Storm Darragh forges path of destruction
Plus, give the gift of The Dispatch this Christmas
Dear Patchers — we hope you’re all safe and sound after a heavy weekend of being blown about by Storm Darragh. Sam and Kate were walking towards Norton’s pub in Digbeth on Friday night when we first felt the full force of the winds which only got worse throughout the weekend. Our hearts go out to the family of Kher Hussain Shahin who was killed by a toppled tree in Erdington — that’s today’s Big Story.
Catch up and coming up:
Our weekend read was all about the institution that is Snobs nightclub, which first opened in 1972. Now on its third location, Anya Ryan asks: is it still the queen of the city’s nightlife scene? “I'm sixty next week,” commented Gary Cressman. “After reading this article I think I'll give Snobs a crack for the first time.” Good on you, Gary.
Last week, Sam looked into the West Midlands Growth Company, a little known entity that has nevertheless been praised for bringing lots of money into the region. So why is it slated to undergo a big £7.5 million restructure, with staff set to lose jobs and one big member institution reportedly pulling out? Check this member’s only Dispatch out here if you haven’t already.
Are you a parent who is very keen for your children to go to a King Edward grammar school? We’d like to hear from you about your experiences preparing them for the entrance examination. Get in touch with Kate at kate@birminghamdispatch.co.uk
Editor’s note: Looking for the perfect present for the avid reader in your family? Or that person who really, really doesn’t need any more stuff in their house? We’ve got you covered. You can give a lucky loved one a month or a year of beautifully written local journalism — and support our work —- by clicking the link below:
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The calm after the storm
☁️Tuesday: Overcast all day. Max 7°C.
☁️Wednesday: Another cloudy day but colder with lows of 3°C. Max 6°C.
🌧️Thursday: Drizzly start but drier as the day goes on. Max 7°C.
🌫️Friday: Mist as the day starts, cloudy thereafter. Max 6°C.
🌦️Weekend: A wet and cold start but warmer and sunnier as the weekend advances. Max 7°C.
We get our weather from the Met Office.
Big story: Storm Darragh forges path of destruction
Top line: One of two people in the country to die during Storm Darragh was killed in Erdington, while driving along Silver Birch Road on Saturday at around 3pm. Kher Hussain Shahin died at the scene after his car was struck by a tree that had been uprooted by forceful winds.
Context: Severe weather warnings were in place in England, Wales and Northern Ireland over the weekend as Storm Darragh swept across the British Isles. Darragh was caused by a powerful jet stream — a narrow band of strong winds — high above the Atlantic Ocean. The other casualty was a Lancashire man in his 40s, Paul Fiddler, whose van was also hit by a tree.
Tributes: Posting on X, Birmingham Councillor Majid Mahmood wrote: “May Allah SWT [Subhanahu wa ta'ala — the most glorified] grant the brother the highest place in paradise and give the family patience.” Posting on Facebook, Mr Shahid’s brother in law Abdul Joshim wrote “please keep him and his family in your prayers”.
Call out: West Midlands Police have issued a statement to say their thoughts are with Shahin’s family and that a report will be issued to the coroner. They’ve also asked anyone who was in the area and may have mobile phone or dashcam footage to please get in touch via Live Chat on their website, or by calling 101 and quoting log 2695 of 7 December.
Wreaking havoc: Across the West Midlands, hundreds of trees were brought down as up to 60mph winds raged. In Kings Heath, the gusts shattered the window of high street shop Poundland, spraying a woman with debris. Trees fell on power lines forcing the closure of the Cross City South line from Bromsgrove and Redditch to New Street — disruption to this line has continued today.
Aftermath: A number of roads are closed today in Birmingham due to fallen trees and public transport is facing disruption. Check roads and bus routes here. Editor’s note: On my morning run through Warley Woods, several huge trees had been taken down by the storm and were blocking pathways, showing the extent of Darragh’s damage.
A fallen tree in Warley Woods this morning. Photo by The Dispatch.
Photo of the week
A respite from the photos of upturned trees that are doing the rounds. Locally-known designer and photographer Stacey Barnfield captured Digbeth and its evolving skyline from Moor Street Station last week. With cranes and platform lights standing like watchful sentinels, there’s a peaceful stillness to proceedings. We know this can be a rarity on the streets just outside this shot.
Brum in brief
🚆 Plans to build a replacement for the high-speed rail line between Birmingham and Manchester have been put on ice as ministers try to sort out the Birmingham to London HS2 link. Rail minister Lord Hendy said that despite talks with WMCA Mayor Richard Parker in late November, the focus had to be on HS2 itself. “We talked to them, but the first job is to fix the HS2 that we’re building now,” he said. That includes finishing the construction work that will bring the line into Euston (and not Oak Common as previously planned). The ‘HS2-lite’ plan put forward by regional leaders, including Parker and his Manchester counterpart Andy Burnham, proposed a lower-specification rail link for 40% lower cost than the original plans.
🏎️ Last week, politicians of all stripes were weighing in on a debate about lowering speed limits — specifically, whether or not Birmingham’s roads should be brought down to 20mph. We asked for your opinion and received a deluge of emails. Here are some of the responses:
Ali Abdollahzadeh told us that he lives near a longstanding 20mph street but enforcement is the big issue. He said: “There is no enforcement on a road where nearly every year there has been a major crash with serious injury. [Making] all of Brum 20mph will make no difference as long as this kind of rubbish enforcement continues.”
