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Campus bought for the local community
New role: Pam Sheemar
NatWest appointment to boost inclusivity
Get down, Shep!: Police dog training in the park
A charity boss has bought his old college campus and intends to turn it into a community hub, lending its space to local charities and other groups. The campus is Thornes Park in Wakefield,
which has been bought by businessman Adeem Younis, the founder of the Penny Appeal charity. Penny Appeal has been serving communities in
the Midlands for years, caring for the vulnerable individuals who have slipped through the cracks and providing all those in need with support.
‘Wakefield College has always been a huge part of my life’
Every Sunday, their volunteers provide 150 hot
meals to the hungry in Coventry and have continued to do this throughout the pandemic. Volunteers for the charity have also been hard
at work virtually fundraising throughout the Midlands for their Winter Emergency appeal. Adeem was a student at the college, and, following the immense success of Penny Appeal
charity, now plans to give back to his hometown by investing in its infrastructure and communities, as well as creating new jobs. Mr Younis said: “Wakefield College has always
been a huge part of my life. To have had the opportunity to invest in my old campus and turn it into a hub for the local community is a dream come true. “Penny Appeal has achieved so much on both
a global and local scale, and by creating a local footprint in Wakefield and investing in infrastructure, we will be able to continue our work supporting local communities right here in the city where it all began.” Covid-19 has limited the type of activities
allowed to take place, but Penny Appeal has given campus space to a gymnastics club, who lost their sports hall in a fire last year. The club will resume use of the space after the lockdown ends. In the meantime, the campus is currently
being used for police dog training. Thornes Park has sports hall facilities, a theatre with 240 seats and a restaurant.
Spotlight on women’s issues
International Women’s Day will be celebrated by five Chambers this year, shining a spotlight on flexible working practices and the gender pay gap. The Asian Business Chamber, alongside
Burton & District Chamber, Sutton Coldfield Chamber, Solihull Chamber and Future Faces Chamber, all part of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, will be hosting a joint virtual event to celebrate the occasion, taking place on 8 March.
Business, health and media leaders, including
Satnam Rana, former BBC correspondent, Sarah Folley, critical care paramedic for Midlands Air Ambulance, and Sheila Brown, chief executive of charity Newlife, will be taking part in the panel discussion as part of the event. Members of the Chambers can attend the
event for free. To register your place or find out more about
the event, visit
greaterbirminghamchambers.com March 2021 CHAMBERLINK 45
NatWest has appointed Pam Sheemar to a new role within the bank’s Midlands and East corporate and commercial coverage team, to introduce an inclusivity strategy at the bank. Ms Sheemar has worked for NatWest for
more than 10 years in many areas of the bank including retail banking and entrepreneurship. She is currently the entrepreneur development manager at NatWest’s Accelerator Hub in Birmingham. In addition to this, she is an influencer in
the West Midlands eco-system as director for Birmingham Tech and executive committee member for the Asian Business Chamber of Commerce. She also serves as magistrate. The new training programme will serve as
platform for future talent and also delivers on the bank’s continued commitment to supporting all colleagues, specifically those from ethnic minority backgrounds, with focused development opportunities. Last autumn, NatWest unveiled a report
which outlined how it will make a ‘meaningful and positive difference’ to people from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds. Ms Sheemar said: “I am incredibly excited
about the new role within the team and I look forward to supporting the management team in developing this programme which will hopefully enable others to succeed in the future.” Abe Tilling, regional managing director of
corporate and commercial banking at NatWest, said: “At NatWest, our ambition is to be a learning organisation and this new, progressive, accelerated training opportunity delivers on this ambition and our continued commitment to being an inclusive organisation. “Pam’s involvement has displayed her
skills and highlighted the importance of talent mobility across the Midlands and East region.”
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