Regina’s Bar & Restaurant marked its first anniversary with an elegant evening of fine dining, celebration and live entertainment. The evening included a special five-course Anniversary Tasting Menu created exclusively for the occasion by chef Michael Edgar who has returned to Birmingham to begin an exciting new chapter in his career.

Captions:

1 Keshia and Scott Golbourne
2 James Bovill, Lindsay Alder, Louise Brown, Andy Brown
3 Jimmy Devollaj, Adam Tibbatts, Sabi Ukaj
4 Abby Percival, Katie-May O’Hanlon
5 Soloman Ofoaiye, Anjola Ajao
6 Brad Pattni, Alex Tross, Kavita Parmar, Tiku Chauhan, Jimi Shabir
7 Eugene Paterson, Millie Jade
8 Alex Nicholson Evans, Matt Rose

Inspirational messages were at the heart of a special evening at Warwick Castle ahead of International Women’s Day. The stunning venue was lit up with purple IWD colours in honour of the event, organised by Ladies First Professional Development Network Group which celebrated this year’s theme of Give to Gain. Speakers who shared their personal stories to success were TV news anchor and freelance journalist Suzanne Virdee, from Redditch; retired Coventry MP Collen Fletcher MBE; founder of Pentlands Accountants and Advisors in Leamington, Elinor Perry; founder of the Hosking Houses Trust in Stratford, Sarah Hosking OBE and chief superintendent of West Midlands Police, Kim Madill. Broadcaster Arti Halai hosted the evening, which supported the Shine Together Initiative and Esther Project charities.

Captions:

1 Suzanne Virdee, Tracey McAtamney, Arti Halai
2 Trish Adudu, Stacey and Tracey William
3 Amanda Chalmers, Nicola Smyth
4 Elinor Perry, Julie McGarrigle
5 Gillian and Ruth Bridges
6 Paola Spiga
7 Jane Collier, Arti Halai

Neko Health celebrated unveiling its new health centre in the heart of Birmingham with an exclusive launch event hosted at the ultra-sleek space on Livery Street before an indulgent dining experience at modern Asian restaurant Tattu. The company’s CEO and co-founder Hjalmar Nilsonne and clinical team revealed its next-generation scan rooms where a fusion of advanced technology and design-led precision is redefining what preventative care can look like. Guests included former West Midlands mayor Sir Andy Street, newsreader Satnam Rana and Olympian, Katherine Merry.

Captions:

1 Andrew Riley, Anita Champaneri, Sir Andy Street
2 Kathryn Stanczyszyn, Satnam Rana
3 Dr Tru Powell
4 Saskia Hayman, Krishma Parmar, Saira Mendez-Laing, Dr Zoya Awan
5 Dr Devon Kennard, Afroze Zaidi
6 Ian Rogers, Katherine Merry, Alex Tross
7 Pogus Caesar, Shakan Pitters
8 George Garton, Alex Davies
9 Kai Smith, Rob Yates

The best businesses, entrepreneurs and leaders in the region were celebrated at the Signature Awards at the Vox Conference Centre. The School of Coding & AI was crowned Business of the Year, with Ameesha Green (Business Woman of the Year), Nitesh Somani (Entrepreneur of the Year) and Brum-E Car Chargers (Start-up of the Year). The evening included an inspiring interview with trailblazing entrepreneur Edwina Dunn OBE before guests dug deep to raise over £4500 for local mental health charity, the Kaleidoscope Plus Group, which will help fund their ambition of reducing suicides across the West Midlands.

Captions:

1 Ninder Johal, Calum Nisbet
2 Manny Athwal, founder of Business of the Year, School of Coding & AI
3 Edwina Dunn OBE
4 Iain McCallister, Mahmudur Jaigirdar
5 Ameesha Green, Business Woman of the Year
6 Andrew Horkan, Young Business Person of the Year
7 Gurpreet Bassi
8 Monica Ghai, Sartaj Gill
9 Nitesh Somani, Entrepreneur of the Year

A Calthorpe business community event took place at Elmhurst Ballet School, where some of the school’s talented students treated guests to a special performance. School principal Jessica Ward then presented the launch of Ballet & Beyond, a new recreational dance programme designed to make high-quality dance training accessible to everyone, regardless of age, background or previous experience.

1 Elmhurst students
2 Calthorpe Estates CEO, Haydn Cooper
3 Robert Parker, Elmhurst artistic director
4 Phil Powell, Richard Suart, James Bridge

mfg Solicitors recently hosted a welcome drinks and networking event in Birmingham to mark the appointments of commercial property partner Brian Hession and corporate specialist and partner Matt Smith. The event was held at Primitivo in Barwick Street with more than 120 guests from across the city’s property and corporate industries enjoying early evening drinks and canapes. Brian will work alongside partner Ben Rothery focusing on investment, financing and letting transactions while Matt will work with partner Clare Lang, advising on acquisitions, disposals, restructures, joint ventures and corporate advisory matters.

Captions:

1 Mark Wilson, Matt Smith, Martin Poole
2 Ben Rothery, Tom Pollard
3 David Neate, Vinny Bhogal, Paul Varley, David Griffiths
4 Jilly Cosgrove, Mark Lenton
5 Martin Adams, Hannah Griffin, Paul Cook, Will Kerton
6 Jordan Kelly, Andrew Davies, Shantel Claire
7 Jilly Cosgrove, Mike Murphy, Stuart Bailey, Brian Hession, Nathan Darby

Comedian Sam Avery provided the laughter at a recent Birmingham Press Club luncheon held at the Ming Moon Restaurant’s Mandarin Suite in Birmingham’s Chinatown. Sam is also a talented writer, authoring the best-selling book Confessions of a Learner Parent. Nearly 80 guests attended the event, which coincided with the anniversary of the founding of the world’s oldest press club, 160 years ago. Raffle prizes included a three-day stay in a seaside apartment in Wales, afternoon tea for two at the Burlington Hotel, four Golden Circle tickets for comedy at the Castle, Warwick and a meal for four at Ming Moon Restaurant.

Captions:

1 Llewela Bailey, Ashley Blake, Sarah Macleod, Jo Jeffries, Steve Price
2 Dorian Chan, Graham Young, Bob and Sarah Warman, John James
3 Angela Huang, Adrian Kibbler, Roger Whitworth
4 Bill Good, John Duckers, Derek Inman
5 Christopher and Jan Mowbray, Vijay and Anita Sharma-James
6 Howard Bennett, Alison Brinkworth, Ben Russell, Radcliffe Shields, David Searle
7 John Lamb, Sue Smith, Howard Bennett, Jon Griffin

The annual Snow Ball at Nailcote Hall Hotel Golf & Country Club in Berkswell raised more than £5,000 for the Salvation Army. The charity also received sackfuls of gifts for its Christmas Toy Appeal, which were delivered to disadvantaged children in the area on Christmas Day, thanks in part to donations from the 220 guests who attended on the night.

Captions:

1 Charlotte and Dan Cooper
2 Lizzie Brown, Alison Scott, Cath Freshwaterr, Kay Herd, Santa, Mary Corridan, Cheryl Buck
3 Anthony and Tammie McAtamney
4 Rick Cressman
5 Kirsty Leahy and Amanda Chalmers with Santa and The Elf on the Shelf
6 Bianca Rodrigues-Perry, Sue Cressman, Tracey McAtamney
7 The Salvation Army band entertained

Law firm mfg Solicitors hosted a charity quiz that raised £5,200 for Birmingham Crisis Centre, which provides refuge and support for women and children escaping domestic abuse. The event brought together more than 120 professionals from across the city for an evening of friendly competition led by mfg employment partner Tim Lang as quiz master. The quiz was won by No5 Barristers’ Chambers, with St Philips Barristers Chambers taking home the wooden spoon. The total raised included £1,000 from the firm’s MFG Charitable Foundation.

1. Kiran Kaur, Jack Cook, Sophie Shakeshaft
2. Shaniqua McKenzie, Clare Lang, Janita Patel
3. Josh Smith, Harry Edmonds, Julie Mole, Jack Edmonds
4. Lauren Hughes, Kimberley Kainey-Smith
5. Scott Bevan, Ashley Jones, Amanda Wainwright, Chloe-Jane Birch, Dani Campbell, Katie Hardwick
6. Sophie Birtles, Rob Chapman, Cristian Davies, James Walker, Kirsty Cartwright
7. Tim Lang, Kiran Kaur, Julie Kilkenny, Mick Carter

Sutton Coldfield digital marketing agency, EDGE Creative, welcomed professionals from across the Midlands to its latest networking event hosted at The Jam House in Birmingham’s St Paul’s Square. The Uncork Connections event was sponsored by Birmingham Hospice, Sentinel Partners and ORS UK, with guests enjoying a great wine selection provided by Swallow Drinks.

Captions:

1 Mark Panayides, Ashleigh Harold
2 Louise Pinnington, Ashley Haynes
3 Laura Cooksey, Joseph Paul, Jessica Greaney
4 Abby Guilding, Roisin Griffin
5 Frank Golden, Alan Webb
6 Hugh Dennis, Jonathan Ratcliff
7 Louise Allen, Charlotte Bentley, Karen O’Donovan, David Pinnington
8 Shireenah Ingram, Karen O’Donovan

The best in hospitality was celebrated at the Birmingham Hospitality Association (BHA) Awards held at the Belfry Hotel & Resort. The event featured 10 categories, from Rising Star to Top Team, while also raising funds for chosen charity, Kids’ Village. Winners included: Mentor of the Year – Paul Taylor from Hilton Birmingham Metropole, People’s Choice Award – Victoria Fitzgerald from Hilton Garden Inn, and Unsung Hero – Warren Dixon from Crowne Plaza Birmingham City Centre.

Captions:

1 Co-Chairs Choice Award, Kris Hall, the Burnt Chef Project
2 Unsung Hero, Warren Dixon, Crowne Plaza Birmingham City Centre
3 Special Recognition award, Joanne Gray, Staybridge Suites Birmingham
4 Mentor of the Year, Paul Taylor, Hilton Birmingham Metropole
5 The People’s Choice Award, Victoria Fitzgerald, Hilton Garden Inn Brindleyplace
6 Sustainability Hero, Julie Crump, Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre
7 Best Newcomer, Holly Burnell, Hilton Birmingham Metropole
8 Rising Star, Marium Sayed, Clayton Hotel Birmingham

More than £167,000 was raised in one night for local charities at the first-ever Midlands construction charity event held at The Belfry. The event brought together over 300 guests from across the building industry, all rallying behind four Midlands-based family-run firms –Tippers, EH Smith Builders Merchants, Friel Construction and M Lambe Construction – who joined forces to make it happen. The cash raised will be split between Acorns Children’s Hospice, St Giles Hospice, Tabor Living and Christy Lambe Foundation.