Gill Campbell thought the suggestion was “ridiculous” and thinks similar measures in central London have proved “disastrous” because traffic is “at a stand still”. She did support 25mph limits in some built up areas, however.
Philip Sinclair emailed to tell us “20mph: yes please” while Raymond Cochrane emailed in to explain he was “wholly in favour of a 20mph speed limit across the city” adding that it must be enforced. “Fines generated by enforcement could be used to help ease the city's budget deficit,” he added.
📚 King Edward schools reign supreme in the latest West Midlands secondary school league table with four of their schools in the top five. Based on levels of achievement at GSCE and A-level, King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls, a grammar school in Kings Heath, came top. Speaking to The Times, head teacher Karen Stevens said the key to success was providing a broad curriculum with challenging lessons. “The influence of AI on learning is also becoming a significant part of our teaching and learning discussions,” she added. In the comprehensive school lists, St Paul’s School for Girls, Kings Norton Girls, and Arden Academy came in the top three. For local private schools, King Edward VI High School for Girls nabbed the top spot. Are you a parent of a child who wants to go to King Edwards grammar? Are you an 11+ tutor in Birmingham? Email Kate at kate@birminghamdispatch.co.uk
Home of the week
This three-bedroom penthouse in the heart of Bournville is situated in a striking historic building, which used to be part of the old Selly Oak hospital complex. The rear terrace is described as perfect for hosting and entertaining. It’s on the market for £600,000.
Media picks
💰We can’t believe we’re writing this again, but another theory has come forward about the reasons for Birmingham’s financial crisis. It was pensions and management expenses that sank the beleaguered local authority, according to former-City Council leader Professor John Clancy and economics professor, David Bailey. “If you think you knew why Birmingham City Council went bust, think again.” Wordy but worth a look.
🏢If you want to take a peek at what so-called slum housing looked like in Birmingham in the 1970s — and who wouldn’t — you can, courtesy of BFI. Stills of high-rise living in Castle Vale and Smethwick have been included in the Dirty Modern Scoundrel blog and you can watch moving shorts called Balsall Heath Slum and Low Level Housing.
🍝Erstwhile Brummie (and Dispatch writer) Lauren O’Neill returned earlier this year to review hipster Italian Trentina in JQ which she described as “a good place to linger a bit”. Find out why she found the eatery’s vibes ‘calming’ by reading her newsletter.
Things to do
Tuesday
💌 Calling young singletons: if the apps have got you down and you fancy looking for love IRL, head to speed dating for 20-and-30-somethings at Tonight Josephine on Stephenson Street. Click here (rather than swipe).
🎄 Christmas has come early to the University of Birmingham’s Lapworth Museum of Geology. Between dinosaur bones and artefacts from times yonder, one can watch the 90s classic Home Alone with other festive-feeling folk. 7pm sharp start. Full details.
Wednesday
💬 The latest in the Barber Institute’s lunchtime lectures is a talk on the importance of representation at work and in education. Led by Marley Starskey Butler, a multidisciplinary artist and social worker. Starts at 1pm. Full summary.
🥖 Head to the MAC for the final watch in their francophile season. Being Maria retells the short career and tragic life of Last Tango in Paris star Maria Schneider from a post #MeToo perspective. All the details.
Thursday
😂 If big laughs and small plates are your thing then head down to Hockley Social Club for some Christmas comedy, featuring five different comics, with a side helping of food served up by MasterChef: The Professionals winner Dan Lee. Details at a click.
🎭 Brum’s foremost incubator of literary talent is back for its last showing of 2024. STORIE sees a full Brummie lineup of writers performing their stories at hip hangout Kilder Bar in Digbeth. It’s sold out online but The Dispatch has been told you’re welcome to show up without a ticket. Details here.
'Tired of hearing the same old news from the same old sources?' Yes. That's why I'm a paid subscriber to the Dispatch, which has never disappointed me ... until today.
Was the plug for The Knowledge a paid advert, or a sincere recommendation? Curious, and assuming that anything recommended by the Dispatch would be as good as the Dispatch, I read the latest Knowledge.
It's dreadful.
It IS the 'same old news' - the downfall of Assad, pain au chocolate possibly being good for you, some nonsense survey re what people hate about weddings, Elton John's sight loss, even Jeremy Clarkson's mum inventing the Paddington Bear toy, news so old it was originally inscribed on vellum with a quill.
It IS the 'same old sources', too - the Sunday Times, the Observer, the Telegraph, the Mail on Sunday, even (god help us) UnHerd. And most of the brief, insubstantial pieces were commentary rather than actual reporting. Who imagines that anyone cares what Dan Hodges or Matthew Syed thinks about anything? This is the tired old crap that we're trying to turn away from (and, frankly, consign to history) by supporting the Mill, the Dispatch and so on.
It ends with a joke so poor that any Christmas crackers in which it was included will have been pulped. And despite having both an Advertising Director and an Advertising Manager on staff, the one, lone, sole, single advert is for a 'new' search engine that seems more fishy than Billingsgate in a heatwave.
Finding a recommendation for the Knowledge embedded in the Dispatch is like waving goodbye to the pest controller, only to find a mouse shitting on your draining board moments later.
Joshi, mate, we trust you and your team. Don't do this to us again?
Middle of storm Darragh I chose to drive from Alvechurch to Handsworth for lunch! Great to return to scenes of my youth- King Edward’s Handsworth- but trying to drive through B’ham city centre Sat pm was not fun !
Good job the speaker was entertaining