. It aims to bring homeowners and housing professionals together for educational tours and see energy efficiency measures in action. The tours and a webinar are taking place next weekend, sign up here.
Next week is National Adoption Week, when we celebrate the life-changing impact adoption can have for children and families. Across Solihull and the wider region, there is currently a shortage of adopters, meaning many children are facing longer waits and more time in the system than before. Adoption offers children the chance to grow in a secure, nurturing environment and can be incredibly rewarding for the adopters as it transforms their own lives as well as those of the children they adopt. Please go to Ace Adoption – ACE Adoption to find out more.
We’re reviewing the White House Way Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan and want your views. There’s a consultation running until Tuesday 25 November. You can read more here. Basically, this helps to protect the unique character of an area by restricting development that doesn’t fit in with the buildings around them. It’s important that our towns and villages keep that character, and schemes like this go hand in hand with our determination to protect our green spaces and our countryside wherever we can so that Solihull keeps being the great place to live that it is now.
A new short fostering film called ‘The Run’ was launched last week, which we contributed to along with more than 90 councils across the country. Featuring Tom, an 11-year-old boy, it depicts the challenges and range of emotions he faces as a care experienced young person prior to being matched with a caring foster family. I really recommend you watch it, view it here full 2 minute film and short 30 second film edit.
Finally, I do like to keep this column focused on local issues but I can’t ignore the news of a ceasefire in Gaza. It’s obviously fragile and still in the early stages, but I do welcome the small steps towards peace that have been taken this week and hope they continue.
Thanks for reading,
Karen