Birmingham Living won the Magazine of the Year 2025 trophy at the Midlands Media Awards, organised by Birmingham Press Club and held at the Burlington Hotel, Birmingham. The Awards, revived for the first time since Covid, attracted more than 200 guests and were supported by Birmingham Airport, Birmingham Chinatown Business Association, HSBC UK, NUJ Birmingham & Coventry Branch and University of Worcester. Wolverhampton-based Express & Star retained its crown as Newspaper of the Year (Daily), while the Birmingham Mail won Best Website. The Stratford Herald was Newspaper of the Year (Weekly). For the first time, the Awards also featured a number of categories aimed at media students.

Captions:

1 Ian Reddington, Amber Westgate
2 Barbara Goulden, Chris Morley, Sue Green, Beverly Rademacher
3 The BBC team
4 Charlotte Coles, Georgie Stratford, Kieran Williams, Olivia Warburton
5 Maddy McCrann-Smith, Rachael Taylor, Al Titterington, Francesca Ballar, Rebecca Williams
6 Noah Cole, Kara Joubert, Jamie Johnson, Iona Goodall, Oliver Castle
7 The ITV News Central team
8 Hazel Horton-Peppercorn, Helen Toomey Hesk

Calthorpe Estates hosted its second Pizza for a Purpose charity quiz night at Chapter, bringing together 16 teams from across the Calthorpe business community for an evening of friendly competition, generosity, and great food provided by Smoke + Ash. The night raised an impressive £3,680 in support of Edward’s Trust, which provides vital care for families experiencing loss and bereavement.

Captions:

1 Tom Foley, Daniel Barchet, Harman Singh Barech, Glenn Keilloh
2 Stuart Clark, Andy Robinson
3 Sarah Webb, Harry Openshaw, Alice Hobbis, Jason Griffiths, Jack McLeod
4 David Brooks, Brook Smith, Megan Freeman, Amanda Morgan, Tom Caesar
5 Adele Pogmore, Bethany Millett, Lisa Barge, Phil Passey, Matthew Storer
6 Tom Foley, Haydn Cooper, Philippa Green
7 Demi Swingler, Tom Foley

Midlands Air Ambulance Charity held its annual Saving Lives Charity Ball honouring inspirational individuals, fund-raisers, volunteers, and corporate partners who make its lifesaving missions possible. The black-tie event, hosted by broadcaster, Ed James, and supported by headline sponsor, EBC Group, raised £70,000, making 45 lifesaving missions possible, 21 by air ambulance and 24 by critical care car. Celebrity supporters Annette Badland, Kash ‘The Flash’ Gill and Paul Chuckle, joined hundreds of attendees at the National Conference Centre, Birmingham to recognise this year’s outstanding winners and to help raise vital funds.

Captions:

1 Paul Chuckle, Annette Badland
2 Howard Brown, Kash Gill
3 Ed James
4 Award winners: Peter McrCee, Freya Sangha, Brian Jones, Karen Luckett, Dr Ben Taylor, Dr James Mercer
5 Hanna Sebright
6 Kington Golf Club
7 Corporate Partnership Award winners, Pallet-Track
8 Tim Rowlands

The Autumn Calthorpe Business Community (CBC) Networking Breakfast, hosted by Calthorpe Estates took place at Edgbaston Priory Club as part of the club’s 150th anniversary celebrations. Invited guests enjoyed breakfast, networking and a talk from MK Reformed, a contemporary reformer Pilates studio that recently opened its seventh site in Harborne Road, Edgbaston.

Captions:

1 Ralph Minott, Claire Daniel, Sam Batchelor, Haydn Cooper, Tom Foley
2 Demi Swingler, Dan Ellis, James Bishop, James Bridge, Amanda Morgan
3 Alex Dixon, Lucy Goodway, Demi Swingler
4 Kim Green, Claire Robinson, Rupa Parmar, Jason Smith
5 Deni Sharankova, Stuart Clark, Simon Trimmer, Jess Ward
6 Ralph Minott, Adele Pogmore, Simon Trimmer, Jenna Dienn
7 Jack Summers, Harvey Pearson, Tom Foley

More than 300 guests gathered at the new Masters Suite at the Belfry Hotel & Resort for the Kids’ Village gala dinner, raising more than £78,000 towards the charity’s capital appeal. The black-tie event brought the spirit of childhood to life by transforming the venue into a magical woodland setting. Guests enjoyed performances from children at JAKS Academy and Scientia Academy with live music from Apollo Gold band. The evening was co-hosted by radio presenter and Kids’ Village trustee Ed James and charity co-founder Sam Fletcher-Goodwin. Comedian Aaron James led the auction. Chief executive Katrina Cooke revealed £2.1million has been pledged so far towards the build project, with another £1million needed to part-open in spring 2027.

Captions:

1 Ed James, Oli Hills, Aaron James
2 Gary Fletcher, Inez Brown
3 Katie Niland
4 Jane and Paul Faulkner
5 Nasir Awan
6 Jamie and Sam Fletcher-Goodwin
7 Jamil Shabir, Mike Hopkins
8 Nathan and Sabrina Dennis

Katie O’Brien’s Irish Bar officially opened its doors in the heart of Birmingham city centre, bringing a lively taste of Ireland to Temple Street. The bar’s launch event welcomed more than 500 guests who enjoyed an evening of warm Irish hospitality and live music. Guests included local corporate businesses as well as media and influencers who got into the party spirit with plenty of beers and the obligatory Guinness. The venue combines the charm of Dublin’s Temple Bar with the downstairs Cavern Bar which provides a great space for private parties.

Captions:

1 Jonathan Codona, Lucy Codona, Jess Walker, Gordon Codona
2 Camille Kempell, Anita Champaneri
3 Emma Howden, Lucy Pilkington
4 Sumeer Kalyani, Lewis Warner, Ravneet Nandra, Charlie Horner, Amy Lakin
5 Ian McEwan, Rick Ahir, Laura McEwan, Victoria Jinks
6 Elisha Khan, Aran Channa, Natally Coventry, Liam Hughes
7 Bryon Keeley-Johnson, Prit Ladwa

One of the big annual events of the sporting and social calendar saw golfing legends strut their stuff at the annual Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship. This year, the superstar field included Ian Woosnam, Paul Laurie, Robert Rock, Tony Jacklin, Alan McInally and Gladiator Diamond, aka Livi Sheldon. Spanish professional Carl Suneson was the overall champion, finishing eight under par over two sets of 18 holes.

1 Alan McInally

2 Livi Sheldon

3 Carl Suneson, Rick Cressman

4 Gail Emms

5 Faith Tucker

6 John Inverdale

7 Tony Jacklin

8 Lee Hendrie

9 Ian Woosnam

Founded in 2005, Henwood Court Financial Planning, the Midlands-based Chartered Financial and Life Planning firm, marked its 20th anniversary with a celebration that brought together clients, partners and team members who have shaped its journey over two remarkable decades. From the beautiful venue and excellent food to moments of shared reflection and unexpected team talent, the event captured the values at the heart of the firm. As one guest described it, the atmosphere was “magic”.

Captions:

1 Hanny Manning, Victoria Platt
2 Lynette Coffey
3 Naomi Banks
4 Clare Andress, Pete Hartley
5 Nick Platt
6 Peter Robbins
7 Simon White
8 Andrew Messenger, Georgia Platt
9 Suzie Carter

Birmingham City University hosted BCU Presents: 1000 Threads – an unforgettable open-air fashion show in Brindleyplace’s Oozells Square, shining a spotlight on the outstanding work of 10 emerging student designers. Hosted by BBC’s Kathryn Stanczyszyn, the event brought together industry professionals, creatives and members of the public, all of whom were wowed by 30 diverse and innovative runway looks. It formed a key part of BCU’s Inspired Festival celebrating creativity across the Faculty of Arts, Design and Media. Guests also enjoyed a VIP reception, exhibition viewing and an exclusive after-party featuring a live DJ set from Pussycat Dolls’ Kimberly Wyatt.

Captions:

1 Professor David Mba, Vice-Chancellor at BCU, Kimberly Wyatt, Lee Lapthorne, Head of the College of Jewellery, Fashion and Textiles at BCU

Inspirational achievers from Birmingham and Solihull – including Inspirational Man of the Year – were among those celebrated at the seventh Ladies First Professional Development Network Business Awards, attended by 300 people at Dallas Burston Polo Club, in Southam, Warwickshire. The evening’s entertainment included performances by Birmingham’s Elmhurst Ballet School and singers Pippa Langhorne, Colin ‘Sugarfoot Mills’ and Ruth Kelly. Local winners included Chris Boehm, of Leap IT in Hockley Heath who was named Inspirational Man of the Year and Natalka Hunka of Aspire HR & Training Consultants in Knowle (Start-Up of the Year), while a Special Recognition Award went to Paola Spiga of Glam & Glow Beauty Lab in Hockley Heath.

Captions:

1 Elmhurst Ballet School
2 Maxine Faulder, Dave Sharpe
3 Gabriel Goldberg, Corinne Mo
4 Natalka Hunka, Paola Spiga
5 Natasha Blacklock, Daniel Skerma
6 Ronaldo Hare
7 Siobhan Rowland, Doreth Abrahams, Hester Maclean
8 Amanda Chalmers, Gemma Mills
9 Chris Boehm, Alana Patchett

The Asian Business Chamber of Commerce recently hosted a special Vaisakhi event at New Hall Hotel and Spa in Sutton Coldfield. Celebrating goodwill and new beginnings, the event was attended by a wide range of top businesses. Keynote speakers included Pinder Dhaliwal from Falcon Insurance, Harvir Sahota, chief executive of award-winning catering and events company Mahirs Experience, and Surlender Pendress, the founder of Love Writing Co.

Captions:

1 Surlender Pendress
2 Harvir Sahota
3 Ifraz Ahmed, Anita Chumber
4 Steve Brown
5 Money Chopra
6 Neelam Afzal, Gary Barch
7 Omar Rashid, Pinder Dhaliwal
8 Sana Saddique

Broadcasting titan, LBC radio journalist Nick Ferrari, addressed Birmingham Press Club as its first celebrity lunch speaker of the year. Nick enthralled 90 guests with anecdotes about his interviews with leading politicians, including Boris Johnson, Diane Abbott, Nigel Farage and Rachel Reeves, as well as other irreverent stories about household names. Emphasising the need for quality journalism at a time when ‘fake news’ had become reality, Nick was made an honorary life member of the Press Club, receiving from president Bob Warman the traditional gift of a bugle made by craftsmen at Acme Whistles in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. The lunch was held at Park Regis Hotel Birmingham.

