It goes without saying we’re always happy to see an Edwin Ellis PR client make the front page.

And such was the case for Shirley BID, the proposed Business Improvement District for the Stratford Road corridor, which featured on Page One of the Solihull News March 30 edition.

What makes this piece of coverage particularly important, however, is that is the right audience for the announcement at exactly the right time.

The BID revealed its five-year Business Plan to provide additional services, events and promotion for Shirley town centre and how it would invest the £550,000 generated over its first term if it is successfully implemented in May 2018.

Birmingham Live, the Birmingham Post , Chambers of Commerce covered the announcement on their websites, while the Solihull Observer covered the announcement in its print edition.

This is the press release issued by Edwin Ellis on behalf of Shirley BID:

Five-year Business Plan to secure £550,000 of new investment for Shirley town centre

An ambitious five-year Business Plan to help bring £550,000 of investment into Shirley town centre has been unveiled.

The document has been drawn up by the proposed Business Improvement District (BID) for the Stratford Road corridor and developed through a year-long consultation process with more than 250 local businesses.

A BID is a defined geographical area within which local businesses collaborate to invest in initiatives that improve the environment in which they work. BIDs deliver additional services to those provided by the local authority and the police. Local businesses will get the opportunity to vote for the implementation of the Shirley BID in May 2018.

The Business Plan encompasses those projects which have the greatest potential for improving trade and vibrancy in the town centre and forms the cornerstone of the Shirley BID’s first term between 2018-2023.

According to the Shirley BID Shadow Board, the town centre is not currently performing as well as required in economic terms and needs to ensure it competes more effectively with surrounding centres. Many neighbouring areas already have BIDs and the proposed Shirley BID has the backing of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.

The Shirley BID would be funded by a 1.5% levy on the current rateable value of eligible businesses in the proposed BID area, with small businesses under a rateable value of £7,500 exempt. It has been calculated that for the average business, the cost of the BID levy would be less than £1.35 per day.

Proposals in the five-year Business Plan for 2018-2023 include:

The effectiveness of the Shirley BID Business Plan would be measured by regular surveys, analysis of footfall and sales performance data, plus tracking of vacant unit levels.

Indra Collins, Manager, Nando’s Shirley, said: “Nearby towns are getting stronger so standing still is not an option and the BID will be solely focused on working to achieve the best results for the town and its businesses.”

Sandra Grice, Community Life Champion at ASDA Shirley and Chair of the Shirley BID Shadow Board, said: “Shirley town centre has many strengths, which include its varied retail mix, its leisure offer and the fact that it is a great location, although, as with many other towns, Shirley has suffered at the hands of the economic conditions and the growth of online shopping.

“In recent years, we have seen the creation of BIDs in locations such as Acocks Green, Harborne, Kings Heath, Solihull and Sutton Coldfield and these have resulted in significant investment in those areas.

“A BID for Shirley would see the town centre making similar gains and it is therefore something which the local business community has expressed a strong support for.

“The BID would be business-led and business funded to improve the area.

“The creation of a BID in Shirley would give businesses the power and funding to take action to make significant, targeted and sustained improvements to our town.

“Local businesses have decided what those improvements should be and, through the creation of a BID, would be responsible for ensuring they happen.

“As well as major direct improvements, a BID would also provide access to grantmaking bodies and extra funding opportunities from organisations, such as the council, the chamber of commerce, the Local Enterprise Partnership and the West Midlands Combined Authority.”

To download or read the Shirley BID Business Plan visit www.shirleybid.co.uk

 

An ambitious five-year Business Plan to help bring £550,000 of investment into Shirley town centre has been unveiled.

The document has been drawn up by the proposed Business Improvement District (BID) for the Stratford Road corridor and developed through a year-long consultation process with more than 250 local businesses.

A BID is a defined geographical area within which local businesses collaborate to invest in initiatives that improve the environment in which they work. BIDs deliver additional services to those provided by the local authority and the police. Local businesses will get the opportunity to vote for the implementation of the Shirley BID in May 2018.

The Business Plan encompasses those projects which have the greatest potential for improving trade and vibrancy in the town centre and forms the cornerstone of the Shirley BID’s first term between 2018-2023.

