Category — Matthew's blog

On BBC 5 Live for the first time recently and now the difficult issue of Stafford Hospital on Sunday Politics

The issue of the further delay in opening the night time emergency service is controversial but I’m clear that safety and the viability of maintaining a 24/7 service is crucial.

An interesting couple of hours with the BBC at the Mailbox to explain exactly that message. Stafford needs 24/7 walk-in services and the plan is to maintain it with a clear focus on the best options for specialist care.

I for one would always want to be looked after by those who are the very best in their specialism.

Anyway, some decent feedback about the interview from people who heard it and overwhelming support for the statements about the need for a safe and resilient service going forward… rather than any thought of an ‘open at all costs’. So fairly pleased overall.

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The restoration progress is astounding and now young people from South Staffs College are doing their bit too

I find it verging on the impossible to remember just what a state the Gardens were in. Derelict, overgrown, crumbling walls, a place that had been forgotten and neglected.

It’s ‘owned’ by Birmingham City Council under a charitable trust and for many years had been ignored by them. But the campaign we launched four years ago to get them involved really has worked and I’m delighted that over the past few years Birmingham have been swept along into genuine and active support. 

And when I visited them recently the Gardens were just coming into their most spectacular and colourful look which, frankly, takes the breath away when compared to what it was like.

There were also a dozen or so new faces working there for the first time. A group of youngsters from South Staffordshire College were honing their brick laying skills with a view to preparing them for a career in construction.

The group running the restoration project are also very keen to make sure the Gardens offer some opportunity for benefitting the wider community as well as Elford villagers.

That could be things like the guys from the college while the sensory garden they are playing a part in building will also provide valuable experiences for people who are blind or have other health challenges.

So, it’s all going well and, as I said earlier the whole place is now a real historic asset for Elford, Staffordshire and the wider region.

Bloomin’ marvellous!!   

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It’s not just the numbers but the crazy behaviour of a minority of bikers which is the problem

The summer months each year brings hundreds of bikers twice a week to the area around the pub at Bassetts Pole.

It’s been a regular meeting place for many years but costs tens of thousands to police and more often than not causes concern and worry for local people who live in the areas bikers travel through on the way to the meet.

As I say, it’s a minority or motorcyclists that do the really daft stuff although I do have first hand experience of just how daft and potentially dangerous it can be. Last year I was driving along the A5 in the direction of the A38 when I had what I estimate to be a dozen motorbikes overtake at high speed on both sides of me. And, of course, it’s a single carriageway road!

But each year I also get complaints from people living along the A513, A51, A5 and A38 about motorcycles travelling at phenomenalspeeds presumably on the way to and from Bassetts Pole on the days they meet.

Apart from the dodgy behaviour it is the shear numbers who meet there which causes problems too. The site is absolutely packed meaning it can be disruptive to people wanting to have a quiet night at the pub and with the bikers often come the ‘boy racers’ who tag along and cause their own issues… often well past midnight.

So it’s a problem but there is a fine balance between being a killjoy, making sure that people aren’t intimidated, safety issues and accounting for the large cost of policing it year after year.

I met with police, at their request, to discuss a way forward and look at options. I also went with them to see for myself the scale of the issue although it’s early in the season and the weather wasn’t conducent to motorcycling on the night.

But I am supportive of looking for a solution which deals with the issues and potentially reduces the need for such a learge, and fixed, police presence. I’ll write more in the next couple of weeks.

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The popular local news platform, formally Lichfield Blog, are serious about communities promoting what they do

It’s about the Lichfield Live media team providing FREE training to local community and voluntary groups on how to get the most out of websites and social media.

I’ve agreed to fund places through my Local Community Fund for parish councils and other local bodies which work for community good, such as village halls, youth clubs, sports grounds, local projects; in fact anything that brings benefit to the Lichfield Rural East area and the people there.

They intend to widen it out to the whole of the district very soon but any group which is interested about a free place can contact me for more details.

It’s a great idea and they really know what they’re doing in maximising the use and usefulness of existing websites. You just need to know how.

They’ve also got very interesting ideas on the production of very local video news reports online and they’ll be talking about that at the training events which are over the next 2 months. 

Hurry though if you’re interested!!

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