Captions:

1 Llewela Bailey, Nick Ferrari, Bob Warman

2 Chris Mowbray, Sue Smith, Fred Bromwich, Claire Wolfe

3 Jon Griffin, Nick Hudson, John Lamb

4 Nigel and Lynn Watts-Plumpkin, Harry Jenkins, Jack Brabant

5 Hazel Horton-Peppercorn, Dianne Hall, Steve Hall

6 Karen Webb, Paul Brown, Sarah Thompson

7 Jo Dyer, Deborah Harries, Adrian Timberlin, Trish Putnam

8 Val Deeley, Cindy Black, James Dumighan

9 Kerry and Steve Swingler, Enda Mullen, Marie-Helene Matthews, Peter Swingler

Calthorpe Estates marked the official opening of Edgbaston Village Community Garden with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by its chief executive Haydn Cooper and Birmingham City councillors Deirdre Alden and Matt Bennett. Located in the heart of Edgbaston Village, the new garden is designed to promote wellbeing, sustainability and connection among residents, businesses and visitors. It has benefited from the input of local schools, businesses and community partners – including Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Martineau Gardens. A notable feature is a Chatty Bench, donated by Audley Court as part of their national Chatty Bench Initiative.

Captions:

1 Haydn Cooper, Deirdre Alden and Matt Bennett

2 Vanessa Powell, Billie Frain, Ben Mabbett, Izzie Gould

3 Kesaven Cuniappen, Mavis Hughes, Caroline Nicoresti, Tanya Ashby, Junie Rabone, Ann Foster, Haydn Cooper

4 Adelaide Heagney, Sharon Gordon, Sabina Henley

5 Adrian Mitchell, Lewis Roberts, Jack Bennett

6 Demi Swingler, Ros Wilson

7 Roop Kang, Adele Pogmore, Neelam Nahar, Lucy Goodway

8 Denise Kerby, Geraldine Leonard

Around 100 invited people attended the Birmingham Bears Blast launch party last month at the cricket simulator and activity bar, Sixes in the Mailbox. Ahead of an exciting new season that kicked off on 30 May with a Men and Women’s team double-header, delighted Bears fans were joined by star players including George Garton, Richard Gleeson, Hamza Shaikh and Jake Lintott, plus Davina Perrin and Charis Pavely from the Bears Women. Visit edgbaston.com for the full Blast fixtures list and details of the special Blast Pass season ticket.

Captions:

1 Excited mascots and fans

2 Charis Pavely, Davina Perrin

3 Hamza Shaikh

4 Fans at Sixes Birmingham

5 Q&A with Jake Lintott and Richard Gleeson

6 Nat Wraith, Amu Surenkumar, Millie Taylor

The Nachural Entrepreneurship Awards took place at the King Power Stadium, Leicester. The vibrant and inspirational event was hosted by Aaron James and celebrated some of the very best business talent from the East Midlands. Winners included Rudolph + Hellmann, Freeths, Roxy Leisure and Bilal Alimahomed. The evening included a keynote speech from local entrepreneur Iain McCallister, CEO of Solihull-based MAN Commercial Protection Limited

Captions:

1 Ninder Johal, Iain McCallister

2 Businesswoman of the Year – Grace Atkinson

3 Entrepreneur of the Year – Bilal Alimahomed

4 Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion – Core Aquatics UK

5 Host, Aaron Jones

6 Start-Up of the Year – Vets4u

7 SME of the Year – Abacus Flooring Solutions

8 Businessperson of the Year – Kerry Lewis

Patrons and guests of Asian Business Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) learned first-hand about the impact of social enterprises at a dinner held at Malmaison. Rosie Ginday, the founder of Miss Macaroon, spoke about giving an opportunity to young people from deprived backgrounds in the city through her hand-made French macaroons business. Miss Macaroon is a community interest company that reinvests 100 per cent of its profits into helping unemployed young people gain skills that will help to change their lives. Money Chopra, cluster sales manager of Malmaison and Hotel du Vin also outlined the opportunities available at the hotels.

Captions:

1 Rosie Ginday, Anjum Khan, Omar Rashid, Money Chopra
2 Kavita Parmar, Dee Kundi, Anjum Khan
3 Trina Tierman
4 Ahmer Nawaz
5 Monica Ghai
6 Neelham Afzal, Omar Rashid
7 Sartaj Gill

This year’s Signature Awards were hosted by Aaron Jones and held at the Vox Conference Venue in Birmingham. The awards celebrate some of the best businesses from the region and highlights the professionals and entrepreneurs who drive operational excellence in their field. Winners included Elisabeth Lewis-Jones, CEO of communications consultancy Liquid, who was voted Business Woman of the Year

Captions:

1 Host, Aaron James
2 Business Woman of the Year, Elisabeth Lewis-Jones
3 Ninder Johal with keynote speaker, Peter Waddle
4 Community Excellence, Sandwell College
5 Young Business Person of the Year, Michael Parinchy
6 Start-up of the Year, Laser Skin
7 Entrepreneur of the Year, Manny Athwal
8 Excellence in Legal Services, Sydney Mitchell

Celebrating female resilience was the focus of a special event held at Stratford Town Hall as part of International Women’s Day. The event was jointly hosted by Sally Bee, president of Shakespeare Soroptimists and Tracey McAtamney, director of Ladies First, from Balsall Common. Keynote speakers included Captain Emma Henderson, Nicky Pattinson and Natalie Heeley. The event helped raise more than £600 in aid of Refuge, a charity providing specialist support for women and children experiencing domestic violence.

Captions:

1 Jayne McIntosh and Tracey McAtamney
2 Sally Bee
3 Natalka Larysa, Paola Spiga and Colleen Fletcher MBE
4 Paola Spiga, Captain Emma Henderson
5 Paula Belcher, Sarah Armstrong, Jayne McIntosh
6 Siobhan Rowland, Hester Maclean, Leanne Horne
7 Julie McGarrigle, Corinne Mo

More than 150 clients and friends joined law firm Lodders to celebrate the official launch of its new central Birmingham office, following a full refurbishment. Guests were welcomed by the award-winning Nero String Quartet and enjoyed delicious canapes from the Wild Gourmet, as well as a champagne reception and well-stocked bar by Wildfire Events. Paul Mourton, managing partner at Lodders, told guests: “Internally the new office has proven to be a popular working space and externally it has enabled us to build on existing relationships and create many new ones.”

Captions:

1 Paul Mourton, Rob Smyth
2 Andy Harris, Will Irving, Brad Quin, Andrew Donaldson
3 Martyn Edwards, Chris Dewes, Alexia Winn
4 Nic Heath, Harshad Bharakhada
5 Stuart Price, Richard Pugh
6 Michelle Gavin, Vivienne Middleton, Baldish Khatkar
7 Prof Swaran Singh, Ninder Johal, Damian Kelly
8 Riona Moriarty, David Jupp
9 James Spreckley, Gail Hinckes, Sam White, Hollie Gordon-Walker

Thousands of visitors flocked to Southside and beyond for the city’s Chinese New Year Festival, a free family extravaganza co-produced by Birmingham Chinese Festival Committee and Birmingham Hippodrome. The city came alive with lion and dragon processions in partnership with Bullring & Grand Central, pop-up lion dances in the Arcadian and street food, funfair rides and a craft market in Southside. The festival was sponsored by Uber Eats and supported by Southside District, the Arcadian, Wing Yip and Brothers Foundation and Birmingham Chinese School. The Saturday programme was in partnership with Bullring & Grand Central.

Captions:

1 Wyxpi Dance Collection Studio

2 Pinyan Lin Chinese Instrument Ensemble

3 OCAS Overseas Chinese Association Schools

4 Kaleidoscope Performing Arts

5 Dans Dance, Face Changer

6 Visitors enjoyed face painting at the festival

7 Taking part in the Spring Roll Eating Competition sponsored by Uber Eats

The Mayor of Leamington Spa was among guests at the launch party of the town’s new Hush Bar. Cllr Judith Clarke made a toast as part of the special evening, which showcased the speakeasy-inspired cellar bar, taking guests back in time to the Prohibition era of 1920/30s America. Offering a five-star service, elevated cocktail menu and live music experiences from the period, it is the result of a transformational makeover of the former Robbins Well cellar bar underneath The Terrace, which closed its doors 10 years ago.

Captions:

1 Leamington mayor Cllr Judith Clarke, Naomi Bishop

2 Faye Miles, Maddy Payne, Reece Saysell, Ashley Rahim

3 Ivor Thomas, Diane Leathem, Bernie Leathem, Ian Hughes

4 Jo Isherwood, Jo Jones, Jenny Smith, Jacob Isherwood

5 Jordan Williams, Sophie Eyers

6 Julie McGarrigle, Tracey McAtamney

7 Laura and Rob Avery

8 Leanne Nguyen, Kirsty Lo

9 Mica Pinczuk, Kiran Mann, Caroline Ingold

Stand-up comedian Paul Sinha, known to millions for his appearances on ITV’s quiz show The Chase, was guest speaker at a Birmingham Press Club lunch, where he received the Club’s traditional gift of a bugle (crafted in Birmingham’s jewellery quarter by Acme Whistles) and was made an Honorary Life Member. Guests included Gary Hudson, former BBC Midlands Today chief reporter and big money winner on the show two years ago, and Said Khan, who gets a mention in Paul’s autobiography, One Sinha Lifetime, as a fellow-quiz enthusiast. The lunch at Park Regis Birmingham raised £700 for the Journalists’ Charity, with prizes donated by Cosmo Restaurant Wolverhampton, Digbeth Dining Club, Park Regis, Worcestershire County Cricket Club and Press Club directors Adrian Kibbler, John Lamb and Peter Brookes.

Captions:

1 Claire Wolfe, Paul Sinha
2 Hazel Horton-Peppercorn, Graham Young, Marta Duda
3 John Duckers, Bill Good, Derek and Daisy Inman, Lee Benson
4 John Lamb, Anita Sharma-James, Bob Warman
5 Joyce Coakley, Sandra Rhodes, Radcliffe Shields
6 Sarah Whitticase, Adrian Kibbler
7 Bob Warman, Llewela Bailey, Adrian Kibbler, Fred Bromwich, Peter Brookes
8 Paul Sinha

Midlands-based Brand Tap Brands launched Australia’s Mother of Pearl Spirits in the UK at an exclusive event held at Birmingham’s Oyster Club. The unveiling of Vodka of the Sea and Gin of the Sea was attended by founder Nicola Thompson Hancock and guests from Frugalpac, Brand Tap Bottling and members of the hospitality industry who enjoyed caviar blinis and cocktails curated by the Oyster Club’s Chris Fikeis. Crafted from the finest Australian grapes, Mother of Pearl Vodka is particularly aimed at the burgeoning female audience, with a neutral, palatable profile that allows mixologists and bartenders to create exceptional cocktails.

Captions:

1 Nicola Thompson Hancock
2 Malcolm Waugh, Chris Sadler
3 Ioana Matache
4 Alev Dervish, Emma Howden, Ruby Bansal, Anita Champaneri
5 Kanta Ventura
6 Rosealind Fan-Smith, Gary Smith
7 Aster Sadler, Nicola Thompson Hancock

Nailcote Hall held its annual Snowball charity event. Sponsored by Bidford, this year’s black-tie ball was in support of the Salvation Army appeal for Children’s Gifts, which helps provide for needy youngsters in the West Midlands. Guests and staff donated hundreds of presents before dancing the night away to a show-stopping performance from tribute band, Take@That.