Shirley BID

Stores on Stratford Road, Shirley

According to the Shirley BID Shadow Board, the town centre is not currently performing as well as required in economic terms and needs to ensure it competes more effectively with surrounding centres. Many neighbouring areas already have BIDs and the proposed Shirley BID has the backing of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.

The Shirley BID would be funded by a 1.5% levy on the current rateable value of eligible businesses in the proposed BID area, with small businesses under a rateable value of £7,500 exempt. It has been calculated that for the average business, the cost of the BID levy would be less than £1.35 per day.

Proposals in the five-year Business Plan for 2018-2023 include:

The effectiveness of the Shirley BID Business Plan would be measured by regular surveys, analysis of footfall and sales performance data, plus tracking of vacant unit levels.

Shirley BID

The Parkgate development in Shirley

Indra Collins, Manager, Nando’s Shirley, said: “Nearby towns are getting stronger so standing still is not an option and the BID will be solely focused on working to achieve the best results for the town and its businesses.”

Sandra Grice, Community Life Champion at ASDA Shirley and Chair of the Shirley BID Shadow Board, said: “Shirley town centre has many strengths, which include its varied retail mix, its leisure offer and the fact that it is a great location, although, as with many other towns, Shirley has suffered at the hands of the economic conditions and the growth of online shopping.

“In recent years, we have seen the creation of BIDs in locations such as Acocks Green, Harborne, Kings Heath, Solihull and Sutton Coldfield and these have resulted in significant investment in those areas.

Shirley BID

Stratford Road, Shirley

“A BID for Shirley would see the town centre making similar gains and it is therefore something which the local business community has expressed a strong support for.

“The BID would be business-led and business funded to improve the area.

“The creation of a BID in Shirley would give businesses the power and funding to take action to make significant, targeted and sustained improvements to our town.

“Local businesses have decided what those improvements should be and, through the creation of a BID, would be responsible for ensuring they happen.

“As well as major direct improvements, a BID would also provide access to grantmaking bodies and extra funding opportunities from organisations, such as the council, the chamber of commerce, the Local Enterprise Partnership and the West Midlands Combined Authority.”

To download or read the Shirley BID Business Plan visit www.shirleybid.co.uk

Press release issued by Edwin Ellis Creative Media on behalf of Shirley BID, covered by the Birmingham Post here and Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce here.

The Simplyhealth Great Birmingham 10K medal awaits all finishers… runners or walkers

 

Sign-up figures have revealed more people than ever are choosing to walk the Simplyhealth Great Birmingham 10k with its ‘Walking Wave’ growing in popularity.

More than 8,000 participants of all abilities are expected to sign up for this year’s Great Birmingham 10K, on Sunday, May 6, and after 300 people walked the route in 2017, the Walking Wave is proving a popular option for first-time participants or those looking to change lifestyles.

The news comes as middle-aged people are being urged to walk faster to help stay healthy, amid concern high levels of inactivity may be harming their health.

4 out of 10 (41%) adults aged 40 to 60 in England walk less than 10 minutes continuously each month at a brisk pace, according to the most recent research carried out by government body Public Health England (PHE).

Read this article on the Midlands What’s On website here

Taking at least one brisk ten-minute walk a day has been shown to reduce the risk of early death by 15%.

PHE’s One You physical activity campaign is encouraging adults to build 10 minutes continuous brisk walking into their day as a simple way to improve their health.

The severity of the current physical inactivity epidemic amongst adults contributes to 1 in 6 deaths in the UK and is costing the NHS over £0.9 billion per year.

The Great Birmingham 10K is organised by the Great Run Company and title-sponsored by Simplyhealth – the UK’s leading provider of everyday health cash plans, dental payment and pet health plans.

Commenting, Romana Abdin, CEO of Simplyhealth, said: “Our purpose is to help people make the most of life through better everyday health and we strongly believe that movement plays an active part in achieving that.

“It’s fantastic that so many people of all ages and abilities will be taking part in the Simplyhealth Great Birmingham 10k this year. Whether you’re walking, running or jogging we’ll be supporting you at every stage of your journey.”

