Friends of The Bull Ring Markets

Part 3: Michael Ward Public meeting in St Martins 14/10/11

organicarol — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:17:05 +0000

On the 14th of October 2011 traders from the Bull Ring Open Market and Wholesale Market held a public meeting to discuss the future of the markets if Birmingham City Council decide to take the option to close the Wholesale Market in 2013 when it goes back to cabinet in January 2012 and the impact that this would have on the city.

Michael Ward was a speaker at the meeting and spoke about the probable disastrous results this would have on Birmingham both economically and culturally.

www.michaelwardconsulting.co.uk/

You can listen to him here.

PUBLIC MEETING

organicarol — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:30:08 +0000

On October 14th 2011, traders from the Bull Ring Market and the Wholesale Market held a public meeting at St Martins Church in the Bull Ring. They invited Carl Chinn, local historian and newspaper columnist and Michael Ward, a public policy specialist, to talk about the markets and their historic, cultural, social and economic importance. Traders also talked about the current situation affecting the markets.

A big thank you to all those who attended either as speakers or as audience. Thanks to the members of the public who engaged with this issue and asked us some very good questions.

I filmed the meeting and have been painstakingly trying to edit on an almost defunct lap top which is why it has taken me so long! The meeting is in four parts;

PART 1 – Traders from Bull Ring Market and Wholesale Market talking about current situation as they see it.

PART 2 – Carl Chinn giving us a brilliant trip into the past and connecting it to our everyday experience of the Bull Ring Markets.

PART 3 – Michael Ward, public policy specialist highlighting why it is of utmost importance to keep the Wholesale Market in the centre of the city.

PART 4 – Q and A between the public and speakers.

So far, I have only managed to get Part 1 and Part 2 active, the rest to follow…

GREAT BARR PENSIONERS MEETING

organicarol — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:22:29 +0000

Today we attended a meeting in Great Barr to discuss the impact that the Wholesale market closure could have on Senior Citizens.

Bernice explains to the group what has been happening and they are very supportive. So thanks to them for inviting us and offering us their support in our campaign to Save Our Markets!

PUBLIC MEETING TO SUPPORT BULL RING MARKETS

organicarol — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:41:17 +0000

POSTERPUBLICMEETING

On Friday 14th October 2011 at 2pm til 4pm in St Martins Church, traders from the Bull Ring Open Market are holding a public meeting to discuss the future of these historic markets.

Speakers include Carl Chinn, local historian and newspaper columnist and Michael Ward, a regeneration and public policy specialist will talk about the historical, social, economic and cultural importance of our markets to the people of Birmingham.

As Michael Ward highlights more than 1150 retail markets operate in the UK, employing nearly 100, 000 people and generating over more than £125 million pounds per year for the market operators. Can Birmingham really afford to lose these historic and economically vibrant markets in a time of economic hardship and high unemployment nationwide?

Members of the public, local councillors and MP’s and local businesses are invited to come and have their say.

SAVE OUR MARKETS PEACEFUL PROTEST

organicarol — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:39:22 +0000

Bull Ring Market traders, traders from the Wholesale Markets and members of the public joined together today to show Lib Dem politicians the importance of the Wholesale markets and the Bull Ring markets to Birmingham. Around 60 people marched upto the I.C.C.

Marching through the streets of Birmingham City Centre to the ICC, traders received support from members of the public.

On reaching our destination, traders chanted and co-chair of Bull Ring Open Markets Traders Committee went live on radio WM to put the question to Cllr Paul Tilsley about why this decision had been made. This was the first time traders have been able to elicit any direct response from Tilsley. You can hear this on http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00k8p86

Bernice Ellis – co-chair of Bull Ring Open Markets Traders Committee feels that the March was a huge success for the traders.

On the way back we were listening to Radio WM – a station that we now love dearly! and were shocked to the core to hear that Danny Kelly, Radio WM presenter felt that we couldn’t get our chanting going!! As seasoned traders, we had to put the record straight…

The video gets cut short and should finish with ‘ what the council haven’t been able to do in 5!’ I think that you know what she’s talking about!

On behalf of all the traders we would like to say a big thank you to everybody who helped make today a big success and a whole lot of fun!!!!

SAVE OUR MARKETS!!

organicarol — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:07:19 +0000

Representatives from The Wholesale Fresh Produce Association and the Bull Ring Open Market Committee met last week to discuss the current situation facing both the Wholesale Market and the Bull Ring Open Market. Keith Smith and Bernice Ellis decided it was important to draw attention to the decision taken by BCC by peacefully marching from The Bull Ring Market to the Lib Dem Conference taking place this week at The ICC.

Okay, so the plan is to meet at 12.30pm at St Martins Church and march through town to the ICC. Please come and make your voices heard! We want to keep our markets!

Here is the link to the route.

http://walkit.com/walk/?city=birmingham&from=Bull+Ring+Shopping+Centre&fuid=3067518_3477587&to=B1+2EA&tuid=311077

Carl Chinn meets Traders

organicarol — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:48:27 +0000

Carl Chinn met up with us today in the market to show his support for the traders and to stress the importance of the markets to Birmingham.

We walked around the markets talking to traders about the proposed closure of the Wholesale Markets and the impact that this will have on the markets and small businesses in the area.

I spoke with Pauline who has been shopping in the market since she was a child and is disgusted at Birmingham City Council’s decision to close the Wholesale Markets.

Arthur Jones

organicarol — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 16:55:28 +0000

There’s a man that I always chat to when he passes me in the market. His name is Arthur Jones, he’s 90 years old and comes down the market often for a chat with traders.

He worked in the Bull Ring Market from the age of twelve until he retired and his father before him, ‘Little Dicky Jones’ worked here for forty years before that. I asked him what he thought of the planned closure of the Wholesale Markets.

CARL CHINN – MARKETS CHAMPION

organicarol — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:32:14 +0000

Bernice and I went to meet Carl Chinn today to talk about his reaction to the planned closure of the Wholesale Markets and the impacts that he forsees it may have on the Bull Ring Markets.

A really successful and motivating chat culminating in the decision to hold a Public Meeting to look at the importance of The Bull Ring Market to Birmingham and the people and also to talk about ways in which we can help shape it’s future and retain the markets for the people of Birmingham.

We are in the process in organising this event, which we hope will take place towards the end of September, please follow this blog or check on Facebook or Twitter for updates.

Thanks to Carl for his continued support of The Bull Ring Markets, it’s traders and the people who use it.

Thursday @ The Bull Ring Markets

organicarol — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:23:46 +0000

A beautifully sunny day at the Bull Ring Market today, plenty of people milling around, interested in finding out more about out campaign. I had just set up the stall when a couple with 2 small children approached me to find out what was going on. As we chatted about the proposed closure of the Wholesale Market, it transpired that they didn’t live in Birmingham but had come down for a day trip specifically to come to the Markets from London. The woman told me that she was originally from Gloucester and had always come to the market as a child with her family and even though as an adult she had relocated to London she still came up a few times a year to come to the market. Her memory of the markets is that of a vibrant shopping area where many goods could be purchased at a great price. They felt it would be a great loss for the region to lose it’s historic markets to redevelopment.

Also on the information stall was Nigel Harris, a Bull Ring Open Market trader who had given up a couple of hours of his morning to talk with the public and get more signatures for our petition. Here’s what Nigel said;

Thanks again to all volunteer, past, present and potential! C’mon you know you want to!