Birmingham-based accountants and chartered tax advisers Ark & Co celebrated the launch of its new brand and the appointment of Mandeep Rajput as managing director with an exclusive event in the city centre. Clients, businesses and colleagues came together at Chapter restaurant in Edgbaston Village to mark the occasion with drinks, canapés and networking. Previously Ark Aurora, the financial services firm has rebranded as part of its ambitious growth strategy with Mandeep joining existing partners Bally Ark, Gurnek Ark and Suchy Lidhar.

Captions:

1 Sharan Sohal, Monique Royle, Mandeep Rajput, Jaz Sohal
2 Gurnek Ark, Sukhi Saini
3 Robert Casey, Upinder Pokhriyal, Andy Jones
4 Paul McKeown, Suchy Lidhar, Satnam Parwana
5 Michael Kelly, Jag Uppal, Rav Bagri, Mandeep Rajput
6 Omar Rashid, Jamil Shabir, Anjum Khan, Sapreena Kumari
7 Bally Ark and Tanya Chana with prize winner
8 Dr Sarj Bhaia, Ranjit Bhaia, Jodi Flint

Specially invited guests enjoyed one of Birmingham’s newest restaurants when Cow and Sow opened its doors. Located next door to Dishoom at One Chamberlain Square, the steakhouse features an array of prime aged steaks, from single cuts to exceptional sharing steaks from grass-fed cattle alongside delicious sides and small plates.

Captions:

1 GM Jordan Stewart, Mark Warburton
2 Elisha and Oliver Ngo
3 Brogan and Toby Sears
4 Asha Ghosh, Brad Pattni
5 Michael Tushingham, George Hancorn
6 Jamaica Ridge, Ciera Dolphin
7 Michele Wilby, Phil Oldershaw
8 Anouk Horrreworts, Anita Champaneri, Karlie Burry
9 Andy Cleobury, Alev Dervish

Vietnamese Street Kitchen celebrated its fifth birthday with a special party at its Resorts World venue. The family-owned business treated guests to awesome food and some super cocktails, including lychee coolers and passionfruit martinis.

Captions:

1 Jack Sims, Jamal Greave, Sasha Jones, Luke Bennett
2 Monica and Andrea Manenti
3 Anna and John Cosgrove
4 Becky Stew, Jess Brady
5 Ross Pocknell, Paul Campbell, Dawn Buchanan
6 Oliver Ngo, Omar Fletcher
7 Kirsty Lo

Sephora UK celebrated the launch of its new beauty retail destination in the Bullring with a star-studded grand opening event. Guests included footballers Lucy Quinn, Christie Murray, Sohuyn Chon and Maz Pacheco as well as TikTok sensation @lilmaz and award-winning presenter, content creator and author Lucy Edwards. The electric atmosphere at the event was kept alive throughout the night by Drag MC Don One and viral Brum personality Speaker Flex.

Captions:

1 Don One, Fancy Shews!, Black Peppa
2 Tegan McGowan, Christie Murray, Lucy Quinn, Sohyun Cho and guest
3 Sylvie Moreau, Guillaume Motte, Sarah Boyd
4 Lucy Edwards
5 Maz Pacheco
6 Romanie-Jade Tulloch, Gary Thompson
7 Rose Gallagher
8 Fatima Lily
9 Lauren Kate Griffiths

A fund-raising appeal to build the UK’s first holiday village for critically ill children has been boosted thanks to a gala dinner which raised £119,000. The event was held at the Grand Hotel, Birmingham, where it was also revealed that £1.52million in pledges have now been received towards the £5million needed to build the village in the Staffordshire countryside. The Kids’ Village charity was co-founded by cancer survivor Sam Fletcher-Goodwin and is led by chief executive Katrina Cooke and chair Doug Wright. The gala dinner was hosted by Heart FM presenter Ed James and attended by more than 200 guests.

Captions:

1 Gary Fletcher, Sam Fletcher-Goodwin, Ed James, Doug Wright
2 Mike Hopkins, Ninder Johal
3 Jane and Paul Faulkner
4 Ed James, Kerrie Pope
5 Anjna Mahey, Katrina Cooke
6 Inez and Winston Brown
7 Jamie and Sam Fletcher-Goodwin
8 Tom and Charlotte Shepherd
9 Tim Andrews and guest

Midlands Air Ambulance Charity broke its final fund-raising figure record for its recent Recognition Awards and Charity Ball event, raising £84,080, which will fund 55 vitally important missions. The event, hosted by Heart West Midlands’ Ed James and sponsored by Halesowen-based IT company, EBC Group, recognised several of its committed supporters, volunteers, fund-raisers and life-saving aircrew. Elspeth Martin BEM, aged 91, won the charity volunteer award, while Dr Mark Nash, medical director and pre-hospital emergency medicine doctor, won the crew award.

Captions:

1 Charity volunteer award, Elspeth Martin
2 Community fund-raiser award, Dan and Nathan McGarry
3 Corporate partner award, Kelly Plant Hire
4 Crew award, Dr Mark Nash
5 Shop volunteer award, Susan Turner
6 Special incident award, Dr David Balthazor
7 Star Award, West Midlands Fire Service fund-raising in memory of Iain Hughes

Birmingham law firm mfg Solicitors raised £3,500 for local children’s charity the Buddy Bag Foundation at a quiz and networking event. The money will go towards helping the charity support children who flee violent situations at home. The event, held at the Stable in John Bright Street, saw 25 teams taking part from the local business community.

Captions:

1 Claire Hyland, Hanisha Pal, Ben Allen, Bish Cruise
2 Daniel Birch, Olivia McIntyre, Glenn Willetts
3 Danielle Lambert, Felicity Woodbridge
4 James Hayes, Flick Barrett, Harrison Burroughs, James Spong, Lucy Roberts, Alex Young
5 Mary McAneny, Floss Fisher, Jack Cook, Kiran Kaur
6 Megan Evans, Oscar McCracken, Lauren Goode, Alena Dudrah
7 Natalie Lee, Roshan Paul, Brandon Laroiya-McCarron
8 Zoe Hacking, Phil Hunt, Julian Milan

Beleza Rodizio, the Brazilian steakhouse known for its authentic rodizio-style dining, has fired up the grill and opened in Stratford-upon-Avon. Beleza means ‘beautiful’ in Portuguese – and the eatery offers a diverse menu, while a comprehensive cocktails listing includes Brazil’s famous caipirinhas. A carefully curated wine list provides perfect pairings to the mouth-watering Brazilian flavours. Owner Nico Jamil said: “Our goal is to provide an unforgettable dining experience where guests can enjoy the rich culinary traditions of Brazil in a setting that is both elegant and welcoming.”

Captions:

1 Welcoming guests
2 Sally Bee, Jayne McIntosh
3 Andrew and Suzanne Fox
4 Liam Hall, Sabrina Sacco
5 Nico Jamil, Paul Faulkner
6 Nicola Scott, Sion Rathkey, Andrea Manenti
7 Paul and Cristina Tataran
8 Helen Marshall, Tim Andrews

The latest Calthorpe Business Community Event was held at the recently opened Loudon’s Yard in Hagley Road. Guests were able to explore the exciting new residential development from Moda Living while enjoying tasty pizzas provided by Edgbaston Village’s newly expanded Smoke and Ash.

Captions:

1 Ralph Minott, Sara Blair-Manning, Haydn Cooper, Hannah Webb, Richard Suart
2 Will Radford, Billie Frain
3 Ed Purcell, Julie Perks
4 Ellie Cohen, James Powell, Pavan Patel
5 Hannah Webb, Lucy Caddick, Clare Lee-Davis
6 Maria Martin-Ruiz, Simon Trimmer, Ben Scandrett
7 Matt Rawnsley, Alan Perry, Haydn Cooper
8 Sara Blair-Manning, Jenni Fryer, Mitchell Ball

A Pink Ball at Nailcote Hall Hotel Golf and Country Club raised £8,000 for state-of-the-art cancer treatment at local hospitals. The event, organised by the hotel’s co-owner and two-time cancer survivor Sue Cressman, welcomed 225 guests – including TV actor Christopher Walker, best known for his roles in BBC’s Doctors and drama Merseybeat, and musician Andy Kyriacou of the band Modern Romance. Cash raised will help fund a multi-purpose bed for breast cancer patients at Solihull Hospital and specialist hi-tech equipment at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire.

Captions:

1 Chris Walker, Sue Cressman, Sharron Walker
2 David and Bianca Perry
3 Jackie Allan, Tom Sheppard
4 Jon and Amanda Chalmers
5 Tracy-Jane and Andy Cummings
6 Peter and Vicky Farmer
7 Vivienne Farrell Whelan, Mica Inaltiare
8 Simon Taylor, Cherie Ellis, Dominic Murphy, Nicky Taylor, Susie Everette, Andy McGarth, Judi Gilbert

An iconic Jewellery Quarter pub dating back to 1820 re-opened with a VIP launch party for media, and local businesses. Formerly the Pig &Tail, the renamed Temper and Brown is under the new ownership of entrepreneur Roifield Brown. The family-run business is a community hub, featuring food by Cajun Soul, a great selection of drinks and a must-visit atmosphere.

Captions:

1 Roifield Brown, Noah Brown
2 Charlie Horner, Om Mortimer Hodge, Anita Champaneri
3 Grace Lowe, Katie Isles
4 Joyce Brown, Charlotte Joseph, Glen Brown
5 Laura McEwan
6 Rosa Pericu, Talitha Thomas
7 Sam Cooke, Joe Greenfield
8 Warren Braacx, Lewis Warner

One of the big annual events of the sporting and social calendar saw the world of entertainment and golf come together at Nailcote Hall to celebrate this year’s Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship. Former Open Championship winner Paul Lawrie emerged as the overall champion after a hole in one helped him to claim victory and the €50,000 first prize. Watched by a big crowd, he finished one shot ahead of runner-up Jarmo Sandelin.

Captions:

1 Debbie McGee
2 James Jordan
3 Andy Gray
4 Ian Woosnam
5 Danny Walters
6 Sue Cressman, Tony Jacklin, Lee Hendrie
7 Eddie Wedderburn and family
8 Paul Lawrie
9 Peter Odemwingie
10 Tony Jacklin, Dan Brown

Female founders, investors, and stakeholders came together for the official launch of the Lifted Project in Birmingham. Held at Gowling WLG, guests discussed how they could collectively move the dial for female-led businesses. Co-chaired by Tara Attfield-Tomes and Hephzi Pemberton from Honordex, with the support of Lifted Ventures’ Jordan Dargue, the event saw the debut of the data-led initiative, which aims to increase the flow of capital to high-growth female founders in the region.