David Hart, Partnerships Director for the Great Run Company, organisers of the Simplyhealth Great Birmingham 10K, said: “The Walking Wave at the 10K has proved a popular addition and reinforces the fact that we want to make the event as inclusive as possible.

“We hope that we can inspire more people to get involved, both for the health benefits and to experience the enjoyment of a big event atmosphere.”

Sign up for the Simplyhealth Great Birmingham 10K 2018 at http://www.greatrun.org/great-birmingham-10k

A Chinese New Year dragon dance

Colmore Business District will for the first time be at the heart of Birmingham’s Chinese New Year celebrations in 2018.

The annual event, traditionally held in the Southside and Chinatown area, has grown in popularity and now features music, dance and displays across the city centre between Thursday, February 15, and Sunday, February 18.

Colmore BID is co-sponsoring Chinese New Year in Birmingham and the District will come alive with colour as Colmore Row trees are adorned with red and gold ribbons to help welcome the Year of the Dog.

On Friday, February 16 – the actual date of Chinese New Year – there will be a wide range of performances, lion dancing and food stalls on the grounds of Birmingham Cathedral, Colmore Row, between 12pm and 2pm.

The celebrations arrive in Birmingham’s business district at midday, with the traditional Chinese lion performing a dance and visiting businesses in the area to ‘wish them good luck’.

The lion symbolises luck, wealth and prosperity and it’s believed that the longer it dances, the more luck and wealth it will bring. Businesses in and around Colmore Row can request a visit by visiting http://colmorebusinessdistrict.com/event/chinese-dragon-visit/

Chung Ying Central

Chung Ying Central will be performing a live cooking demonstration from midday until 2pm in Cathedral Square, showcasing dishes including Korean fried chicken bao, Japanese seafood ramen and a Chinese pork burrito.

Birmingham Cathedral

At 12.45pm, the cathedral will open its doors for a special concert from the Birmingham Conservatoire (1-2pm), alongside a Chinese folk quartet and classical pianist.

Gary Cardin, Chair, Colmore BID, said: “Chinese New Year celebrations are set to be fantastic this year in the District. Colmore BID is supporting a range of activity to celebrate the Chinese New Year – the year of the dog.

“Businesses in the District can get involved in a variety of activities on Friday, February 16, including a lion dance which will bring you good luck and prosperity, and there is a free concert in Birmingham Cathedral featuring music from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

“It is important for Colmore BID to support this cultural activity recognising the importance of Chinese businesses and Chinese inward investment to the city.”

Chinese New Year Birmingham continues on Saturday, February 17 with performances in the Bullring between 12pm and 1pm.

The grand finale is at Southside – and for the first time there will be two stages at the Arcadian and outside the Hippodrome.

There will be a funfair, performances and food stalls from 11.30am to 4.30pm.

The festival welcomes more than 15,000 each year with all events organised by Chinese Festival Committee and jointly managed by Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Hippodrome.

To reserve tickets to the Birmingham Cathedral performance on Friday, February 16; visit: http://colmorebusinessdistrict.com/event/concert-by-royal-birmingham-conservatoire-in-birmingham-cathedral/

Press release issued on behalf of Colmore BID and featured in Birmingham What’s On Live here.

A digital image of Cornwall Street with Herbert House, right. Credit: Broadway Malyan

These digital images show how Cornwall Street in the heart of Birmingham’s Business District could look after Colmore BID’s plans to revitalise the street took a step forward.

The BID’s £1.2 million proposal for a new-look Cornwall Street was given a boost when the Public Realm Board, made up of representatives from Birmingham City Council, Transport for West Midlands and Colmore BID, endorsed the project at a recent meeting.

The plans form part of the BID’s Outstanding Places objective that cares for the physical aspects of the Business District.

A BID is a defined geographical area within which local businesses collaborate to invest in projects, services and initiatives that improve the environment in which they work. BIDs deliver additional services to those provided by local authority and the police.

Cornwall Street is at the heart of the Business District and home to restaurants Zen Metro, Purnell’s and Opus and businesses such as Arcadis.

Bruntwood recently completed its Cornerblock development on the corner of Cornwall Street and Livery Street, bringing 110,000 sq ft of much-needed Grade A workspace to the area.

