Birmingham unconquered? The city chosen to host the Invictus Games
Plus, we get a glowing write-up in The Observer!
Dear readers — here is your Monday briefing.
Forgive us for beaming with delight at Dispatch HQ thanks to a wonderful article all about our parent company Mill Media in yesterday’s national press! Rachel Cooke has written an in-depth feature about our origins and vision for the future — head to our media picks section to find out what all the fuss is about. Now, back to Birmingham…
Looking back: Be sure to take a look back at two recent articles as you settle in for the evening. Firstly, our Friday members-only story drew back the curtain on a curious, little-known corner of Brum: the ‘radical’ church Inclusive Gathering Birmingham. Following an explosive row at a service in April, meetings have been cancelled until the autumn — read on to find out why:
Plus, check out our Saturday story (free to read for all) about Soho Road’s famous wedding shops where times are tough but the selection is better than London:
Looking ahead: This week’s member’s only story comes from a freelance writer with inside access to the city’s social care system. On Thursday, Olivia Barber will uncover the uncertain future of Birmingham City Council’s daycare centres. And, if the Invictus Games and the ongoing Paris Olympics isn’t quite enough international sporting action for you, fear not. Josh Neicho will be answering the question: ‘Could Birmingham ever host the Olympics?’ in our weekend read. The answer might just surprise you.
Editor’s note: While I am, of course, thrilled we are getting the attention of the likes of The Observer, what matters most to me is that we are bringing something worthwhile to Birmingham readers. Our early success at The Dispatch has little to do with coverage in the national papers, and everything to do with loyal local readers who put up their hard-earned cash each month because they know they will get something from our journalism that they don’t get elsewhere. If you agree with that last statement and are yet to commit to becoming a member, please consider doing so today — it means we can continue digging deep into the issues you need to know about and telling the most intriguing stories we can.
⚡Brace for thunderstorms
☀️Tuesday: Sunny and hot. Max 28°C.
🌞Wednesday: Even hotter! Max 30°C.
⛈️Thursday: Humidity’s rising — a yellow weather warning is in place for thunderstorms. Max 26°C.
🌤️Friday: Umbrellas away — warm and sunny with some clouds. Max 26°C.
☁️Weekend: A drop in temperature. The clouds return. Max 23°C.
We get our weather from the Met Office.
Big story: Birmingham unconquered? The city chosen to host the Invictus Games
Top line: Last week, Birmingham hailed a dramatic triumph over Washington DC. Prince Harry announced that the Invictus Games, a sporting event for injured and sick military personnel and veterans which he founded in 2014, will return to the UK in 2027. Birmingham saw off Washington DC to get over the finish line first.
“No financial input”: Naturally, some have wondered how Birmingham City Council, which is not exactly in rude financial health at the moment, is planning to pull off hosting such a major event. Well, it’s good news on that front. The council has said there will be “no financial input” on its part, with, a “new delivery model” being put together with partners instead.
The chief executive of Invictus Games Birmingham 2027, Helen Helliwell, said "central government funding” would pay for the games and that her team has “a full government underwrite" through the Office for Veterans' Affairs.
But, she added that she’d been “working hard to secure six founding partners".
No new infrastructure will be required for the games either — the Invictus Foundation will rent out the NEC
Newsweek's chief royal correspondent, Jack Royston, told Royal Report that the decision was “quite momentous” and could be a disadvantage for Prince Harry personally, since his highy-publicised break from Britain and choice to move to California. Royston said:
"Harry and the Invictus team had a really clear choice. They were deciding between two possible options: one was Birmingham for 2027, and the other one was Washington, D.C., the home of American politics, where they would have had the chance to try to draw in big names from the corridors of power and pitch themselves to the public in Harry's adoptive home, or they had the option to go back to Britain, to Birmingham”.
Midlands make-up? The question of whether Prince Harry's father, King Charles, or his brother Prince William, will be present has already been raised. Prince Harry’s family relationships are highly strained of course, in particular since his tell-all memoir Spare, but an event celebrating military personnel could be an opportunity to make some kind of amends.
The UK government-backed £26m proposal for Birmingham was hailed by the Prince in a statement. “Your city’s strong ties to the armed forces community made it a formidable contender from the very start.”
