The summer holidays are here and we’re being treated to some glorious weather to see them in, but if you’re struggling for suggestions to occupy your teenagers for the next five weeks then why not direct them towards the new youth hub in Mell Square?
We’ve opened it up in the old Taste Collective unit and the Space@Mell Square. Between them they will be hosting loads of free workshops and activities including gaming, beauty and enterprise, football, wellbeing sessions and lots of creative and technical things too.
It’s been put together to provide young people (13-17) with a positive outlet for their energies this summer. We know lots of residents have concerns about antisocial behaviour in the Town Centre and this directly addresses that challenge. We’ll have specialist youth workers on site who will be building relationships and getting the young people involved in the activities so that everyone has a summer to remember.
We’re also rolling out the Youth Bus to new areas, as it moves from popping up three times a week between Chelsmley Wood and Marston Green to an all-week schedule including Blythe, Castle Bromwich, Cheswick Green, Dickens Heath, Kingshurst, Shirley and Smith’s Wood. Over 400 young people aged 11-17 have already attended the workshops on board, including art, film, music production and more.
For those with younger families, we’ve also got a fantastic summer offering across our Family Hubs encompassing crafts, magic, movies, furry friends, and a lot more.
Our first Solihull Future Ready Day earlier this month gave over 100 pupils in year 9 the chance to explore career paths across lots of different sectors. There were practical taster sessions in things like hairdressing and plastering alongside workshops from lots of local employers like Aston Villa Foundation, Grahams, Vinci, and Meriden Adventure Playground. It was a huge success and I’m sure it’ll be the first of many as we continue to prioritise providing opportunities for our young people here in Solihull.
West Midlands Combined Authority have agreed the funding for phase 2 of the Kingshurst Village Centre project, with £8m set to be unlocked so we can push ahead with the building of GP services, public health facilities, a dentist, pharmacy and opticians as well as a new library, community rooms, café, and Co-op store. It’s great news for the residents and whilst we still have to formally accept the funding at cabinet next month, it should mean we’re pressing ahead with development in the near future.
The Pride in Place Board are now proudly in place, with appointments having been made. They’ll be in charge of overseeing the £20m of funding which has been allocated to part of Chelmsley Wood over the next 10 years. They’ve got a big job to do and whilst they will be supported by Solihull Council, the decisions on where that money goes are for them and local people to make.
Finally, we have a new Prime Minister. I welcome Andy Burnham’s commitment to devolution and getting the money and power closer to where they need to be. I look forward to seeing it in action, as the devil will always be in the detail.
Thanks for reading,
Karen