Captions:

1 Hephzi Pemberton, Tara Attfield-Tomes, Jordan Dargue
2 Alexandra Brodie, Sandy Reid
3 Craig McVoy, Oyin Adebayo
4 Mabs Ali, Amber Strickland
5 Nicola Gittins, Roxanne Goodman, Sheridan Sulskis
6 Joanna Birch
7 Melissa Snover
8 Rupert Lyle

More than 140 guests attended a fund-raising gala dinner alongside a performance of the hit musical Hamilton at Birmingham Hippodrome. Compered by broadcaster Nikki Tapper, the evening was co-hosted by the Hippodrome’s board of directors, Catherine Mallyon and artistic director and CEO Jon Gilchrist, with support from Black Business Magazine. More than £10,000 was raised for the theatre’s youth programmes for under-served communities across the city. Shireland Collegiate Academy performed hip-hop dance and there was a post-show appearance by Hamilton resident director Oliver Kaderbhai and artist Aisha Jawando.

Captions:

1 Catherine Mallyon, Susan Foster, Harj Millington
2 Jo and Alex Tross, Nicole Fleet-Milne, Kirsty Cove
3 Arun Photay, Daphne Hall, Oliver Kaderbhai, Liz Hall, Sharan Photay
4 Dave Shaw, Sarah Russell, Linda and Marcus Daly
5 Kully Khalia, Indi Deol
6 Dr Tru Powell, Jon Gilchrist, Justice Williams MBE, Chilina Madon
7 James Penny, Aisha Jawando, Helen Penney

Party guests enjoyed lobster and cocktails as the new Seafood City restaurant in the Arcadian celebrated bringing the famous seafood boil concept to Birmingham. VIPs soaked up the sunshine with Lychee Coolers and Pina Coladas to toast the launch of the latest restaurant from Oliver Ngo of Vietnamese Street Kitchen. Guests explored the funky interior created by Faber Design and posed for selfies in front of the neon signs and seafood graphic wall art. Oliver said: “Everyone has been very excited to see what a traditional seafood boil is like. This is the first restaurant of its kind in Birmingham and I’m delighted to have brought the concept to the city”.

Captions:

1 Bennell Brew-koufie, Omar Fletcher, Jamaica Ridge
2 Yazzi Rehman, Alev Dervish
3 Emma Howden, Anita Champaneri
4 Ethan Middleton, Matt Cooper
5 Julia Robinson
6 Stacey Lyttle
7 Olivia Fox

Digital marketing agency EDGE Creative welcomed professionals from across the Midlands to the Jam House in Birmingham’s St Paul’s Square to connect and share ideas. The ‘You Heard It Through The Grapevine’ event was sponsored by Bold IT in collaboration with DrayTek, Verlingue and John Shepherd, with guests able to enjoy great wines from Swallow Drinks.

Captions:

1 Liane Denton, Sean Caulfield, Louise Pinnington, Laura Cooksey, Karen O’Donovan, Jessica Greaney, Mark Panayides
2 Sid Collis, Emily Easton, Steven Brazier, Sean Barnes, Rupert Erskine
3 James Hall, Karen O’Donovan, Sam Foster
4 Bhavan Jhita, Ian McKinney, Jack Cook
5 Craig Land, Justin Primus
6 Harry Moore, Turkay Hasan, Katie Ridley Stuart MacDiarmid, Richard Crathorne, Gary Sammons
7 Mark Panayides, Nick Singh, Steven Cloves, Melissa Danks
8 Tia Chandler, Rupert Erskine, Alexandra Cooper, Sarah Seeley

Calthorpe Business Community gathered at Edgbaston Golf Club for the quarterly networking brunch and to hear the latest from Calthorpe Estates alongside guest speakers Handelsbanken and Moda Living. The first residents are due to move into Moda’s Loudon’s Yard development in July.

Captions:

1 Anna Crabbe, Ralph Minott, Adele Pogmore
2 Simon Trimmer, Emma Davenport, Lewis Robert
3 Sabina Storrod, James Mayo
4 Lucy Pearson, Nikki Thomas
5 Julie Harris, Donna Cormack
6 Hanna Ghemari, Hannah Webb, Linda McBride, Kelly Sangha
7 Daniel Salinas-Cordova, Gabby Rhodes, Haydn Cooper
8 Caroline Marsden, Kevin Wilks, Ros Wilson

F1 Arcade, the official Formula 1 simulator racing experience bar, welcomed more than 150 guests to celebrate the launch of the Octane Bar. The Paradise Birmingham venue saw guests enjoy a new spring menu and selection of drinks, while a DJ played house favourites throughout the evening.

Captions:

1 James Bovill, Matthew O’Dell
2 Richard O’Gorman, Ian Russell
3 Sasha Humphreys, Lauren Green-Leonard
4 Serina Sunder
5 Tom Billingham, Sam Perry, Conrad Brunton
6 Shah Karim, Yasmin Patel
7 Jessica Brabant, Jas Rohel
8 Elliot Holman, Matilda Newthorpe

More than 100 guests from across the region joined partners and staff from mfg Solicitors to mark the retirement of nationally-respected solicitor Suzanne Lee. Guests were treated to a canapes and drinks reception at 18th-century stately home, Hagley Hall. Suzanne was with the law firm for 27 years, having joined as a trainee. She was managing director until 2022 before becoming the firm’s chair. Speeches were given by mfg chairman Iain Morrison, partner Tom Esler, former chairman Maynard Burton and longstanding client Paul Crane.

Captions:

1 Tom Esler, Paul Crane, Suzanne Lee, Maynard Burton, Iain Morrison
2 Amelia Edwards, Lorraine Henry, Victoria Edwards
3 Andrew Davies, Clare Lang, Elaine Mason
4 Angela Madigan, Andrew Hedley, Ross Prince
5 Isobel and Chris Dale, Sue Shilvock
6 Sharon Lerry, Elizabeth Armstrong, Alex Phillips
7 Will, Jacob, Rebecca and Isabelle Roberts
8 Mark Pardey, Shelby Lloyd, Gareth Lloyd, David Pardey, Paul Crane

Inspirational achievers from Birmingham were among those celebrated at the sixth Ladies First Professional Development Network Business Awards. Four hundred people gathered at Dallas Burston Polo Club in Southam for the glittering ceremony. The evening also raised £8,000 for the Giles Trust Brain Tumour Fund, the charity established in 2015 by former England cricketer Ashley Giles and his wife Stine, which supports research, pioneering equipment and patients.

Captions:
1 Lisa Devine, John Street (Charity of the Year award)
2 Tracey McAtamney, Karen Massey
3 Rob Butler (Businessman of the Year Award), Charlotte Bird
4 Jas Thiara (Professional Services Award), Tracy Evans
5 Jo Meakin, Paola Spiga (Start-up of the Year Award), Anja Kozerski
6 Arti Halai and Dave Sharpe with the Young Future First winners
7 Trish Adudu with family receiving the award for Lifetime Achievement In Media from Colleen Fletcher

Sabai Sabai held the ultimate bash at its Station Road location to celebrate a fabulous first year in business. Owners, husband and wife Torquil and Juree Chidwick, rolled out the red carpet – and the dim sum – for a night to remember. A raffle raised £400 for charity Kids’ Village – the UK’s first respite holiday village for children with critical illness.

Captions:

1 Andrew Fox, Louise Brown, Suzanne Virdee, Andy Brown
2 Juree Chidwick, Kavita Parmar, Anita Champaneri, Jas Rohel
3 Laura Forde, Ellie Beattie, Taylor Duffy, Debbie Murray
4 Anouk Horrevorts, Tom Cullinan
5 Emma Howden, Charlotte and Karl Harriman
6 GM, Krit Dangsuth
7 Juree and Torquil Chidwick

Industry leaders and business professionals gathered at the Jam House, St Paul’s Square for a networking event hosted by Birmingham-based digital marketing agency, EDGE Creative. Designed to foster collaboration and success among UK businesses, the event was sponsored by ORS UK, Bold IT, and Phoenix Consortia with drinks provided by Pernod Ricard.

Captions:

1 Sean Barnes, Mark Panayides, Terry Michael, Anthony Brazier
2 Helen Bowden, Alex Tross
3 Karl Ward, David Jobson
4 Kate Whatley, Alexandra Cooper
5 Nicole Browne, Beth Hodges, Anne Marie Pugh, Danilo Basile, Jack Whitehurst
6 Pete Buss, Kelly Brown, Ian Clorley
7 Remi Brown, Louise Pinnington

Calthorpe Estates held its latest Calthorpe Business Community event at Chapter Restaurant, Edgbaston. Invited guests heard brief presentations from chief executive Haydn Coper and masterplanning and development director Ralph Minott before Sarah Mullen of Green Heart Books announced exciting plans for the award-winning, independent bookshop to open at Greenfield Crescent in Edgbaston Village later this year.

Captions:

1 Julie Perks, Alex Tross, Emma Davenport
2 Andrew Winstanley, Brett Williams, Ralph Minott
3 Sahar Rezazadeh, Haydn Cooper, Nick Shioleftou
4 Davey Watts, Krishna Pastakia
5 Gemma Lane, Emma Price, Satish Jakhu, Kate Hodgetts
6 Ben Mappett, Irene Allan, Paul Gillott
7 Simon Trimmer, Georgia Stokes, Tom Foley
8 Paul Collins, Phil Innes

More than 100 guests from across the region’s business community joined partners and staff from mfg Solicitors to mark the official opening of the law firm’s new Birmingham city centre offices at Waterloo House in Waterloo Street. Overlooking Victoria Square, the newly-fitted out offices include several meeting rooms, breakout areas and open plan desk space. Welcomed by chairman Iain Morrison and office partner Chris Piggott, guests were treated to a canape and drinks reception during the event.

Captions:

1 Liz Smith, Clare Lang
2 Adam Collins, Tony Seaton, Praveen Gupta
3 Brian Flint, Andrew Davies, Graham Thompson
4 Daniel Morgan, Roger Betts, Phil Hunt, Megan Elcock
5 David Richardson, Laura Charles, Trevor Stevenson-Platt
6 Jason Clines, Beth Margetson, Iain Morrison
7 Kiran Kaur, Faye Taylor, Jack Cook, Chloe Bickley
8 Iain Morrison, Chris Piggott

Leading business and community figures, media and influencers came together for an exclusive event held by Moda Living at Simpsons restaurant to celebrate the launch of its latest development Moda, Loudon’s Yard. Guests enjoyed a three-course tasting menu as they learned more about the project from the Moda team, ‘Resident Number 1’ of The Mercian which launched last year, and local business owner Paul Collins of Smoke & Ash. Moda, Loudon’s Yard is the first neighbourhood of the New Garden Square Masterplan, offering 398 homes for rent along with bespoke amenities and green space.