In particular, the bid focused on Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital (where injured military personnel were evacuated to from Hemland during the Afghanistan conflict)
The hospital also houses the Royal College of Defence Medicine
The BBC spoke to Michelle Turner, who competed as a rower in 2017 in Toronto:
"Just because you go to a games... people's legs don't grow back, people don't stop collapsing, but it gives you the confidence to carry on regardless.
Bottom line: The politics surrounding Prince Harry and his strained relationship with his family in the UK will no doubt become a secondary narrative of the 2027 Invictus Games. But we shouldn’t miss that this is a fantastic opportunity for Birmingham to celebrate its strong connections to the armed forces. Royal gossip and chatter is probably inevitable, but should at least be kept secondary.
Brum in brief
😿Welly cats to find a new home: Malt and Hops, resident and much-loved cats of The Wellington Pub, are to be permanently rehomed despite public outcry. The pub shared a flyer last week calling on a show of support to “save our cats”, revealing that Black Country Ales were seeking to remove the pets. On Thursday, the brewery confirmed it would be rehoming the felines "in a safer and more fitting environment" ahead of an extensive refurbishment. They added that “many people do not want the unsolicited company of a cat with their pint or sandwich”. (Editor’s note: I am firmly not included in that camp).
🚧Possible building on West Mids greenbelt: Major new analysis has revealed the parts of the West Midlands greenbelt which could be earmarked for new housing. Labour has plans to redesignate “ugly” sites on the greenbelt around London, Manchester and Birmingham as “greybelt” — and The i has revealed it could include land in Bromsgrove, Walsall and Solihull. A Labour source told The i: “We were elected with a mandate to build the homes Britain needs and take the tough choices to unblock the planning system and make it a reality.”
🚗Parker’s road response disappoints: Residents have given lukewarm responses to West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker’s pledge for action on road safety. Parker issued a statement on Saturday following calls by campaign group Better Streets for Birmingham for leaders to declare a ‘state of emergency’ on the city’s roads. He confirmed he would meet with other chiefs, including Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster, and that he backed the “need for urgency”. But many people commenting on social media have expressed frustration at the apparent lack of action and the delayed response. Reposting the statement on X, Matthew Bott wrote: “Lots of meetings, no steps being taken.” Ian Wacogne wrote: “This took a while but is welcomed.”
Home of the week
The interiors of this period terrace in Edgbaston remind us of Mill Media HQ. Plus, it has the best of both worlds: the bustling city centre and the tranquil Edgbaston Reservoir are both a stone’s throw away. It’s on the market for £350,000.
Media picks
📰One of Birmingham’s most recognisable MP’s, Jess Phillips, has a new book out and an extract and interview was published in The Guardian on Saturday. The long conversation spans the tough election she has just fought, her unpopularity on the left of the Labour Party, the violence politicians face today and her self-belief. “Of course, I’ve got a massive ego!” she told journalist Simon Hattenstone.
🗞️The egos of everyone who works for The Dispatch and our sister newspapers are feeling pretty massaged too, thanks to a brilliant write up by Rachel Cooke in The Observer. Read it to find out more about the origins of this little but ambitious company — and how we are “shaking up local UK news”.
Things to do
Tuesday:
📖Head to Waterstones to hear from five bestselling writers of young adult fiction, including Molly X. Chang, author of fantasy novel To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods. Tickets are £4 (£3 to clubcard holders) and the event starts at 6.30pm.
🧼If you have the afternoon off work and want to learn how to make delectibly-smelling bath products, Lush Solihull has events throughout the summer. Tickets cost £4-8 and you get to take your creation home with you.
Wednesday:
🖼️The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Figures and Faces exhibition has opened, featuring fascinating insights into the cultural life of Birmingham with fine drawings, paintings and sculpture from the Georgian period to the present. It’s on until 25 August.
🚣♀️Did you know you can see the city by kayak? The Roundhouse’s award-winning guided tour will have you paddling past Birmingham’s iconic landmarks throughout August and September. Tickets £35-40.
Thursday:
🎞️It’s your last chance to be “in the hands of a master filmmaker” and watch Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s film About Dry Grasses at the MAC. Tickets are £10.75 and the show starts at 2pm.
🚢Trace the tragic journey of the Titanic from Wolff Shipyard in Belfast, through its fateful voyage and sinking, to its rediscovery in the depths of the ocean at the NEC’s exhibition. Open until 25 August, tickets are available from £8.99 with free entry for under fives.