Captain Richard Woodman laying a wreath

Thousands of people helped commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, and the 1,523 people that lost their lives, at a range of events across the district this week.

The events culminated on Sunday 15 April with a memorial service held in Lichfield’s Museum Gardens at the foot of the statue of Commander Edward John Smith, Captain of the Titanic.

The Revd Dr Pete Wilcox, Canon Chancellor of Lichfield Cathedral, led the service that was attended by more than 500 people. It featured prayers, music from Staffordshire Young Musicians, and poetry read by Lichfield City Council’s Town Clerk, Peter Young. 

During the service, wreaths were laid by Lichfield District Council, the British Titanic Society, the Corporation of Trinity House, and the Titanic Heritage Trust.

Councillor Louise Flowith, Lichfield District Council’s Cabinet Member for Tourism, commented: “As the home of a statue of Captain Smith, It was fitting that Lichfield District honoured the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic and the tragic loss of so many lives.

“The service was a time to reflect on how terrible it must have been to be aboard the ship, and know there was nothing you could do to save yourself or your family. The ceremony was both moving and poignant, and I was proud we could help to organise it.”

Mary Hutchinson, from the Lichfield Titanic Commemoration Group, said: “Among the wreaths, two were laid in memory of two divers, Carl Spencer and Andrew Wight, whose invaluable work diving on the Titanic for filming and research purposes has told us much of what we know about the stricken ship.” 

Earlier in the weekend, more than 300 people gathered to watch a ship’s flare being released from behind the statue of Captain Smith. In a short service, 1,523 tea lights were also laid at the foot of the statue by Stafford and Rugeley Sea Cadets, while music from the time was played by a lone violinist, Jordan Taylor. The event was organised by Muddled Up Events, in partnership with Lichfield District Council. The ship’s flare was kindly donated by Jonathan’s Fireworks. 

Steve Golby, from Muddled Up events, commented: “We were really pleased to arrange the event and touched by the hundreds of people who turned up to remember the Titanic and all those who died in the disaster 100 years ago.”

Other events that took place included: an evening of lively dance and song to honour the passengers in steerage, a screening of a ‘Night to Remember’, a first class dinner and dance at Swinfen Hall Hotel. Events also took place at Lichfield Library, Lichfield Heritage Centre and Beacon Park.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came to help commemorate the Titanic anniversary. I think Lichfield District has paid a proud and fitting salute to RMS Titanic and everyone who sailed with her,” concluded Cllr Flowith.

The final Titanic event will take place on Saturday 21 April in Lichfield Cathedral at 5.30pm, when a special Choral Evensong to mark the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic will be sung by the choristers and men’s choir. The event is free and open to all to attend.

Mike is presented with a spade to mark the start of the works!

Miller Construction present Lichfield District Council and Bromford with ceremonial spades, to mark the start of building work on the redevelopment of Friary Outer

The partners, involved in the redevelopment of Friary Outer car park in Lichfield, gathered on Tuesday 3 April 2012 to celebrate building work starting on the £14 million development.
 
To mark the occasion, Simon Burton, Regional Managing Director for Miller Construction, presented Councillor Mike Wilcox, Leader of Lichfield District Council, and Nick Cummins, Executive Director at Bromford, with specially engraved spades.
 
The car park closed at the end of March to make way for the first phase of construction work taking place. This includes a multi-deck car park, public toilets, 54 supported housing association apartments for older people, and six shared ownership homes.

The housing element of the scheme has benefited from £2.4 million investment from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

The group that joined the celebration was made up of representatives from S Harrison – developers of the scheme, Lichfield District Council -  landowners of the site who will also own and operate the car park and public toilets, Bromford – who will own and manage the supported apartments and market the affordable homes element of the scheme, Miller Construction – who is the main contractor for the first phase of the development, HCA – who is contributing £2.4 million to the housing element of the scheme, and Chetwoods Architects – the architects of the development.

They were also joined by Sandford Gate residents, Freda Lees, Floss Ors, and Yvonne Parkhouse, who will be moving into the supported housing once it is complete.