Captions:

1 Christie Lewis, Peter Guilder, Gabby Rhodes, Paul Collins, Lydia Eustace, Davey Watts, Ellis Read, Nick Biring
2 Alex Tross
3 Galina Thomas, Gareth Thomas, Jonathan Cox, Sammy Bromwich
4 Jas Sangha, Andrew Riley
5 Jessica Lazzari, Nadine Hannelore
6 Lucy Kemp
7 Maise Violet Rees, Emily Carey, Richard O’Gorman, Ian Russell

Hotel du Vin played host to a special St Patrick’s Day breakfast organised by the NSPCC West Midlands Business Board. Guests enjoyed a talk from West Midlands mayor Andy Street before tucking in to a full Irish breakfast and helping raise vital funds for the NSPCC.

The Lunar New Year celebrations attracted a record 38,000 visitors to Southside. The free festival was produced by Birmingham’s Chinese Festival Committee, Chinatown Business Association and Hippodrome and offered a weekend packed with performances and craft activities alongside traditional and contemporary arts to celebrate the new year. The festival started with the much-loved dragon and lion procession in Hippodrome Square. This year’s festival was supported by Bentley Birmingham, Southside District, the Arcadian and Berkeley St Joseph. Donations, partnership or in-kind support were received from Rainbow Casino, the Southside Building, Bullring & Grand Central and Hollywood Monster. Uber Eats sponsored the festival stage and the family zone by Birmingham Chinese School.

Once home to the famous canalside club Bobby Brown’s, the building at 52 Gas Street has re-opened as Verve Lounge. The contemporary new bar, situated on the canal basin between the Mailbox and Brindleyplace, launched with a VIP party for guests and media. The spacious bar has a premium drink and cocktail selection and live DJ at the weekends.

Captions:

1 Reece Chauhan, Lauren Dobson, Beth Hutchinson, Molly Thompson, Jerome Silcock

2 Anjola Ajao, Solomon Ofoaiye

3 Rachael Lewis, Joe Turrell

4 Alex Tross, Naomi Aly

5 Emma Howden, Tam Kaur, Anita Champaneri

6 Abby Goldie, Laura McEwan

7 Katie Coates, Regan Francis

Orelle at 103 Colmore Row recently welcomed more than 70 guests for an exclusive event held in the Ground Floor Cocktail Bar in partnership with Sauvelle Vodka. Guests enjoyed exclusive hand-crafted Sauvelle Vodka cocktails and festive canapes designed by executive chef Chris Emery, all against a soundtrack of live acoustic artists.

Captions:

1 Chris Ross, Ross William, Phil Nyatanga, Devante Sawyers, Curtis Jones
2 Dips Kaur, Olivia Earnshaw
3 Francesca Cooke, Alison Ann
4 Harriet Giles, Nandini Barnes
5 Jas and Rick Rohel
6 Jon Abbott, Gabbie Armstrong
7 Kodie Murphy, Emily Payne
8 Tyne Lexy Clarson
9 Skye Round, Anjola Ajao

Laughter-maker Nick Page, a former Britain’s Got Talent finalist and winner of English Comedian of the Year, regaled guests with stories of life, love and brushes with the law when he provided the entertainment at a lunch held by Birmingham Press Club. The event, which marked the club’s 158th ‘birthday’, was held at Park Regis Hotel, Birmingham and sponsored by Solihull-based Shakur Investment Group, which focuses its investments on SMEs in real estate, healthcare and acquisition-driven businesses. Raffle prizes included donations from Park Regis Hotel, Stratford on Avon Gliding Club, Digbeth Dining Club and Hazel’s Handsome Hounds. Proceeds of nearly £650 went to the Journalists’ Charity.

Captions:

1 Harry Jenkins, Llewela Bailey, Jack Brabant
2 Hazel Horton-Peppercorn, Fred Bromwich, Nancy Duan
3 Johannah Dyer, Amanda Barnett
4 Phil Oldershaw, Pat Mair, Chris Mair
5 Lesley Wilde, Helen Toomey Hesk
6 Sue Green, Ann Harcourt
7 Alex Totman, Jo Jeffries, Simon Pitt
8 Chris Mowbray, Paul Raymer, Sue Green, George Deeley
9 Peter Swingler, Rhi Storer, Steve Swingler, Chris Smith

Millennium Point held its annual festive season party which included a special appearance from local music legend Toyah Willcox, who officially turned on the lights of the venue’s spectacular 39ft Christmas tree. There was also a performance from the award-winning Birmingham Community Gospel Choir. More than 200 guests attended from local businesses and members of the Millennium Point community enjoyed coming together for an evening of entertainment and networking in the award-winning events and conference space.

Captions:

1 Abbie Vlahakis, Toyah Willcox, Robert Fripp

2 Alastair Jamieson, Robert Fripp, David Sandhu

3 Lee Lapthorne, Andrew Riley

4 Simon Topman

5 Tim Stidwell

6 Birmingham Community Gospel Choir

7 Guests enjoy the special evening

Law firm mfg Solicitors hosted an evening drinks reception at Barwick Street bar and eatery Primitivo for more than 70 guests to mark the appointment of new corporate partner Laura Charles. Laura – who is leading mfg’s Birmingham corporate offering after a lengthy career at international law firm Gowling WLG – is based at the firm’s central city offices and is working with fellow partners Clare Lang, Stephen Wyer and James Hayes.

Captions:

1 Clare Lang, Laura Charles, Andrew Davies
2 Clare Regan, Paul Tasker, Andy Moore
3 David Thomson, Chris Piggott, Tony Seaton
4 Brian Flint, Keith Bagby, Tony Milner, Lucy Harrold
5 Kat Nolan, Laura Moore
6 Javed Ahmed, Gareth Woodberry
7 Steve Dobinson, Melanie Bateman, Kiran Kaur
8 Andy Kay, Ben Rothery
9 John Nolan, Melinda Rice

Business professionals from across Birmingham and Solihull gathered at Harry’s Bar in the Regency Hotel for the final networking event of 2023 from The Circle. Sponsored by Solihull Times, Bold IT, GC Projects, MADE Architecture, Hayward Wright and Claritas Tax, guests enjoyed delicious appetisers prepared by the chefs at Harry’s Bar and a selection of drinks from event sponsor Peroni Nastro Azzurro. The Circle is a collaboration between EDGE Creative, Brookvale Development Specialists, Smart Homes New Homes, Glenn Clarke Financial Planning, Forecast Finance and Buckles Law.

Captions:

1 David Barrett, Seb Marley, Oscar Vila Pouca
2 Ollie Newburn, Sam Paice
3 Rishi Jethwa, Ratika Mal, Honor Wilcox
4 Louise Pinnington, Karen O’Donovan
5 Mathew Worrall, Dean Lomas
6 Phil Roberts, Tom Gilday, Ed Rhodes
7 Mark Panayides, Aaron Bahra

Birmingham and Nottingham-based Millward Consulting Engineers celebrated 30 years of business and new premises with a special black-tie party for its team, clients, suppliers, friends and family. Managing director Nicola Millward welcomed guests who enjoyed live music, entertainment and food and drink. Nicola also shared the second-generation family company’s history and highlights since its founding in 1993.

Captions:

1 Neil and Kerry Millward, Claire Newlove–Hill

2 Linda Stewert, Isobel Radford, Peter Stewert

3 David Roe, Sarah Woodward

4 Nicola Millward, Naomi Brown

5 Sarah Whetton, Liam Kelly

6 Adam and Helen Keightley

7 Steve Barnett

8 Isobel Radford, Warren Tilley

Revived for the first time since the outbreak of Covid, Birmingham Press Club’s Midlands Media Students’ Awards were held at Hockley Social Club. Students from Birmingham City University and the University of Warwick took six of the 11 main honours, while the Student of the Year award went to Nicholas Gascoyne from Leicester’s De Montfort University. The event, sponsored by Amazon UK Services, was co-hosted by ITV Central journalist Lewis Warner and BBC Asian Network presenter Amber Sandhu.

Captions:

1 Lewis Warner, Nicholas Gascoyne, Bob Warman, Amber Sandu

2 Rima Ayoubi, Abdul Jalfar

3 Megan Jones, Kirsty Card

4 Calum Leslie

5 Adam Fradgley, Fionnuala Bourke, Chris Hills

6 University of Gloucestershire

7 University of Worcester

8 University of Warwick

Vagabond, the relaxed wine bar with unique self-pour machines and decadent small plates, held an exclusive event – Explore and Self-pour. The Colmore Row venue welcomed more than 200 guests to indulge in their wide selection of wines and new small plates menu, while a DJ played funk and soul favourites through the evening.

Captions:

1 Catherine Gwynne, Victoria Bennett, Jas Sharp, Layla Eagles

2 Nana Koranteng, Bennell Brew-Koufie, Grace and Andrew Garrattley

3 Chris Sharratt, Lauren Eyles

4 Kevin Meddings, James Bovill

5 Seth Black and friend

The great and good of the Midlands came together at Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s Recognition Awards and Charity Ball, sponsored by EBC Group. The evening held at Edgbaston Stadium, was compered by Alison Hammond and Ed James. The charity thanked guests for their unfaltering support and recognised a number of individuals, groups and organisations who have gone above and beyond to help fund life-saving missions. The night raised more than £74,000, which will help fund 22 air ambulance missions and a further 30 by critical care car.

Captions:

1 Alison Hammond

2 Ed James

3 Paul Chuckle

4 Annette Badland

5 Nigel and Chris Davis

6 Becci England, Mike Andrews

7 Charlie Fogarty, Brendan Batson

8 Ed James, Steve Morris, Josh Weaver, Jamie Fear, Steve Bull, Alison Hammond

9 The Tipton & Coseley team

Around 400 guests attended the 2023 West Midland’s Brain Game (WMBG) held at the ICC Birmingham, bringing together businesspeople from across the region to raise funds for Marie Curie. Known for being one of the biggest charity events held outside London, WMBG has raised more than £880,000 for Marie Curie Hospice, Solihull. Guests enjoyed a dazzling reception, three-course meal and celebrity-hosted quiz as well as a live and silent auction for one-of-a-kind items and experiences.

Captions:

1 Mayor and Mayoress of Birmingham, Cllr Chaman Lal, Vidya Wati

2 Donna Heenan, Hazel Carter, Peter McNougher

3 Luke Blyth, Julie Craig

4 Andy Bishop, Belinda Morgan, Holly Chapple-Hyam

5 Sophie Raybould, Danielle Blavins, Charlotte Lines

6 Oliver Bazeley, Danielle Smith

7 Natalie Marsh, Anilia Safeek

8 Andrew Mannion, Laura Priest, Rich Ward

9 Elizabeth Conway, Josephine Conway

10 Mayor and Consort of Solihull, Cllr Mrs Diana Holl Allen, John Courtenay

Edgbaston Golf Club pulled out all the stops for the latest Calthorpe Business gathering which saw autumn very much on the menu. More than 60 guests were treated to sausage and mash, fish and chips and vegan Thai curry. They also heard the latest from the Calthorpe team on a new-look website, development news and new customers as well as from guest speakers Smoke + Ash and Edward’s Trust.

