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Wildlife Ways Update Issue 14

Wildlife Ways Update – Issue 14

Welcome to the Wildlife Ways Stay Connected bulletin, giving you all the latest news about this exciting £16.8 million programme. Take a walk around our Wildlife Ways

We worked with Local Democracy Reporter David Irwin to produce a quick guide to enjoying some of our Wildlife Ways routes for exercise during the lockdown. With details of blooming wildflowers, alliums, primulas and pathways, here’s the Birmingham Live article if you missed it the first time.

It is important to ensure your physical and mental wellbeing during this time and Wildlife Ways offers a perfect opportunity to enjoy Solihull’s natural environment – you can see a map of all our routes here

For help with staying physically and mentally healthy during the current period there is lots of advice on the Solihull Council website   Please remember to use our paths, parks and open spaces safely – observing social distance guidelines at all times.

Spring wildflowers bringing colour to Solihull’s verges. Our wildflower areas are now bursting into colour and the late spring bulbs such as alliums are now making these areas even more striking. Earlier this year our landscape contractor idverde laid out the wildflower turf across the borough. This has a variety of colourful species to bring colour to our local areas and encourages bees and other pollinating insects like butterflies.
Many residents have welcomed the wildflowers, saying that they are “really impressed by the beautiful bursts of colour” and “loving all the wildflowers growing around Solihull at the moment” We have also been carrying out more wildflower seeding in some of our parks – such as Tudor Grange, Brueton, Babbs Mill, Elmdon and Meriden parks – and along some of the grass verges including Monskpath Hall Road, Warwick Road, Lode Lane and Chester Road, with many of these areas already showing success. If you have seen our wildflowers and bulbs in bloom send a photo to wildlifeways@solihull.gov.uk and we’ll add our favourites to the website!

Crossings at Cornyx to make for easier access. Two new zebra crossings are being installed on Cornyx Lane and Damson Lane – part of Route C – that will improve access to local shops for residents. Another crossing on this route, on School Lane, has been installed with just a few final works needed to finish this off.

Primulas to take pride of place. Our contractor idverde is now adding primulas specially grown for Wildlife Ways to areas in Bickenhill (Chester Road), St Alphege (Monkspath Hall Road) and Chelmsley Wood (Moorend Avenue) amongst others. These will complement the wildflowers and bulbs already set out and will have pollinating benefits.

Ward updates

St Alphege – Route K The work to improve pathways along Streetsbrook Road between Bryanston Road and Station Approach has been completed ahead of schedule with a minor section to be finished at a later date.

Castle Bromwich – Route O The resurfacing of the footway between Hurst Lane North along Green Lane up to the parallel crossing opposite St. Clements Church has been completed, with an additional parallel crossing point installed on Hurst Lane North.

Silhill and Elmdon – Route C A team are currently on-site at Damson Parkway widening the paths. All plans and details for Route C can be found here.

Bickenhill – Route D The team are widening the pathway on Bickenhill Road between Elm Farm Avenue and Lyndon Croft/Low Brook. More details on Route D can be found here.

About Wildlife Ways Wildlife Ways is a £16.8 million programme – part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) – to improve the borough for the benefit of people and wildlife alike. The programme will include tree, bulb and wildflower planting. It will also make it easier for people wanting to walk and cycle across the borough by widening and connecting paths and cycle routes with green spaces. There’s more on our website www.wildlifeways.co.uk – and if you’ve any comments or questions, please email us at wildlifeways@solihull.gov.uk 

Solihull Council has set up a special fund to support care workers who are experiencing financial hardship during the Covid-19 crisis.

The fund, administered by The Care Workers’ Charity, will offer grants to care workers employed in care and support services in the borough who have lost income and face hardship through self-isolation or illness. These could be workers providing care to people in their own homes or in a Solihull care home. The grants related to self-isolation will be between £500 (2 weeks of self-isolation) and £1,000 (12 weeks of shielding), with up to £1,000 for other unexpected costs and £2,000 for funeral expenses.

