Schools to host pop-up vaccination clinics

Plus: New road deaths protest planned

Good morning readers — welcome to Tuesday’s Dispatch.

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Brum in Brief

💉 Schools in the region will host pop up clinics for children and adults to get MMR vaccines amid the measles outbreak — the worst we’ve seen since the mid-1990s. Parents of under-11s are being urged to make appointments for missed jabs and adults born between 1998 and 2004 will also be asked to come forward.

🚨 Birmingham City Councillor Waseem Zaffar has called for action at the site of a derelict building in Handsworth where a man died in a fire. Zaffar said he had had a “positive meeting” with the building’s owners to find out next steps. The property on Soho Hill has been empty for 20 years and has been caught ablaze on four separate occasions.

🚘 Road safety campaign group Better Streets for Birmingham will protest outside the entrance to University College Birmingham on Great Charles Street Queensway on Saturday following two pedestrian deaths in the past month. Organisers say they want to “demand no more deaths on our roads and put a full stop to this senseless loss of life”.

🕯️ Holocaust Memorial Day takes place on Saturday and Birmingham City Council will host its annual commemoration at 11am at the Council House in Victoria Square. This years theme is Fragility of Freedom and is intended to highlight the fact that freedoms cannot be taken for granted. A national event will also be live streamed online from 7.30pm.

🩰 Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) has announced a new music director and principal conductor of its Royal Ballet Sinfonia orchestra. Paul Murphy has been a member of BRB for 31 years and has worked with orchestras around the globe. Murphy said he was “thrilled and honoured” to be appointed.

❓ The Library of Birmingham is hosting free business and learning events on a range of topics with one to one advice sessions and workshops. Saturday’s session answers the question: what is it really like to start a business?

🪙 Learn about the long history of hallmarking at the Birmingham Assay Office which was founded in 1773 thanks to Matthew Boulton, at this in depth talk on Friday. Tickets cost £35 and the event is at 10.30am. Tea, coffee, and cake is included.