Captions:

1 Helen Tomblin, Nathan Southall, Annelle Rowlands
2 Charles Warrack, Harvey Pearson, Jack Summers
3 Claire Fain, Rhoda Beetlestone
4 Pavan Patel, Alan Perry, Dan Ellis
5 Clare Collins
6 Haydn Cooper, Ed Purcell
7 Nick Shioleftou, Emma Davenport, Chris Adams
8 James Bridge, Alex Herrmann, Sarah Webb
9 Simon Trimmer, Georgia Burke, Ben Scandrett

Henry Wong in Harborne held a special dinner to mark the Chinese festival of the full moon. After recently being taken over by entrepreneurs Zi Wen Boo and Jeremy Mun, the much-loved Chinese restaurant introduced its new executive chef, Tuck Weng Lee, at the event. Guests were treated to Tom Collins cocktails sponsored by LWC Drinks, followed by Chinese Jade Dove red and white wine which are exclusive to Henry Wong in West Midlands. There was also Chinese calligraphy demonstrations and lantern gifts marking the year of the rabbit for the 60 guests to take away.

Captions:

1 Parm Rai, Jeremy Munn, Zi Wen Boo, Tuck Weng Lee, Hannah Floyd
2 Mark O’Sullivan, Stu Wood
3 Gary and Sue Baldwin
4 Phil Oldershaw, Léonie Mills, Jackie and Adrian Claridge
5 Layla and Matt Eagles
6 Kerry and Matt Holden-Jones, Anita Champaneri, Adam Miller
7 Asha Ghosh, Ollie Purdom

One of the big annual events of the sporting and social calendar saw the world of entertainment and golf come together at Nailcote Hall to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship. This year, the superstar field included Bobby Davro, Tony Jacklin, Alan McInally, Jasper Carrott and Brian McFadden. Robert Rock won his second title at the world-famous event, taking home the first-place prize of 50,000 euros.

Birmingham’s Unique Network (BUN) celebrated two years of bringing Birmingham businesses together at hospitality venues across the city. Founded in July 2021 by Unique Venues Birmingham in partnership with Sheila Kelly-Trow, BUN strives to create a vibrant network for Birmingham businesses to share expertise and raise their profiles. Sheila Kelly-Trow said: “The first two years of BUN have been fantastic. We have seen some great partnerships as a result of the Lunch BUN events and we look forward to continuing to facilitate great business networking in Birmingham.”

Captions:

1 Sarah Millington, Anna Cosgrove, Bas Abdul, Suzanna Reid, Sigita Pjampite
2 Tayla Hearst, Victoria Hicks, Anna Cosgrove, Paul Palmer
3 Sarah Overton, Barinder Sumon, Daisy Andrews
4 Bas Abdul, Sheila Kelly-Trow, Azad Kayes
5 Julian Grainger, Pat Hemming, John Hepherd
6 More guests

Local businesses were welcomed to the launch of Paradiso, an authentic Italian Pizzeria and Pasta Trattoria based in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. The VIP event was attended by leaders and professionals from across the region, from architect firms and marketing agencies to chocolatiers and professional printers. Paradiso’s regional operations manager, Salim Ahmed, said: “We complement our food with a range of drinks that will make sure you can remember your visit with pleasure, as all our drinks are alcohol-free as we want to provide a healthier and more mindful experience.”

Captions:

1 The Paradiso team of chefs
2 Sophie Poduval-Morrell and friend
3 Nigel Clarke and son
4 Louis Masterson and friend
5 Team from Baily Garner
6 Catalyst Marketing
7 Team from Cake Agency
8 Chouchoute Luxury Chocolates

Business leaders and other professionals from across Birmingham and Solihull gathered at Harry’s Bar in the Regency Hotel, Shirley, for the first ever networking event from The Circle. The event was hosted by EDGE Creative, Brookvale Development Specialists, Smart Homes New Homes and Glenn Clarke Financial Planning. Forecast Finance and Buckles Law were the sponsors. Guests enjoyed delicious appetisers from the chefs at Harry’s Bar and drinks from Peroni Capri.

Captions:

1 Mark Panayides, Louise Panayides, Glenn Clarke, Phil Roberts and Julia Evans
2 Mark Panayides, prize draw winner Bethany Clark and Julia Evans
3 Dean Lomas and Terry Dickson
4 Ed Wylie, David Pinnington and Paul Atkinson
5 Paul Rouse and Kate Rouse
6 Josh Field and Adam Cox

More than 400 of Birmingham’s most influential commercial property professionals raised a record £56,000 for local children’s charities at the annual BRENDAs event organised on behalf of Property for Kids. The fund-raiser at Macdonald Burlington Hotel saw everyone from Ozzy Osbourne to William, Prince of Wales take to the stage in a spoof, celebrity-inspired Snatch Game where contestants performed in front of peers to win specially designed gnomes. The event was sponsored by Estilo. Individual awards were sponsored by Vail Williams, GMI Construction, Nolan Associates, Benniman, Align Architecture, Nurtons, Ansty Horne, ESC and Willmott Dixon.

Captions:

1 Jilly Cosgrove, Jack Soars, Ed Gamble

2 Michelle Wong, Michelle Ellerman, Kerry Leigh Pearson, David Brooks

3 Helen Andrews, Shiv Parmar, Stuart Smith

4 John Nolan, Tony Mitchell, Antony Watson

5 Luke Thacker, Alex Eagleton, Will Wesson, Will Arnold, Colin Lawrence-Waterhouse

6 Simon Robinson, Gary Williamson

7 Stephen Crichton, Richard Freeman, Nick Warwick

8 Angus Huntley, Guy Bowden

Sports bar and kitchen, BOX Bar, held a high-energy launch event with party-goers greeted on the red carpet by cheerleaders on stilts, before heading inside to discover the new venue. Brass band, Back Chat Brass, provided entertainment while guests were treated to tasty BOX bites, cocktails and craft beers. With 36 screens, BOX Bar is the perfect place to catch all the sporting action this summer. Music lovers will enjoy regular live acts and Bandeoke – sing along to your favourite tune to the accompaniment of a live band!

Captions:

1 Andrew Strugnall, Alex Morrissey, Anni Opong, Mark Austin

2 Jessica Watson, Anna Cosgrove, Maddy West

3 Alev Dervish, Anita Champaneri, Ruby Bansal

4 Gareth Vowles, John Richold, Pia Burrow, Kirsty Clarke, Ant Stansfield, Marinaldo Lourenco

5 Marinaldo Lourenco and the kitchen team

6 Sara Fleyfel

7 Stacey Lyttle

Integrated marketing agency EDGE Creative welcomed an array of business leaders and other professionals to Saint Pauls House in the Jewellery Quarter for an evening of networking. The event was sponsored by Bold IT and Buckles Solicitors and provided attendees with the perfect opportunity to enhance their business networks over nibbles and cocktails provided by drinks sponsor Malibu.

Captions:

1 Martin Callaghan, Anthony Brazier, Kelly Brown

2 Mat Worrall, Neil Thorogood, Dean Lomas

3 Irina Pirciog, Sophie Casewell, John Howis, Laura Cooksey, Sean Caulfield, Carolina Pereira, Oliver Gaunt, Sophie Horrocks

4 Svenja Keller, Talia Masters

5 Mark Panayides, Sol Jeewa

6 Liane Denton

7 Phil Roberts, Julia Evans

Baron Davenport, MD of Davenports Brewery, hosted a party and fund-raiser in honour of life-long friend Maria Nickells, who has bravely fought breast cancer for the last 14 months. Guests – including Lystra Adams, star of TV’s Real Housewives of Cheshire – helped raise money for local charity, Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer. Cocktails and afternoon tea were served, while entertainment came from singer Titine Lavoix. Charity trustee Eileen Fagan McGeoghan gave a short speech, while Katie McPhilimey praised Maria for her bravery – and ‘kicking-ass to cancer’.

Captions:

1 Maria Nickells (in pink) with guests

2 Carmel Bate, Real Housewives star Lystra Adams, Baron Davenport, Grace Davenport

3 Baron Davenport, Katie McPhilimey

4 Jane Collier, Rachel Nacer

5 William Simpson, David Dindol

The Royal Shakespeare Company welcomed special guests to the world stage premiere of Hamnet at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon. The new play based on the best-selling novel by Maggie O’Farrell, has been adapted by award-winning playwright Lolita Chakrabarti and features Madeleine Mantock as Agnes Hathaway and Tom Varey as William Shakespeare with Peter Wight returning to the RSC to play John/Will Kempe. Guests attending the premiere included Niamh Cusack, Emma Fielding, Olivia Williams, Rhashan Stone, Ben Miles and Sally Phillips.

Captions:

1 Maggie O’Farrell, Madeleine Mantock

2 Lolita Chakrabarti

3 Erica Whyman

4 Tom Varey, Peter Wight, Frankie Hastings

5 Gregory Doran

6 Alex Jarrett, Ajani Cabey

7 Griselda Yorke, Georgina Gatti, Caro Newling, Rebecca Treanor

8 Olivia Williams, Rhashan Stone

9 Sally Phillips

The team at Calthorpe Estates hosted a special Coronation-themed afternoon tea networking event at Edgbaston Priory Club. Following presentations from the club’s CEO, Matt Rawnsley, and Haydn Cooper, CEO of Calthorpe Estate, guests were treated to a short high-performance tennis demonstration by some of the students training at the stunning Indoor Tennis Centre.

Captions:

1 Haydn Cooper, Jack Summers, Harvey Pearson

2 Neil Glasspool, Zoe Baxter, Magdalena Kowalczyk

3 Ros Wilson, Angela Sanders, Matt Rawnsley

4 Anna Miller, Jewel Kattri, Rebecca Williams

5 Leanne Allbright, Nabila Azim

6 Lucy Trueman, Catherimne Wiseman, Magdelena Kowalczyk

7 Shreeti Crome, Emma Davenport

The £18million home for TV, film, media and tech in the Midlands was launched with a big party attended by more than 400 people, including West Midlands mayor, Andy Street. The Bond in Fazeley Street, Digbeth is destined to become the focal point for the region’s best creative talent. All3Media companies North One, Optomen Television and Manor Production Services will move into the hub this month, while the centre is also where Joe Lycett hosts his new Friday night Channel 4 TV show.

Captions: 

1 Andy Street, Ed Shedd, Anita Bhalla, Neil Duncanson, James Craig

2 Dan Lee, Harriet Giles

3 Carl McCaffery, Zoe Barry, Beth Kelly

4 Crazy P Soundsystem

5 Felicity Beal, Reesha Ranat

6 Harry Nijjar, Poonam Gill, Sunny Gill

7 Nassy Konan, Chris Torbett, Will Higgins

8 Richard O’Gorman, Ian Russell

9 James Tarpey, Andrew Waldron, Pam Cheema

Captions:

1 JoJo Smith

2 Tommy Powell, Lindsay McGlone

3 Queen Bee Dani Wallace

4 Sarah Parks

5 Silver Curve Model Rachel Peru

6 Victoria Dioh

Inspirational female achievers across Birmingham and Solihull were among the winners at the fifth Ladies First Professional Development Network Business Awards. More than 300 guests came together at Coombe Abbey, Coventry for the glittering ceremony which, for the first time, also included four new categories celebrating the Creative Arts. The event also raised £2,300 for two Midlands charities – Surviving Bereavement, run by Balsall Common’s Tracey McAtamney, and Coventry Foodbank.

