What We’re Doing

Just a little over a year ago West Wolverhampton witnessed one of the UK’s first ever Neighbourhood Plan referendums with overwhelming support being given for the proposed Plan

The Plan was the result of hours of work by local volunteers  as part of the Our Place Our Plan consultation carried out by the Tettenhall Local Neighbourhood Partnership.

Following adoption of the Tettenhall Local Neighbourhood Plan future commercial, and residential, development of the area for the next generation now has to comply with the Plan.

Whilst the City Council has discontinued the Local Neighbourhood Partnerships in the City the work of the Tettenhall LNP continues thanks to the hard work of local volunteers – operating as  part of the Tettenhall & District Community Council (TDCC) – who have been active in ensuring that the Plan and the opinions of local people are properly taken account in relation to planning applications and that money lodged in support of section 106 planning agreements is properly spent for the benefit of the community.

Tonight we were joined by Cyril Randles, Chairman of the TDCC and one of the instigators of the Tettenhall Local Neighbourhood Plan.

In addition to its planning role the TDDC also acts as a forum for community issues providing networks, support and communications for local community groups and organisations.

It’s all work carried out by volunteers such as our own Club member Les Bouts and to ensure that the TDCC can continue in its work Cyril is looking for more volunteers to help with its work and if you think you can help he’d like to hear from you.

With the potential for the Greater Birmingham/West Midlands Combined Authority initiative to take decision making further away from local communities the TDDC is now exploring support in the area for the formation of a Parish Council to help ensure that Tettenhall can continue to hold onto what has kept it special .

Keep an eye on the Tettenhall blog for details of the launch of the TDCC’s new website which will feature details of its activities.

The Club has worked with local Air Training Corps, 1046 Squadron, over several years following on from the initial involvement of Club Member Les Bouts. In addition to the support with Les provides, the Club has been able to provide financial assistance to help the cadets with the purchase of a new minibus and to meet the cost of field trips.

The squadron brings young men and women from all backgrounds together to help them to achieve their full potential. Cadets are given the opportunity to learn a wide range of skills through opportunities to take part in field-craft exercises, adventure training, flight lessons, first aid and marksmanship training. Many cadets take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme with 19 awards been made in the past year.

The Squadron has consistently been one of the highest achieving Squadrons in Staffordshire it’s achievements ranging from cadets attaining the Dacre Brooch and Dacre Sword, awarded to the best male and female cadet in the entire Air Training Corps, to the Sir Alan Lees Trophy, awarded to the best Air Training Corps Squadron.

Tonight we were joined by the Commanding Officer of the Squadron, Flight Lieutenant Colin Haynes, to share with us how he had become involved in the ATC and the importance of the work of the many civilian volunteers who give freely of their time helping to run the activities that play such an important role in the lives of the Squadron’s young members. President Sammy was pleased to present Flt Lt Haynes with a further cheque for £400 to help with the squadron with its work.

A self-confessed weather anorak since the age of nine our guest tonight at our Compton Hospice Fundraiser was TV weatherman Simon Keeling. Simon’s interest in the weather led him to provide holiday cover for the weather men at the Express & Star newspaper and Beacon Radio before he’d even left school.

Whilst he is perhaps best known for his work as a TV weatherman – having worked at GMTV, the BBC and with The Weather Channel – Simon, who lives in Wombourne, also runs a forecasting company providing weather forecasts to the City, helping to guide investment decisions, and to major high street retailers to help them decide which stock to carry in their stores.

Though self trained Simon went on to gain an MSc (Applied Meteorology & Climatology) and a Phd from the University of Birmingham – where he now teaches a “Weather Workshop” course to MSc students.

Whilst the weather is always a subject of conversation – especially given the storms of recent weeks- Simon gave us a fascinating insight into the advances made in forecasting over recent years and the role which it plays in many commercial and investment decisions which drive our economy. We’re grateful to him for a very entertaining evening and for his generosity in donating his speaking fee to Compton Hospice.

With Wolverhampton featuring as one of the top regions in the country for unemployment the need for regeneration is obvious. The decision by Jaguar Land Rover to chose Wolverhampton as the site for its Advanced Engine Facility brought £355 million of direct investment into the area and the promise of hundreds of skilled jobs but there is still much more to be done and this evening we were joined by Tim Johnson, the City’s Strategic Director for Education and Enterprise to hear from him what steps are being taken to regenerate the City

The combination of Education and Enterprise Departments is unique to Wolverhampton but reflects the importance which is attached to equipping the people of the City with the skills to make them more employable and as a way of creating the right conditions for enterprise to flourish

Tim explained the work which the Council was undertaking with local schools and developers and in particular the plans for the development of the City Centre to enhance the City’s retail and office offer. With the advantage of a great location, excellent communications, access to a huge market and advanced manufacturers such as JLR and an aerospace sector accounting for 12% of the country’s aerospace output Tim and his colleagues are convinced that Wolverhampton has got a lot to offer businesses and a great base to build on.