New Website

My blog can now be found as part of my website on www.deirdrealden.com. There are also extra features such as news, campaigns and a photo gallery.
Do pay it a visit!

Deirdre Alden

Getting Ready For Change

Have spent time this weekend checking out the content of my new website which should be going live this week.

It will still be the same address but the new site will incorporate features such as news and campaigns as well as the regular blog.

I have really enjoyed blogging on this site and I want to take this opportunity to thank Cllr Peter Smallbone who helped me to set up the site back in October 2006. He is pictured on the right of the photo (above) on the night he became a Quinton Councillor in May 2008.

I've been posting on this blog almost every day for nearly three years and have covered all sorts of events and campaigns happening across the four wards which make up the Edgbaston Parliamentary Constituency - Bartley Green, Edgbaston, Harborne and Quinton.

That won't change - but in future the site will look rather different!

Quinton - It's Official!

Mentioned as far back as the 1840s (when it was referred to as The Quinton), and a part of Birmingham since November 1909, this month the Royal Mail has officially recognised Quinton as a postal address!

Royal Mail recently consulted with over 6,000 residents across Quinton to seek their views on adding "Quinton" to postal addresses in the area. Previously, many people (me included!) had sometimes been adding the word "Quinton" to B32 addresses anyway, but apparently it wasn't part of the official postal address.

Only 0.62% of people objected to the proposed change and so it has gone ahead. Local people have received letters this week from Royal Mail telling them about the change. The Royal Mail database has been amended so the change will gradually filter through to organisations who use that data. In the meantime, Royal Mail have reminded everyone that it is still necessary to include "Birmingham" in their address or mail could be delayed.

Over the next few weeks Royal Mail will be sending a small supply of address lables to Quinton residents to help people communicate their new address details to friends and relations. Many thanks to Quinton resident Jim Nicholl for tipping me off about this story!

New Life For The Firebird Site

Any years of lying derelict, the Firebird pub on the Benmore Estate in Edgbaston Ward was finally demolished this spring - but only after it had been taken over by squatters.

Whilst I was sorry to see the pub close, not least because it had a useful back room which was used for residents' meetings, parties, etc. I was angry that the site remained derelict for so long. It was actually the first thing I posted about when I started this blog back in October 2006.

I am glad to report that finally a planning application has been submitted for the site (pictured when Cllr Fergus Robinson and I visited just after the demolition). The proposal is to erect 30 affordable dwellings on the ground occupied by the pub and its large car park.

These will consist of 16 two bedroom flats, 4 two bedroom houses, 7 three bedroom houses, 2 four bedroom houses and 1 five bedroom house. There will also be associated landscaping and parking.

If you live in the area and wish to know more about the application, phone the Planning line 303-1115

Coast

Apologies for the shortage of posts over the past 12 days but I have been away on holiday. As in the hit BBC show Coast, we have been on a tour of Britain's coastline from Tresco in the Isles of Scilly, to Invergordon in the north of Scotland - with plenty of stops in between.

The weather was generally good (fortunately!) and in Oban, Scotland we were told it was the best tourist season they have had for several years as more people are holidaying at home this year due to the recession.

As our trip showed, there are certainly some beautiful and interesting places to see around the coast of Britain and Ireland. The fantastic beach pictured is in Northern Ireland, a few miles away from the Giant's Causeway (another place which is well worth a visit).

Back to work tomorrow - tonight I am wading through correspondence which arrived while I was away!

Change Is Coming!

As regular readers will know, I've been writing this blog since October 2006. During that time I have published nearly 1,000 posts. This is number 984 to be precise!

However change is coming to this site. Within a couple of weeks, my new site should be on-line. It will still be the same address, and there will still be a blog - but there will be other features too such as a news feed, and details about the Edgbaston constituency and various campaigns I'm involved with.

So keep watching, because big change is coming to www.deirdrealden.com

Bartley Green Community Fun Day

Earlier this week I went to the Community Fun Day held at Newman University College in Bartley Green. This year the event was opened by the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Birmingham and there over fifty different activities for the crowds to enjoy.

And there were large crowds there, with the event organiser telling me that a long queue of people were queueing to get in when the event opened. There were times when the colour of the sky looked ominous, but thankfully the rain held off.

Amongst the attractions were an engine from the West Midlands Fire Service, Punch and Judy, Dudley Zoo, a cake stall, face painting, book stall, tombola, clowns and jugglers and loads more. The picture shows me and Bartley Green Councillors John and Bruce Lines visiting the Bartley Green Library stand.

The day ended with a grand draw with Cllr John Lines doing the honours and great prizes such as tickets for Alton Towers on offer. All in all, a great community fun day on a rare dry day this week!