Colmore BID is leading a public realm project to transform the section of street between New Market Street and Newhall Street to make it more pedestrian friendly with new lighting and seating to stop and dwell.

The street will boast widened pavements to create a fresh and open outdoor environment – blending with the semi-pedestrianised Church Street running back up towards historic Colmore Row.

A digital image of semi-pedestrianised Cornwall Street and New Market Street, Birmingham with the Seventy-One Cornwall Street building. Image created by figuracreative.com

Key stakeholders and businesses will be consulted early in the project to gather feedback on proposed traffic calming measures, parking and delivery access, the final design and the construction process. Work will be carried out with minimal disruption to the needs of business and visitors to the District.

The project is being supported with a grant from Herbert House Investments, the development vehicle owned by Pimlico Capital, owners of Herbert House, Cornwall Street, currently being converted to create ‘The Lightwell’ apartments.

The digital images show Herbert House and the 71 Cornwall Street building on the corner of Cornwall Street and New Market Street, which is also being refurbished into prime leisure opportunities.

The BID spends a substantial amount of its levy income over its five-year term on permanent, lasting improvements to public spaces.

An example of this is Church Street Square, delivered in partnership with the city council to create a new place to stop and relax in a previously unloved and under-used space.

The BID followed this up with an award-winning project in Colmore Square, creating a popular place to dwell with new soft landscaping and planting, as well as feature-lighting and benches.

Gary Cardin, Chair of Colmore BID, said: “We have chosen to focus on Cornwall Street as we want to see an uplift in that area and this is being matched by new investment in the buildings on the street.

“We are committed to investing in our open spaces and helping to create a more walkable, sustainable and high quality city centre.”

This press release was covered in the Birmingham Post, Express & Star, BusinessDesk, Insider Media, What’s On Live, Brumpic and the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce.

The redesigned Professional Social Work front page and inside pages

 

We were asked to redesign Professional Social Work, the leading magazine for social care in the UK.

The monthly glossy title, which is distributed across the country, is produced by an editorial team based in Birmingham on behalf of BASW, the British Association of Social Workers.

Our brief was to give the magazine a refreshed design and offer suggestions to help the flow of authoritative news articles, in-depth features and better usage of photography.

The magazine’s editor was keen to preserve a strong story and feature count to ensure the title maintains its position as a must-read for social workers.

This was at the forefront of our thinking as we created a series of templates for news and features pages for ease of production in future editions.

Contemporary sans and serif typefaces now complement each other for headlines and body text, with further guidelines on colour usage in page furniture.

Shahid Naqvi, Editor of Professional Social Work magazine, said: “Stacey Barnfield did a fantastic job redesigning our magazine. He was there every step of the way, guiding the process and coming up with ideas that often took us in a new direction while always being responsive to and understanding our needs.

“I really appreciated his calm professionalism, clarity, creative flair and commitment to the project. Post launch, he didn’t just walk away but stayed with us to make sure everything was working well.

“The end result is a product that ticked every box and has been universally praised. I couldn’t recommend Edwin Ellis Creative Media highly enough!”

Jonathan Davey – Associate, Tim Cornbill – Associate, Graham Hall – Associate Director, Karis Cochrane – Senior Architect, Steve Townsend – Associate Director

Leading Birmingham architectural practice Associated Architects has unveiled a new identity and made five internal appointments as it approaches its 50th anniversary.

The Mailbox-based practice was founded in 1968 by three tutors at the Birmingham School of Architecture and has been recognised with RIBA Awards for its work across the university, education, residential, arts and commercial sectors.

The creative team is now the biggest it has ever been, with a team of 69 people. In 2016/2017 Associated Architects posted record turnovers.

Recent projects include the new University of Birmingham New Library, Birmingham City Council’s Woodcock Street offices and the refurbishment of the modernist Edward Boyle Library at the University of Leeds; shortlisted for a national retrofit award.

Adding to an already strong Higher Education sector, the practice has secured some significant projects in the build-to-rent residential sector, several major commercial office projects and has recently been appointed by Birmingham City Council and Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery to lead the design work for the Council House refurbishment and BMAG redevelopment.

