Be Proud of Your Town – Review
The 6 Be Proud of Your Town events held in Rowley Regis, Wednesbury, Smethwick, Tipton, Oldbury and West Bromwich in June and July were a huge success attracting over 2,500 people. Visitors enjoyed local performers and entertainment as well as getting the chance to talk to the people who run the services that affect everyday life in Sandwell.
Amongst the highlights of each town event was ‘Face the People’. Each session, run by Safer Sandwell Partnership, featured ‘who wants to be a millionaire’ style ‘ask the audience’ voting pads so residents could vote on a range of questions about key local issues.
Not only that, but the audience also got to hear a specific report on the state of their town and the chance to ask direct questions to a panel of senior staff from the likes of the police, fire service, environmental services, youth services and Sandwell Homes.
Each town event was opened by the lead council member for the town and featured poetry from Brendan Hawthorne – including a new poem for each town, written during the course of the day, a specially written poem read by members of the Shadow Youth Cabinet and local entertainment from each town.
So at the Salvation Army Hall in Rowley Regis we saw Highfield Brass Band, Puppets, Corngreaves Choir, British Junior Tumbling Champion Kayleigh Peakman, Performance Arts, the Fusion dancers as well as hearing from Rudi Parkes a member of the International Search & Rescue Team in Haiti finishing with the wonderful singing of the Salvation Army Songsters
In Wednesbury, we were made welcome at the Sant Nirankari Centre and saw singers from Albert Pritchard School, Bharat Hanatyam dancers, The Allstars Dance group as well as taking part in a Laughter Yoga session. John Allen & Edna Barker helped us to see why they are so proud of Wednesbury
Smethwick saw an ambitious programme across two venues – Victoria Park Primary School and the Ron Davis Centre – including children from Victoria Park, St Philips and Crocketts Community schools, singing from Omed Fakiri, impersonations from Billy Babu, a duet from Darius McLeish & Grace Zackwany from St Philips School, performances of African drumming, a karate demonstration and Dohl drumming, as well as Bollywood dancers and the Bearwood Crew dancers.
Tipton Sports Academy Social club heard songs from Wednesbury Oak School Choir, excerpts from ‘Our House’ from RSA Academy, The Coalition and Mary Christie, dance from Masquerade Dance Academy, poetry from Comma Crew at Alexandra High School as well as singing from Maison Kelly and a karate display from The Alliance Karate club. Chris Martin, of Tipton & Coseley Building Society and Pauline Hodgetts told us why they are proud Tiptonians.
For Oldbury we returned to Sandwell Council House and turned the Members Chamber into a song and dance and fitness showcase with Lightwoods Choir, Performance Arts, an Extend session, Belly dancer Julia Dayus, dancers from Krunch and Fancy Feet Dance School at Ormiston College, an enlightening presentation from Jon Grant & Steve Karma, plus poetry from Sue Hulse
Finally our ‘Be Proud of Your Town’ tour reached West Bromwich, where we joined forces with Centrepoint Church who were holding their own Random Act of Kindness day outside The Public. Be Proud of West Bromwich meanwhile, took over the first and third floors of The Public for one of the busiest Saturdays’ on record.
Helping us to make it such a successful day at The Public was the amazing young singer Mikhail Mala Last Choir Standing finalists Dreemz, Blind Dave Heeley, Striv5 creative theatre group from George Salter Collegiate Academy who gave a thought provoking performance and fiddle player and Sandwell Rose Michelle Fraher. The Older People’s Gospel Choir from the African Caribbean Resource Centre led us into the Face the People session
Of course there were many more contributors; the partner organisations who provided exhibitions, the caterers, sound engineers and all the entertainers and local speakers who talked with such pride about just what their town means to them, that aren’t mentioned by name above – there were just too many of you!
But most of all our thanks go to the people of Sandwell, who really did show why they are Proud of their town.
To hear audio from any of the Be Proud live events visit www.beproudofsandwell.co.uk homepage and click on the ‘visit our audio page’ link.
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