Archive for May, 2011
Birmingham Pride Parade Route
Birmingham Pride Parade Route 2011 
The parade will start on Saturday the 28th of April 2011 at 12:00 (noon) from Victoria Square in the city centre.
Then onto the following streets.
Colmore row
Bull Street
Temple Row
Temple Street
New Street
The parade will then finish in the heart of the Gay Village.
Birmingham – Second City ?
Brummies are in danger of losing their second city status according to comments made by ex trade minister Lord Jones. Lord Jones claims that there is a “buzz” about Manchester that would give it the edge when people thought of the second city. 
Birmingham’s John Lamb from the Chamber of Commerce hit back and said that Birmingham still has the economic advantage over Manchester.
He cited infrastructure projects such as the New Street Station upgrade, HS2 High Speed rail line and the the Centenery Square library as examples of how Birmingham is still the second city.
The former director of the Birmingham Business School, Professor David Bailey weighed into the debate in defence of Birmingham and said “We’ve got a lot to be proud of in the improvement in education performance, the diversification of the economy, the mix of skills in high value manufacturing right through to the digital economy.”
Birmingham Pride
Organizers are gearing up for this years Birmingham Pride event which will take place on Sat 28th of May and Sunday 29th of May. 
The parade and celebrations will take place in and around Hurst Street and surrounding roads. The parade route starts in Victoria Square at 12 noon on Sat 28th of May.
The parade will continue down Colmore row and includes Bull Street, Temple Street, New Street and will finish as usual in the heart of Birmingham gay village.
This years theme for Birmingham Pride is ‘One Love – One World – One Community’
Events include over the weekend include the Chic Dance arena, community village green, village cabaret stage and the Nightingale main stage.
Birmingham Pride Parade Map
Birmingham Da Vinci Scoop
Ten drawings by Leonardo da Vinci will been going on show in Birmingham. 
The queen is set to release ten drawings from the Royal Collection to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
Birmingham got the scoop to exhibit the drawings ahead of four other cities and the drawings will be shown at Birmingham’s Museum and Art Gallery.
The Royal Collection houses over 600 priceless drawings and paintings by the artist. Da vinci was one of the worlds most influential figures in many fields such as design architecture and engineering.
The exhibition is a major event for Birmingham and interest is expected to be very high. The exhibition will take place between the 13th of January and the 25th of March 2012.
Rita McLean, from the Birmingham Museum said ‘We are delighted that the Royal Collection has chosen Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery to be the first UK venue to show this outstanding exhibition of drawings by Leonardo da Vinci.
“This will be a rare and extraordinary opportunity for local people to see works by one of the world’s greatest artists, as part of the city’s celebrations of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.”
Birmingham Science Garden Cash Boost
Birminghams Science Garden that is to be built at Millenium Point has attracted a cash boost from the Wellcome Trust. The money will be invested to help with the building of one of the UK’s first science parks. 
The garden that is scheduled to open in 2012 and will feature exhibitions that chart the history of the scientific, manufacturing and transport heritage of the West Midlands. Visitors can explore interactive exhibits such as a water fountain, the terminus machine and can explore efficient vehicle design in ‘The Street’.
There will also be an ouside classroom to cater for younger visitors plus refreshment areas and meeting places for business users.
Building on the success of other established science parks such as those at New York’s Hall of Science, councillor Len Clark said “”We’re are now working with contractors on the design and construction of the large-scale exhibits and look forward to opening this new addition to the museum next year.”
Birmingham Fake Condom Warning
Trading Standards in Birmingham have issued a warning to the public about fake condoms which are being sold across Birmingham. 
Fake “DureXx Gossamer 3 pack” condoms have been seized from retailers by trading standards officers.
The condoms break the Trade Marks Act of 1994 and apart from breaking Trade mark law there could be health implication for users of the fake condoms.
Head of trading standards for Birmingham Sajeela Naseer said
““Our advice to the public is to check any condoms they have. If they have any concerns we urge people not to use them and to contact us immediately, we are particularly keen to find out where people may have bought them from. We would also ask traders to check their stocks for any suspicious supplies and if they find any, remove them immediately from sale and contact us.”
Birmingham trading standards have warned the public to check for tell-tale signs that products are not the real thing.
They include
- Durex spelt Durexx (with a double xx)
- No expiry date on the packaging
- No Cellophane wrapping
- Missing Instructions
Trading standards have warned people that the fake condoms do not meet British Standards and the failure rate is up to ten times higher than real condoms leaving the public at higher risk of unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
Birmingham Walkathon
Thousands of Brummies have taken part in this years BRMB Walkathon to raise £500,000 to refurnish the emergency dept of Birmingham’s Children’s H
ospital.
A total of 10,000 sponsored walkers took part in the event many dressed in fancy dress costumes.
Walkers gathered at a number of Birmingham parks along the route of the number 11 bus and had the choice to partake in the full 26 mile course or a half walkathon or the seven mile family walk.
Big hearted Brummies had raised £200,000 by 2pm and the final total was £414,845 which is a record for a single Walkathon.
Useful Birmingham Numbers
Birmingham City Council General Enquiries 0121 303 1111
BCC Waste and Re-cycling 0121 303 1112
BCC Benefits 0121 464 7000
BCC Anti Social Behaviour 0121 303 1111
BCC Housing Improvements (Homeworks) 0121 303 1116
BCC Council Jobs 0121 303 1111
Severn Trent Emergencies 0800 783 4444
Severn Trent Billing 0845 7090 646
Npower Emergencies if you smell gas call 0800 111 999
Npower Electricity Emergencies Central Networks East plc 0800 056 8090
Npower Electricity Emergencies Central Networks West plc 0800 328 1111
Npower Customer Services Monthly Direct Debit 0845 070 4851
Npower Customer Services Receipt of Bill 0845 070 4850
Npower Customer Services Quarterly Direct Debit 0845 070 4850
Npower Customer Services Regular Payment Plan 0845 070 4852
Npower Customer Services Prepayment 0845 070 4853
Npower Technical Enquiries 0845 071 4525
Npower Moving Home 0845 166 3166
Birmingham Eyes Wide Open 3D JLS
JLS fans will be happy with the news that in June this year the boy band will release their first 3D concert movie which will be shown at four cinemas across Birmingham.
“Eyes Wide Open” was filmed during the recent sellout show at the O2 arena.
It features the boys singing all of the favorite songs such as The Club Is Alive, Eyes Wide Shut, Everybody In Love, Love You More. It features never before seen interviews and also backstage footage of Marvin, JB, Oritsé and Aston!
The movie is being shown for one day only at most cinemas on Friday 3rd of June 2011, however showcase will show it on Friday 3rd, Sat 4th and Sunday 5th of June. Tickets are now available online. The movie will be shown in 180 cinemas across the uk but fans are advised to buy tickets quickly before they sell out. A full list of cinema venues can found here.
The movie will be shown at the following Birmingham Cinemas at the following times.
Birmingham – Cineworld Broad Street
Friday 3rd of June 8.45pm
Birmingham – Showcase Kingsbury road
Friday 3rd of June 4pm
Friday 3rd of June 5.50pm
Friday 3rd of June 8pm
Saturday 4th of June 4pm
Saturday 4th of June 5.5pm
Saturday 4th of June 8pm
Sunday 5th of June 5pm
Birmingham (Great Park) – Empire Cinemas
Friday 3rd of June 4pm
Friday 3rd of June 6.15pm
Friday 3rd of June 2pm 7:30pm