Associated Architects has made five internal appointments to support continuing growth within the practice.

Existing Associates, Steve Townsend and Graham Hall, have been promoted to the position of Associate Director, recognising their contribution in developing new sectors and clients. Steve Townsend has also been central to the practice’s recent rebranding exercise and was the founder of the Birmingham’s Hidden Spaces initiative.

Steve was named a ‘Rising Star’ of property for the Midlands and East Anglia region at the recent NextGen Awards, run by the British Council for Offices.

Jonathan Davey and Tim Cornbill have been promoted to the position of Associate, recognising their contribution in delivering landmark projects such as JLR’s Engine Manufacturing Centre and the University of Birmingham’s New Library respectively. Tim Cornbill was also a double winner in the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards, in the Architecture Open category and the UK National Award.

Karis Cochrane has been promoted to Senior Architect, in recognition of her excellent work on a number of conservation and residential projects, and going forward will lead on several key schemes in the schools and university sectors.

The new Associated Architects branding

The practice largely recruits from within the region in support of the firm’s policy to foster local talent and support the region’s architecture schools.

Associated Architects commissioned Birmingham-based agency ORB to work on the practice’s proposition and brand values, plus a new logo and visual identity.

John Bright Street-based agency Lightbox produced Associated Architects’ new digital platforms.

ORB’s strategy reinforced Associated Architects’ mission to put people at the heart of everything the practice designs.

Matthew Goer, Director said: “Associated Architects has had a record couple of years securing a number of new clients and a clutch of high profile awards.

“It’s important for us to recognise the work of individuals in achieving this, as well as ensuring that we have the right team in place to guarantee our high level of service to both existing and new clients.

“The five team members we have promoted have proven themselves to be highly effective in their project work and contribute a great deal to the life and culture of the practice.”

Press release issued by Edwin Ellis Creative Media on behalf of Associated Architects.

Read the Birmingham Post coverage here.

Or the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce article here.

Simon Samuels of Brockton Capital

A leading figure in Birmingham’s retail rebirth has spoken of his excitement at seeing another piece of the city centre regeneration jigsaw slot-in to place.

The six-year project to transform Birmingham’s landmark Mailbox building has reached another milestone with the launch of a 21,000 sq ft homewares section on Level 1 of the iconic building.

Simon Samuels has been the driving force behind the project and was on site to see the new store welcome visitors for the first time and to browse brands never before seen in the city centre.

Simon is a partner at Brockton Capital who, along with Mailbox co-owners Milligan, have spent more than £50 million transforming the building after a joint purchase in 2011.

The Mailbox now has a roof and welcoming lounge area, premium office spaces and a remodelled BBC reception area.

And in 2015 the Mailbox created some of the Midlands’ largest office accommodation on a single floorplate, bringing 45,000 sq ft of contiguous Grade A space to Birmingham’s prime office market.

Office tenants include a variety of well-known companies including the BBC, Associated Architects and software provider Advanced.

The Mailbox is also home to Harvey Nichols’ 45,000 sq ft flagship store, an Everyman Cinema and Tom’s Kitchen restaurant.

This illustrious roster of businesses, restaurants and boutiques now includes homewares retailers Made.com and Heal’s.

For Heal’s this is its first opening in the Midlands in its 200-year history. As well as beautiful furniture, Heal’s is known for its lighting, decorative accessories, kitchenware and lifestyle brands including Case and Tom Dixon.

The new Homewares section at the Mailbox

Made.com was launched in 2010 as an online retailer and describes its collections as designed to outlive trends and evolve with consumers’ changing styles.

The two showrooms connect with other new to the city homewares retailers BoConcept, Wesley Barrell, Calligaris and The Design Quarter, creating a pioneering city centre department store for design-savvy interiors shoppers.

The new stores join fashion retailers including Paul Smith, Hugo Boss, Armani, Gieves & Hawkes, Tommy Hilfiger and L.K. Bennett; Ribble Cycles’ first ever physical showroom, Castle Fine Art, Kitchen Gallery, Malmaison and AC Hotels, among many others.

And such was the significance of a rebuilt Mailbox, it featured on a Marketing Birmingham list of the 15 most important projects for 2015 alongside Grand Central, the Rugby World Cup and Midland Metro tram extension.