Cllr Karen Grinsell, Deputy Leader of Solihull Council and Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care, said: “At this challenging time for so many people, I am pleased that we are able to provide some financial support for people working on the frontline to support our most vulnerable residents.
“This fund is a recognition that many care workers have been hard hit financially during the coronavirus pandemic. In some cases care workers have been unable to work because they are self-isolating at home. Or they might need money either to replace essential appliances like a broken washing machine to make sure they can wash work clothes or sadly to help with the funeral costs of a loved one.

Cllr Grinsell continues: “I’m grateful to the Care Workers’ Charity for ensuring that the grants go directly to the people who need them. We are working on a similar fund to support informal carers in Solihull and will be sharing details of that shortly.”

Executive Director of The Care Workers’ Charity, Karolina Gerlich, says: “Care workers are making many personal sacrifices during this crisis. The need and demand for support is enormous. We are delighted to be working with Solihull Council who are leading the way in setting up this hardship fund. We hope Solihull’s commitment to care workers will encourage other councils to get involved.”

For full details about the fund, who is eligible and how to apply please visit The Care Workers’ Charity website here

Further details:

Applications are welcome from workers who directly provide care or who work within a care setting, and;

• Are in financial hardship during the Covid-19 crisis – either as a result of being without pay during a period of self-isolation, or;
• As a result of a large unexpected cost – e.g. funeral expenses, home appliance failure, or other large unexpected cost;
• And either live or work within the borough of Solihull
• And are not employed by Solihull Council, Solihull Community Housing or the NHS.

Stay alert, control the virus, save lives – and keep social distancing It was heartening to find out that these messages are actually being read widely.  As ever, you should always be careful what you wish for, as the last 48 hours has demonstrated. So far I have been on Sky News, national BBC News, PM on BBC Radio 4, Channel 4 News, BBC Midlands Today, Paul Franks show on BBC Radio WM and BBC 5 Live – just because of my acknowledgement that not all of our schools in Solihull will be open to more pupils on 1 June. Is someone trying to make a story out of all this? I have had to make clear, every time, that we are totally committed to getting education going again, in accordance with government guidelines; however, we are working on the basis of collaboration with our partners, carrying out full risk assessments, creating the confidence that we need for parents to send their children back to education, putting the interests of pupils and staff first. As I have explained, we are following advice and guidance, talking to head teachers and unions – we all want to see more of our children back in school.  But this has to be done taking account of the different circumstances and needs of individual schools.  This is why the dates that schools in Solihull open their doors to more children may differ, depending on the outcome of each school’s safety and risk assessments. Schools will contact parents to let them know the arrangements in their child’s or children’s school.  So parents in Solihull should wait to be contacted by their child’s or children’s school. Throughout all of this our primary concern has been the safety of our children and staff.  1 June is the earliest date some of our schools will begin to welcome more pupils, others will follow on, as and when they are ready. So can I talk about Community Infrastucture Levy (CIL)? CIL is a levy on certain new developments, a part of which is specifically allocated to benefit local communities. I would like to mention that nearly £360,000 of capital funding is available for community projects in eight of our wards.  Where there are Parish or town Councils, funds are distributed directly to them. I hope community groups in Dorridge and Hockley Heath, Knowle, Olton, Shirley East, Shirley South, Shirley West, Silhill and St Alphege wards will start thinking about the future and what improvements they would like to see in their wards: there’s more information on the Council website here. We will be opening our cemeteries this Bank Holiday Monday (Widney Manor – 10am – 6pm and Robin Hood & Woodlands 3pm – 6pm) albeit on reduced hours. I know many people will welcome the extra opportunity to visit the graves of their loved ones, details are here. Please continue to observe the social distancing guidance. I would also like to highlight our staff who are doing a great job looking after our Shielded population – that’s the group that are extremely vulnerable and can’t go out at all. Our team is currently supporting around 7,300 people in Solihull, ensuring they get fortnightly government food parcels and additional fresh food top-ups sourced locally. They have also provided nearly 300 emergency food parcels to tide people over until they’re on the system, and are regularly checking on people’s wellbeing, making sure they have their medicines and the like. We’ve had lots of positive feedback from people, and I would just myself like to say a big personal thank you too. Many more people outside of the Shielded group also need help with food. I am pleased to report that we’re offering support and advice to them too. Some people need emergency food parcels, while others just need to know who can deliver food, if they can pay but can’t get out. For information about local foodbanks and local suppliers that deliver follow this link. With another Bank Holiday upon us, I must remind everyone that we are still in the grip of a pandemic.  The reason we are seeing a gradual relaxation of lockdown is because we are staying at home, we are washing our hands and we are observing social distancing when we are out – we are controlling the virus and saving lives. Watching the news last night, it was great to see the steps that some companies and organisations are taking, to get work started again, implementing new social distancing methods. This sort of thing is likely to become the new norm as we try and move forward in our Recovery mode. However, it was also very sad to hear the news about Rolls Royce.  It’s too early to know what it means for those working at the Birmingham Business Park, but we will speak to the company and offer whatever support we can. Please, if you leave the house continue to abide by the minimum 2m physical distancing rules and help keep everyone safe. To all our key workers who are working over the Bank Holiday I send my best wishes and heartfelt thanks.  For those able to take time to relax, I hope you all have a lovely long weekend and recharge your batteries. Take care. Good health, happiness and harmony for you all. Councillor Ian Courts, Leader of Solihull Council, 21 May 2020 ​