Simon Burton, Regional Managing Director for Miller Construction, said: “We were delighted to present Councillor Wilcox and Nick Cummings with ceremonial spades to mark the commencement of works on site. We are looking forward to working with Lichfield District Council and Bromford in the coming months and continuing our partnership with S Harrison.

“I am confident, that upon completion, the residents of Lichfield and visitors to the area, will benefit from the scheme for many years to come.”

Nick Cummins, Executive Director at Bromford, said: “We were thrilled to accept a beautiful ceremonial spade from Miller Construction to signify the launch of what we are sure will be a fantastic partnership.

“Bromford is very excited to be involved in this unique project, working with world class developers to help create 54 supported homes for residents of nearby Sandford Gate and six modern shared ownership homes, helping to boost available housing in the beautiful city of Lichfield.

“I look forward to watching the scheme spring up over the coming months and to providing our elderly residents with a bright and happy future. “

Councillor Mike Wilcox, Leader of Lichfield District Council, added: “I am thrilled to accept this ceremonial spade on behalf of the council. It is great that work has started on site and we’re eager to see the development taking shape. We also look forward to launching a brand new car park with nearly double the spaces, which I am sure will be well used by residents and visitors to the city.”

The second phase of the scheme is set to include a hotel and restaurant, and will take place later in the building programme.

While work progresses on site, Miller Construction will be operating out of a small temporary compound on Festival Gardens. This will remain in place while the development is underway. The area it covers will be re-landscaped and new trees planted after it is complete.

“We know some people were concerned to see around 20 trees felled to make way for the development. We approved the removal of the trees only after they had been assessed by independent arboricultural consultants, who found that many were in poor health. However, we want to reassure everyone that new trees will be planted and landscaping work is programmed in as part of the works,” added Cllr Wilcox.
 
To keep up to date on Friary Outer redevelopment, please visit www.lichfielddc.gov.uk/friaryouter

Lichfield District Council has taken the decision to turn the Lichfield Garrick into a theatre trust
 
Councillor Mike Wilcox, Leader of Lichfield District Council, explains: “To date the Lichfield Garrick has been wholly owned and run by the council. This has meant that the theatre is solely reliant on the council for support, and its lack of charity status has limited its ability to attract external funding, commercial partners and more.”
 
“The move to theatre trust status will see the theatre becoming a charity, and will allow it to seek funding from external sources, which is the way most large and successful theatres operate. It will also mean the Lichfield Garrick can bring in more external expertise from the worlds of commerce, arts and theatre through the creation of a trust board. The current management team will also be freer to be more entrepreneurial in their approach.”
 
The Lichfield Garrick building will still be wholly owned by Lichfield District Council, and the council will have seats on the new trust board. Each year, Lichfield District Council will provide a revenue grant to the theatre to support its operations. The existing staff within the building will move across to the new management arrangement.
 

The Lichfield Garrick Shadow Board

Adrian Jackson, Artistic & Executive Director of Lichfield Garrick, commented: “Moving to a theatre trust status is a really exciting prospect. It will mean we can operate like prominent theatres across the country, attract the funding we need to push the Lichfield Garrick forward, and support the creation of arts in a way that opens up even more opportunities to local people. One of the objectives of the trust is to also provide more educational opportunities to local children and young people, and the move will see the team extending its work with local schools, colleges and universities.”
 
He continued: “Becoming a theatre trust is a complex piece of work. It involves setting up a charity and carrying out all the work to make sure the existing operations and staff are supported through the process. Whilst we are working hard on the plans, we have not set a firm date for when we will become a trust. We are being assisted in this work by our shadow board of trustees who met at the Lichfield Garrick last week.”
 
The new shadow board includes leading figures in arts, TV, radio, as well as theatre industry specialists. Members of the board include: Richard Barnes, Cllr Mike Wilcox, Craig Tracey, Paul Richards, Peter Tomlinson DL, Cllr Val Richards, David Roden, Reeta Stokes, James Leavesley DL, Malcolm Flanagan CBE, Roger Kerry and Adrian Jackson

About the shadow board:

Richard Barnes
39 years’ service in finance in vertically integrated international brand companies both private and listed, combined with 11 years’ public sector knowledge and expertise, including corporate governance.