“We buy assets that are fundamentally great but just need more capital and a few ideas to fix them,” explained Simon, who has been with Brockton Capital since 2008 and has 24 years of retail and real estate experience.

“We literally took this building apart and put it back together again. To see this work come to fruition is a wonderful thing.

“I’ve been on this project personally for six years and this is a very exciting day.”

Simon explained how the Mailbox’s homewares section was 18 months in the making and part of a wider strategy to reposition its retail choice.

“This (Level 1) has been in the planning for quite some time with homewares at its heart,” he said.

“We found products and brands that weren’t represented in Birmingham or the Midlands and saw an opportunity there, but we also thought about how changing consumer habits and bricks and mortar competes with online retail these days.

“Having identified the gap in the market for homewares and furniture, we also realised these are very tangible products; things people want to go and see to prod and sit on.

“Ribble Cycles (also on Level 1 of the building) is a great example of this emerging theme with what started life as a 100% online business, and has now moved into bricks and mortar retail. Made.com, also entirely online until a couple of years ago, has followed a similar path and launched several physical stores.

“These are showrooms. If people convert a sale here, that’s great. But if these stores help to crystallise a decision and people buy online later, that’s a sale. Anything we can do to help facilitate that is great as all our interests are aligned.

“We are now in the experience economy. If we can make visiting the Mailbox a really great day out and a pleasant experience, I’ll be happy.

“You can enjoy the new homewares stores, you can have lunch at a choice of great restaurants, you can buy quality clothing from some of the UK’s leading fashion brands.

“We’re giving people lots of reasons to not only come here but to come here and stay.”

Simon and fellow real estate experts at Brockton Capital are embracing the new Birmingham with the high-profile relocation of HSBC UK to Arena Central just streets away, along with professional services giant PwC’s move to the Paradise regeneration scheme, both helping to attract visitors to the Mailbox.

“The city is expanding and inching westwards and everything we’ve done here is with a line of sight to what’s coming down the track in the city centre,” added Simon.

“Having put a huge amount of capital and effort into turning the Mailbox into what it is today, this asset has become a great hub for everyone who lives and works in the city.

“The Mailbox is so much more than just retail, we’re the home to the BBC in the Midlands, the regional headquarters of Advanced – one of the UK’s fastest growing tech companies – and we’ve got the only Everyman Cinema in the region.

“We have a new office tenant coming next year in the former Network Rail space and nearby you have the relocation of HSBC to Arena Central.

“I like the idea of the Mailbox becoming a ‘Design Quarter’, not just for the city centre, but the wider West Midlands region as a whole.

“With the broader investment and big corporates looking at Birmingham, this is really helping to reposition the city.

“Birmingham is having its renaissance right now.”

Interview with Simon Samuels carried out by Stacey Barnfield on behalf of Retail BID Birmingham and featured in the Birmingham Post.

Birmingham’s Metro tram route given a sprinkling of New York style

The world’s leading public transport networks have for generations set the benchmark in typographic design and branding, helping to shape the identity of the cities they represent.

The most famous example is the iconic look of the London Underground, shaped by creative masterminds Frank Pick and Harry Beck; the man responsible for the most recognisable public transport map ever.

You’ll be hard-pushed to find a more elegant, yet functional, typeface than Johnston, at the heart of all London Underground signage for more than 100 years.

Not to be outdone, the New York Subway system revealed its now ubiquitous – and often imitated – Helvetica-led identity in the 1960s, created by Chicago design experts Unimark International.

Here in Birmingham we’ve never had an underground train, or connected ‘overground’ network, to inspire such transport design philosophy.

The closest we’ve come is the little WMPTE character I remember from the 1980s.

All that could change, though. For as the Midland Metro tram extends through the city centre, let’s take the opportunity to give it a new graphic identity; something chic and stylish, but also practical. Something that really sets Birmingham branding apart from other UK cities. I’m thinking less corporate, more creative.

Here’s my starter for ten, inspired by pre-digital bus blinds and an unashamed homage to US East Coast cool.

It’s hardly a new brand or image, but seeing the words Grand Central in that famous Manhattan style was an opportunity too good to ignore.