 

Stay alert, control the virus, save lives – and keep social distancing

Another weekend of lockdown passes, albeit with some easing of lockdown restrictions.

Reading the news and speaking to our local police teams, most people followed the guidelines and observed social distancing rules. As more businesses open, and we spend more time outside, the most important thing is that we continue to keep our distance from people. 

The use of personal face coverings is down to individual choice. Personally, I support using them.  My wife and I both use home-made face coverings on our few essential trips out. I have to say that on these trips, we have sometimes been shocked at how many people, despite everything, are barely sticking to the minimum on social distancing. Please, abide by the minimum 2m physical distancing rules and help keep everyone safe.  

If you have any of the following symptoms – a high temperature, persistent cough or lose your sense of smell and/or taste, you need to stay at home and self-isolate. The taste/smell symptom has been added to the Covid-19 checklist. 

Another step forward, as we move from lockdown, is the plan for more pupils to return to school. It has been difficult to juggle all the scientific guidance and practical advice.  However, working closely with our headteachers, we now have a plan.  

All parents will be receiving a letter from Louise Rees, our Director of Children’s Services and Skills. It reassures parents that the key priority for the Council and schools is to ensure the safety of every child and staff member. Schools are undertaking detailed risk assessments and putting in place a range of protective measures before they will open their doors to more pupils.

The Government has the ambition of a 1 June return, but the reality in Solihull is that schools will need to use that first week in June to ensure they are completely ready for more pupils to attend.  So places may only be available from the week beginning 8 June.

The order of priority outlined by the government is: the children of key workers and pupils who already qualify for a place under current government guidance; nursery aged pupils; reception aged pupils and pupils in year 1 and year 6.

Your school will be contacting you, if your child is in one of these priority groups, to invite them to return once your school is ready to receive them.

At present, there are no confirmed plans for when or how secondary pupils (and in particular those currently in years 10 and 12) will return to school. Special schools are being asked to follow the same protective measures as mainstream schools, but are not being asked to prioritise particular year groups.

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and the focus is on kindness, something we have seen from all quarters of our society during this pandemic.  As the weeks have progressed, it has become clear how important it is we continue to look after ourselves (both physically and mentally). We need to support each other during these difficult and uncertain times. Information and how to get involved and how to look after your mental health can be found on the Mental Health Foundation website.

Our local Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group has launched a new mental health support service, a 24/7 telephone helpline. It offers confidential emotional help, guidance and reassurance to people of all ages and backgrounds, including key workers, who may be finding the current situation overwhelming. 

If you are experiencing mental health difficulties or need support with common issues such as stress, sadness, disrupted sleep and anxiety, call 0121 262 3555, any day or any time and speak to someone who can help.