Councillor Mike Wilcox
As well as being Leader of Lichfield District Council and Cabinet Member for Finance, Revenues & Benefits, Mike has had an extensive career in banking for more than 35 years. He has held various roles in both commercial and retail sectors and is currently Branch Manager at HSBC bank in Dudley.

Craig Tracey
Experience of insurance brokerage.

Paul Richards
Experience of higher education sector, business, economic development and cultural regeneration.

Peter Tomlinson (Deputy Lord Lieutenant)
Experience of TV, radio station, board member experience for theatres, small/medium business experience, fundraising, and experience of public and voluntary sector.

Councillor Val Richards
On top of being Deputy Leader of Lichfield District Council and Cabinet Member for Leisure Services, Val has had experience of manufacturing businesses, the newspaper industry and human resource management.

David Roden
Originally hailing from Lichfield, David has extensive experience in the entertainment industry as a writer, script editor, manager of theatres, director and producer for film, television and theatre. He also has experience of working with a nearby local authority on theatre in education. He is currently Development Editor for Continuing Drama for the BBC.

Reeta Stokes
Significant experience as a company secretary in the private sector for small, medium and large corporations, together with experience of a charitable trust plus finance experience, personnel and health and safety.

James Leavesley (Deputy Lord Lieutenant)
Experience of business in the private sector, charitable sector and public sector, fundraising and private sector sponsorship, experience of property (chartered surveyor) and corporate governance (company director).

Malcolm Flanagan CBE
Extensive association with the world of entertainment in production and management, extensive private sector experience, public sector and charitable experience

Roger Kerry
Private sector business experience in hotels, restaurants and leisure industry.

Adrian Jackson
Adrian has been artistic director of the Lichfield Garrick for six years. He is also an orchestral conductor, music director, theatrical producer, radio broadcaster and is involved in the world of business too.

Why not sit back and watch and listen!

Saxon Hoard: A golden discovery – on BBC2 tonight
Settle down tonight to watch TV historian Dan Snow travel across the old Kingdom of Mercia to unravel the secrets of one of Britain’s most significant discoveries – the Staffordshire Hoard.

The Hoard offers 1500 new clues into the Dark Ages and Dan pieces together the lives of the people living in these long-forgotten kingdoms.

Find out more

Channel: BBC2
Time: 8pm, except Northern Ireland (Analogue), Wales (Analogue)
Date: Thursday 26 January 2012

BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions: Broadcast from Lichfield Cathedral tomorrow at 8pm

Topical discussion in which a panel of personalities from the worlds of politics, media and elsewhere are posed questions by the audience.

Find out more

Channel: BBC Radio 4
Time: 8pm
Date: Friday 27 Jan 2012

Channel: BBC Radio 4 (FM only)
Time: 1.10pm
Date: Saturday 28 Jan 2012

At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 29 November, Lichfield District councillors endorsed planned changes to the Friarsgate development, which include removing the hotel from the scheme. They were asked to endorse these changes on behalf of the council, as landowner of the development site. Friarsgate is set to bring hundreds of jobs, new shops, restaurants and a cinema to Lichfield City centre. 

David Clancy, Director of S Harrison Developments Ltd, explains: “With two hotels now planned for the city centre – one as part of our Friary Outer development and another with planning permission on the old Regal Cinema building on Tamworth Street – we plan to take the hotel out of the Friarsgate scheme. This will allow us to make changes to the development that improves its layout and design. 

“We’ve had lots of interest in the new design from major cinema operators, and the new venue is set to be one of the region’s first fully digital cinemas. We’ve also updated the configuration of some of the shops and made improvements to the layout of the car park.”   

Cllr Mike Wilcox, Leader of Lichfield District Council, said: “Cabinet endorsed the proposed changes to the Friarsgate scheme. In the new year, our development partners, S Harrison and Development Securities, will be asking local people what they think about these planned changes at an exhibition in the city centre. I would encourage everyone to come along and give their views, so we can make sure the scheme is right for the city.”

David Clancy continued: “We think the changes will improve Friarsgate, but we need to know if local people agree. We’ll take the comments local people give us on board, and we’ll submit our final changes to the council’s planning committee early next year for approval.”