Winners of the Solihull BID Excellence Awards 2016 Outstanding Team category – recruitment agency Kate & Co

By Stacey Barnfield

Being a Solihull College alumnus it was a genuine privilege to be invited to sit on the judging panel for the annual Solihull BID Excellence Awards.

The awards are a celebration of all the great skills, trainees, customer services and innovation and creativity in Solihull town centre and aim to shine a light on its many different sectors and industries.

I sat alongside HM Deputy Lieutenant for the West Midlands David Bradnock; EY director Paul Brown; Solihull College principal John Callaghan and Schofield & Associates founder Eileen Schofield.

Businesses large and small and employees young and old compete for recognition in eight categories, all of which will be revealed at a sold-out ceremony on Thursday, November 23, at the St John’s Hotel on Warwick Road.

Solihull’s ability to nurture and keep hold its motivated workers is of critical importance to a borough that takes pride in being recognised as having the highest-skilled workforce in the West Midlands (NatWest report, 2016). From what I’ve seen through the judging process, this should continue for some time.

I’ve been fortunate to sit on numerous judging panels over the years and when you’re asked for feedback, it’s all-too easy to say ‘the standard this year was better than ever’, but, you know what, I can’t think of a more accurate description. It really was tough being a judge!

Keep up the good work, Solihull, and enjoy the praise these and other awards will bring.

Read the shortlist for the Solihull BID Excellence Awards in the Birmingham Post here. Or on the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce website here.

BMET student Prayer Makurumidze with his winning tee-shirt design for the Birmingham International Marathon

It’s this season’s must-have fashion accessory… the finishers’ tee-shirt for the first-ever Birmingham International Marathon.

What makes this tee-shirt extra special, however, is that it was designed by a student from Birmingham Metropolitan College at the ‘We Are FEED’ Millennium Point design studios.

The tee will be handed out to the finishers at the city’s inaugural Birmingham International Marathon on Sunday, October 15.

Runners from across the world will be descending on Birmingham for the marathon, which takes place on the same day as the established Simplyhealth Great Birmingham Run half marathon.

While the marathon reached capacity some time ago, places are still available for the Simplyhealth Great Birmingham Run half marathon and potential participants are urged to sign up quickly to avoid missing one of the biggest days in Birmingham’s events diary.

Featuring a design that reflects the city’s historic connection to the bull and an inspirational tagline ‘I CONQUERED A MARATHON’, the dark blue marathon finishers’ tee was designed by student Prayer Makurumidze.

Prayer, aged 19, is completing a HND in Graphic Design and competed against 30 other students in the challenge to win the design brief.

We Are FEED is a purpose-built studio that enables art and design students the opportunity of learning real-world design skills.

Working with The Great Company, organisers of the Birmingham International Marathon, gave students the chance to take part in several exciting and engaging live briefs.

The students were also given placements with Channel 5 and Nova Films as runners and camera assistants.

Prayer said: “This has given me the chance to learn new skills and the feedback from the client was really useful.

“It has given me the confidence to talk and work with other potential clients. The whole process has been really enjoyable and the finished tee will be a strong part of my portfolio.”

Adam Guy, Course Leader for HND Graphic Design, said: “Every one of our students, whether they have won or not, has had a great experience.

“The Great Run Company has given our students several live briefs where our students can test out their many design skills and this really strengthens what we do at We Are FEED.

“It enables credibility with the students and helps them build real industry portfolios. The Great Run Company are fantastic at feedback and visit regularly to encourage the students. The process across all of the briefs has been incredibly valuable.”

Birmingham is widely regarded as the birthplace of mass participation long-distance running events and the Birmingham International Marathon will cement the city’s position as the European Capital of Running.

Birmingham staged one of the country’s first open-to-all marathons, the People’s Marathon, which ran from 1980-85 and was organised by late Solihull-based elite runner John Walker.

Sign up for the Simplyhealth Great Birmingham Run 2017 at https://www.greatrun.org/great-birmingham-run

Sign up for the Simplyhealth Junior and Mini Great Birmingham Runs at http://www.greatrun.org/great-birmingham-run/juniorandminibirmingham