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Castle Bromwich Community Website is the number one online resource for Castle Bromwich residents. We provide news, somewhere to chat, details of what's on, reviews of community events, details of where to shop in Castle Bromwich and the surrounding area, a history resource, who to contact to sort a problem, photographs and videos and sign posting to support groups. If you want to know what's happening in Castle Bromwich, what's available for teenagers, what sports groups you can join, what the local Council is doing, who's responsible for what, where you can go and socialise and chat, then subscribe to our updates or bookmark this page. Why not spread the word and invite your friends to share this resource?

NEW neighbourhood police sergeant Dave Hewitt is no stranger to Castle Bromwich –though in the past he’s been used looking at the suburb from 2,000-feet ratherthan ground level!

The 47-year-old, who takes up his post from April 6 as part of a major West Midlands Police restructure, previously spent nine years with the force helicopter team based out Birmingham International Airport.

More recently, Sgt Hewitt has overseen policing in Smiths Wood – but the vastly experienced officer is looking forward to crossing the neighbourhood boundary into Castle Bromwich.

“I know the area well,” he added, “but I’m keen to speak to as many residents as possible in order to understand their priorities and address any concerns. We’ll be holding monthly police meetings in the community and regular street briefings where the public can raise any issues; I’ll take whatever action is needed to make people’s lives better.”

Father-of-two Sgt Hewitt – whose wife Sue is a sergeant in Silhill – will be supported in Castle Bromwich by a neighbourhood team made up of five Police Constables and two Community Support Officers. Previously there were three PCs in the team.

The team focuses solely on neighbourhood issues and, in accordance with national guidelines, will spend most of its time patrolling the streets and engaging with residents.

Infact, the restructure – known as Programme Paragon – has seen the number of neighbourhood officers across Solihull borough increase from 72 to 112. 

Sgt Hewitt, added: “These officers are dedicated to tackling the kinds of issues residents say are most important to them, things like anti-social behaviour and criminal damage. The whole Paragonre organisation underpins the force’s commitment to local policing.”

And West Midlands Police Chief Constable Chris Sims, added: “By reshaping what we do we can provide members of the public with a better, tailored service; we can engage with them more effectively and protect them from harm.

Current Castle Bromwich police sergeant PaulO’Reilly takes up a partnership role within Solihull Police from April 6.

From April 6, residents will be able to influence local police priorities by going to www.solihullpolice.org.uk, clicking on their neighbourhood and casting their vote. Details of upcoming community meetings can also be found on the website.

Influence - over policing priorities

The next Community Beat Surgery will be held on Tuesday 16th March from 4pm - 5pm at Castle Bromwich Library Hurst Lane North. If you have any concerns that relate to policing. Further details can be found HERE

Castle Bromwich Junior School has won the Solihull Indoor Athletics Championship. Congratulations to all involved. Read more about their victory HERE

An independent assessment by six inspectorates reports on how well local public services are tackling the major issues in Solihull. Solihull has identified six priority areas:-

• Building healthier communities
• Building safer communities
• Building stronger communities
• Building more prosperous communities
• An equal chance for children and young people
• Narrowing Solihull's Gap in Inequalities

The inspectors did not identify any green flag areas where they felt that there was exceptional or innovative performance that others could learn from, but neither did they identify any red flag areas which gave them any significant concerns.

There were however, some informative pieces of information within the reports. Generally the health of people in Solihull is good and improving with an average life expectancy of 83.8 years for women and 78.4 years for me. However, there is a wide difference between life expectancy in the more affluent areas in the South of Solihull and the more deprived areas in the North with men in the south living on average 8.3 years longer than men in the north, and women in the south living on average 6.5 years longer than those from the North.

Read more about the details and how Solihull plans to reduce health inequalities HERE

Castle Bromwich 700

My family recently heard about the Castle Bromwich Community Hall Project and its offer of a commemorative paver. The timing could not have been better as we were considering how to commemorate the life of a recently deceased relative and this seemed to offer the perfect opportunity to both preserve her name and to contribute some money towards a worth while community project.

St Mary & St Margaret's Church are offering for sale 700 walkway pavers which can be used to preserve your name, to remember a loved one, a special event, a business, a club or a society. The choice is yours. The pavers will be engraved for the area outside the proposed New Community Hall.

Anybody wanting further details should contact the Revd. Gavin Douglas OBE - Phone: 0121 747 8546

Pupils of Alderlea Boys' School Circa 1960/61

Do you recognise anyone in these photos? If so, could you share the information here and with M Dickers who posted the photos here with a request for further information. Email md18446@telus.net The photographs were provided by Mr Hedges - back row second from right in photo below.

Teachers of Alderlea Boys' School Circa 1960/61

Gung Hei Fat Choi (Happy New Year) was the message to Solihull residents today as Solihull kicked off the Chinese New Year with a series of performances in Mell Square. The Mayor opened the ceremony by opening the eye of the Lion and this was followed by a wide range of cultural performances which ranged from Martial Arts, Tai Chi, Acrobaticsand Dance to instrumental performances.

Over a sixth of the people in the world celebrate Chinese New Year with a focus on remembering the family and wishing everyone peace and prosperity in the coming year. This year is the year of the Tiger and people born during this period are said to be sensitive, deep thinking, corageous and powerful.

Mell Square, decorated with traditional Chinese lanterns,  was also host to a number of stalls selling Chinese food and traditional New Year gifts. Despite the cold, the crowds gathered to enjoy the colourful and atmospheric festivities which were compered by BRMB.

Castle Bromwich was represented at the Celebrations by Starz! who wowed the audience with their energetic and creative performance.

An exhibition is also running at Solihull ArtsComplex, G2, 8-22 February, in celebration of Chinese New Year.  Innovation in Abstraction by Professor Hai Shuet Yeung MBE combinesBritish and Chinese cultures in this collection of unique paintings.

The culmination of the Festival in Mell Square was vibrant and exciting Dragon and Lion Dance as the Dragon danced its way through the audience gathered around Mell Square folowed by a thank you speech by the organiser Michael Chan, Chaiman of the Chinese New Year Celebration Solihull.