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Competition ...any other business A roundup of news from Chamber members


Veolia helps to restore canal


Waste and energy management company Veolia is donating £75,000 to a project to restore a canal that runs through Selly Oak. The money will be used to


restore the ‘Winding Hole’, a feature on the Dudley No2 canal that allows boats to turn and enter it from the Worcester and Birmingham canal. The restoration is being


carried out by a group of volunteers from the Lapal Canal Trust. The canal itself is only 12-


miles long and runs from Selly Oak to Halesowen. It was originally opened in 1798, and featured a two-mile tunnel and tallest canal embankment in the UK. The canal was vital in


helping industry develop in the Selly Oak area, and the Lapal Canal Trust believes it is important to restore and protect this important link with the past. Work on the restoration of


the Winding Hole is due to start in March. Dr Andrew Hardie, chairman of the Lapal Canal Trust, said: “We are very grateful for the generous donation of £75,000 from Veolia which will enable us to start constructing the Winding Hole, before we move on to the next phase of the canal restoration through to Selly Oak Park.” Veolia supports a wide


range of community and environmental projects throughout England. Lizzie Cooke, head of


grants, Veolia Environmental Trust, said: “Veolia are delighted to support Lapal Canal Trust with £75,000 funding for the Winding Hole project at this crucial stage. “Veolia is an enthusiastic


supporter of environmental solutions that also supports local and environmental projects, so we look forward to seeing the benefits this worthy project will have on both the local and wider communities.”


86 CHAMBERLINK February 2021


Brummie drummer becomes the face of new campaign


A Birmingham drummer, who teaches drumming and percussion to Birmingham school children, has become the face – and hands – of a national advertising campaign celebrating the work of pandemic key workers. Goggie, as he is known and who lives in Northfield,


Birmingham, is now appearing in a national advertising campaign undertaken by Vaseline, which has put its hands together with celebrated UK photographer Rankin to applaud those who have continued to deliver during the pandemic. Goggie, whose real name is Robert Ifill, is an African


Caribbean drummer and dance facilitator with Services For Education, the Birmingham-based charity that teaches music to 38,000 children in the city, provides 28,000 musical instruments free of charge and whose School Support Service provides expert and professional training and development in 570 schools. Despite the pandemic and lockdown, Goggie has


continued his music teaching working alongside colleagues at Services For Education whose music service has continued its work throughout the pandemic. Goggie is one of three key workers in a campaign to


showcase the extraordinary efforts of those who have gone above and beyond to help those in need. He is joined by Kaitlyn, an emergency call handler


who over the phone helped a first-time father deliver his baby, and Katy, a supermarket worker who worked through the night to ensure everyone could access the food they needed. “It was just a chance conversation and I was


encouraged to send a video of myself to the ad agency. I was amazed that I was considered and even more astonished that I was selected,” said Goggie, who has worked at Services For Education since 2011, and developed his drumming and dance skills while living in the Caribbean.


Goggie stars in the advertising campaign


Sharon Bell, chief executive of Services For Education,


said: “Goggie exemplifies all that is great about our 242 staff. Despite huge disruption to schools and teaching, they have carried on – delivering more than 7,000 hours of online teaching in just 12 weeks, producing 450 new music training videos and moving all training courses online. “They are all inspirations, and we are delighted that


Goggie was selected to represent music teachers from across the UK who have worked so hard to deliver and keep children engaged and enthused.”


New musical to fly into town


A musical adaptation of 1970s Disney film ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks’ is arriving at the Alexandra Theatre in November (10-14). The musical is being arranged by


Michael Harrison, and a UK tour is due to start at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle, in August. ‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks’ originally starred Angela Lansbury as Eglantine Price, who is learning witchcraft in the hope of using it to combat the Nazis during World War Two. She joins forces with three orphaned children and together they have a series of adventures as they battle the forces of evil.


demonstrating one of them to Walt Disney, it is claimed he dozed off during the performance. In addition, some of the original


songs were dropped after more than 20 minutes of the film ended up on the cutting room floor, in order for it to have a runtime of less than two hours. The deleted songs and scenes


were reinstated in a restored version of the film, which came out in 1996.


‘Bedknobs and Broomsticks’ is The film was a musical, with


songs written by the famed Sherman Brothers – however, while


being produced by Michael Harrison by special arrangement with Disney Theatrical Productions. Casting for the production will be announced at a later date.


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