I was heartened to read a blog from one of our younger residents, Mia, who has been helped to adapt to this new world we find ourselves in.  Solihull Action through Advocacy (SAtA), a local independent charity which for over 25 years has provided advocacy for people with learning disabilities and/or autism, has helped Mia cope with what for her were very challenging changes to her life.  You can read her heart-warming article here   

Yesterday our Household Waste and Recycling Centre at Bickenhill re-opened and from the length of the queues it was welcomed by lots of residents.  Thank you to everyone who is observing social distancing and keeping safe while there – but the site is very busy and there are long queues. If our traffic management staff ask you to leave, please respect this instruction and leave the queue.  The message is – if it is essential for you to go, then be patient;  if it isn’t essential,  then come in the future.   (If you have a permit, you’ll have to wait until 1 June to get access to the site).

Stay alert, help control the virus, save lives.  We don’t want a second spike.

Please take care

Councillor Ian Courts, Leader of Solihull Council, 19 May 2020

Stay alert, control the virus, save lives – and keep social distancing Yesterday heralded the first of many small alterations to guidelines that we can expect in the coming months, as our response to this pandemic changes. We have the Government’s guidance for getting people back into workplaces and we can now enjoy our parks and open spaces for both exercise and relaxation, even meeting up with a family member or friend, although we must still abide by the physical distancing rules. These first changes to the lockdown are welcome, but it is only the first of many small steps.  We still need to guard against spreading the virus; we still need to save lives. When I go for my daily walk, I see people crossing the road to keep their distance as a norm now; I also see some in shops being equally careless, ignoring the “one way system” and getting far too close to others. Soon I shall be launching our Economic Recovery Action Plan.  We all know that the pandemic has had a massive impact on our people, our places and our local businesses.  Our plan must recognise the support that we can give to each, as well as focus on projects that can breathe life into our economy. So far we have pumped nearly £23m into 1,687 local companies, through business grants and offering rate relief.  We will continue to help businesses access any future finance initiatives from government, as well as any available regionally and locally. There is also the Government’s furlough scheme, a lifeline to many businesses in the borough, which is now continuing until October.  The self-employed are being offered help with the recently launched Self-Employment Income Support Scheme  which offers a grant worth 80% of their average monthly trading profits. I want the Council to work with our local high street retailers and businesses to plan a way forward to re-build our local economy.  I know that it is only through a partnership approach that we can hope to recover our economic strength. We need to capture the benefits HS2 will bring to the borough, seize the opportunities at the Interchange station site at the UK Central Hub, as well as maximise opportunities from Coventry’s City of Culture 2021 and the Commonwealth Games in 2022. As a Council we shall focus on the things we do well, like being able to leverage in national and regional funding and resources, to add value to what businesses can accomplish themselves. We need an economic recovery, but we also need a personal recovery. The human cost of the lockdown is enormous, with the tragedy of people losing loved ones, those losing their job or being furloughed and the stress we all feel, wondering what the future may bring. We must make sure any recovery is inclusive.  We will work hard to equip those individuals who have been affected by losing their job with the necessary skills and support, so they can benefit from the opportunities an economic recovery will bring. And recover we will. In Solihull we are well placed to plot a course out of the current situation.  The dynamism of the local economy, with its balance of manufacturing and services, alongside a highly qualified workforce, means we have a fantastic base to start our recovery from. In addition to this challenge, we must not lose sight of the environment and climate change.  We will continue to reduce carbon emissions, invest in the borough’s natural capital, plant trees and pursue the transformation of the borough’s economy. I know that we do not yet have all the answers, because we are not yet through this crisis, and will need to be patient, as we work through the coming challenges, but I remain confident in the borough’s ability to get back to work. For now, enjoy our re-opened tennis courts, a round of golf or maybe an afternoon of fishing.  But please enjoy the new relaxation of the guidelines responsibly.  Our parks may be busier now there is no time limit, so please observe the 2m social distancing rule and keep us all safe. Don’t forget why we had to introduce the lockdown in the first place. Stay alert, help control the virus, save lives.  We don’t want a second spike. Please take care Councillor Ian Courts, Leader of Solihull Council, 14 May 2020