Captions:

1 Tracey McAtamney, Collen Fletcher MP, Sandra Godley

2 Libby Wilson (Excellence In Education winner), Leia Welland, Kerrie Bowers

3 Leanne Horne (Rising Star Award), Jo Meakin

4 Jemma Paterson, Helen Bolus, Hayley Matiya

5 Karen Jones (Inspirational Woman Award)

6 Catherine Williamson (Woman of Achievement winner), Nikki Reid

7 Helen Benussi (Family Business winner), Kelsey Seymour

8 Marcia Lewinson (Achieves For Charity Award), Lisa Devine

Sutton Coldfield-based integrated marketing agency EDGE Creative welcomed business leaders and other professionals to Saint Pauls House in the Jewellery Quarter for their first networking event of the year. The event was sponsored by Acuity Finance and Bold with cocktails provided by drinks sponsor Edinburgh Gin.

Captions:

1 Anthony Brazier, Sarah Radley, Mark Panayides, Steven Brazier

2 Simon Bateman, Louise Panayides, Kelly Brown, Liane Denton

3 D’Antoni McNeil, Oliver Gaunt, Laura Cooksey

4 Ann-Marie Pugh, David Pinnington, Emma Neate

5 Brian Chapplehow, Neil Thorogood, Andrew Radley

6 Mark Panayides, Liam Stretton

Much-loved Solihull restaurant and bar, Esabella’s revealed a new look at a relaunch party. As well as the stylish interior featuring monochrome tones and a central bar, there’s now a new and modern European menu and breakfast brunch offer. New co-owner Toby Sears said: “We have taken on board feedback from regular customers and given Esabella’s a fresh new look and a more family vibe. We hope the local community will enjoy the relaxed surroundings under my new team.”

Captions:

1 Georgie Swan, Phil Oldershaw, Anita Champaneri

2 Laura Cooper, Emma Howden

3 Elaina Pullen, Jess Reid

4 Tirena and Dan Nelson

5 Nicola Caulfield, Laura Moore

6 Katie McPhillimey, Judi Gilbert

7 Bharat Champaneri, Davine Partridge, Jas Rohel

8 Mark and Lucy Ray

Guests enjoyed a night of cocktails, cuisine and live entertainment at the re-imagined Five Rivers Á La Carte restaurant in Walsall. Party-goers sipped exotic Tamarind Margaritas and Chilli Martinis and sampled canapés showcasing new menu items as they took in the restaurant’s bold new décor and mezzanine cocktail bar. Shamim HM, group director, said: “We were thrilled to reveal the new-look Five Rivers to our guests old and new. We had some wonderful feedback on the night which was great to hear – it was truly a night to remember.”

Captions:

1 Neha Pandeya, Divesh Anand, Shamim HM

2 Anita Champaneri

3 Anjola Ajoa, Solomon Ofoaiye

4 Heidi Kaur, Nikita Chumber

5 Lorena Tolic, Emma Howden

6 Kindi Sunner

7 Rebecca Clougher, Gemma Morris

8 Sureet and Steve Kular

9 Sunny Nandra, Monifa Bobb Simon

Elevate Property Group unveiled the grand restoration of Old Heaton House, inviting all those involved in the beautiful transformation of the stunning 200-year-old Birmingham residence for drinks and canapes. This beautiful home stands as the centrepiece of Elevate’s larger Jewellery Quarter regeneration scheme in Camden Street, comprising 14 town houses and 42 apartments, of which 75 per cent are now sold.

Captions:

1 Steve Dodd, Helen and Andrew Brettell

2 James Costello, Sam Meeten, Harry Randle, Aidan O’Gara, Andy Hoggard

3 Liam Smith, Ben Davidson, Imogen Tudor

4 Stephen Rankin, Ryan O’Connor, Ratika Mal, Alistair Bevins

5 James Costello, Neil Inman, Savannah Severn

6 David Hofton, Dan Bowles, Martin Rennie

7 Jules Dodd, Retika Bedi

The annual Wonders of Westside awards (WOWs) – which celebrate individuals and businesses in the Westside BID district that go the extra mile for customers – were hosted by the Crescent Theatre. More than 25 Westside businesses and staff were recognised during the event which was attended by 200 guests. The cracking night also featured top singer-songwriter Andy Bennett, once part of Ocean Colour Scene, treating the audience to a dazzling musical performance along with singer Lorraine Olley. Winners on the night included Pushkar, UVB at the Rep, Velvet Music Rooms and Jimmy Spices.

Captions:

1 Best Bar, Velvet Music Rooms

2 Best Doorman, Richard Keating, Reflex

3 Best Restaurant Manager, Kostas Panagiotidis, Lulu Wild

4 Best Club Manager, Jo Ellerby, Popworld

5 Best Arts and Entertainment Manager, James Booth, the Crescent Theatre

6 Employee of the Year, Hilli Fletcher

7 Long Service Award, Sadiq Zaman, Pushkar

One of the region’s biggest festive fund-raisers, The Snowball, organised by charity Property for Kids saw 600 professionals gather at the Jam House, St Paul’s Square to enjoy live music by bands, Hot Property and Under Construction, whose members all work in the property and construction industry. Guests donated more than 1,500 gift-wrapped presents which were donated to Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid for distribution to youngsters through its regional network of drop-in centres and refuge accommodation.

Captions:

1 Rupert Young, Jilly Cosgrove, John Bunce

2 Amelia Edwards, Andy Ward, Lynsey Cater, Clare Regan

3 Andrew Crowter, Steven Handley, John Kavanagh

4 Andy Passmore, Olga Alokhina, Mark Muckle

5 Andy Price, James Tickle, Neil Dodd, Elspeth Wightman, Becki Adams, Nick Gorrie

6 Anthony Watson, Matthew Hancox, Dominic Hardy, Tom O’Brien

7 Dan Kingdon, Paul King, Richard Brannigan, Angela Irvine

8 Darren Eaton, Karina Connelly, Morgan Sindall

9 Julie Craig, Nick Warwick, Michelle Ellerman, Richard Freeman

10 Steve Kidd, David Brooks, Steve Fischer

From Midlands local newspaper reporter to successful rom-com author and wife of a Black Country rock star legend – journalist Suzan Holder recounted her life and times as guest speaker at a Birmingham Press Club lunch held at Edgbaston Golf Club. Suzan, who has been married for more than 30 years to Slade frontman Noddy Holder, was made an Honorary Life Member of the Club at the lunch, which was sponsored by Tipton-based Let’s Sanify. She received the traditional gift of a bugle crafted in Birmingham’s jewellery quarter by Acme Whistles. A raffle raised nearly £800 for the Frontline Club, which aids journalists working in war zones and dangerous places.

Captions:

1 Bob Warman, Suzan Holder, Mahmudur Jaigirdar, Adrian Kibbler, Min Mangat

2 Anne-Marie Eden, Richard and Jayne Grimes

3 Fred Bromwich, Nick Hudson

4 Jenny Wilkes, David Dunckley, Val Deeley

5 John Duckers, Hazel Horton-Peppercorn

6 Trish Willetts Jo Jeffries, Maria Reycores, Simon Pitt

7 Steve Evans, Lesley Wilde, Helen Toomey Hesk

8 Taylor Robinson, Steve Dyson, Fionnuala Bourke, Lisa Webb

Law firm mfg Solicitors hosted its annual Christmas drinks with more than 100 guests attending the event at Pub Du Vin in Church Street. A prize draw featured a vintage bottle of Champagne and £250 was raised for the Emily Jordan Foundation, a local charity which supports people with learning disabilities. Partner and managing director Andrew Davies said: “Not only was it good to see so many clients in one place, but it was extra special that we were able to promote and raise funds for an amazing charity.”

1 Keith Bagby, Clare Regan, Altine Elias, Neville Topping

2 Tom McCarthy, Chris Piggott

3 Brian Flint, Tony Milner, Avril Lamont-Webster, Terry Halligan

4 David Allen, Andras Karpati, Beth Margetson, Stephen Moore

5 Kat Nolan, Clare Lang

6 Lucy George, Lucy Harrold

7 Matthew Barker, Sophie Kelly, Tom Bell

8 Stephen Tallboys, Melinda Rice, Stephen Roberts

A Pink Ball at Nailcote Hall Hotel Golf & Country Club raised more than £15,000 for state-of-the-art cancer treatment at local hospitals. The popular event, in its 18th year, was organised by the hotel’s co-owner and two-time cancer survivor Sue Cressman, who underwent a mastectomy 10 years ago. Sue has continued to give back by donating a total £250,000-worth of life-saving medical equipment so far to local hospitals.

Captions:

1 Rick Cressman, Helen Bleakman, Richard Manser, Betty Smith, Mike Crausaz

2 Margaret Brent, Terena and Stuart Moore, Gary and Sheila Reeves, David Brent, Phil and Claire Sykes

3 Narinder Kaur, Jack Riggs, Sue Cressman, Greg Parsons, Amy Ashby, Claire and Sophie Bonner

4 Rebecca Yazdianpour, Michelle Bunn, Natasha Roberts, Katie Clarence, Maria Morgan, Katy Thomson, Debbie Have

5 Sandra Nutt, Rick and Sue Cressman, Chris Nutt

6 Sharon Gray, Martin Reeves, Darren Gray, Hayley Reeves, Ray Darby, Steve Gammon, Jenny and James Harrison

7 Soultown Collective

The Phoenix Business Club Awards were held at MacDonald Burlington Hotel. Categories included Host of the Year, Networking Venue of the Year, Networker of the Year, and the Lifetime Achievement Award, which was presented to compére Phil Oldershaw. A fun spin on the awards season saw a number of ‘Roasting Awards’ made. These included the Gram Award (I’m not vain, honest guv), the Scarlett Pimpernel (They may not even be here!), Sponsor a Spoon Award and the Opening of an Envelope Award (If it’s opening, I’m coming to it).

Captions:

1 Julie Teague, Tim Andrews, Craig McEvoy, Mark O’Sullivan

2 Phil Oldershaw

3 Naomi Aly, Jason Jones, Harriet Giles

4 Dionne Buckingham Brown, Tom Mallens

5 Stu and Cendy Woods

6 Jags Guru, Jamil Shabir

7 Balin Sodh, Sophie Cassidy, Christina Kruzewskim, Lee Clarke

8 Dee Kundi, Rachel Akers

A Calthorpe business community Christmas gathering event took place at Elmhurst Ballet School, where some of the school’s talented students treated guests to a festive performance from The Nutcracker. Property director at Calthorpe Estates, Richard Suart, said: “The team were delighted to welcome faces, old and new, along to the gathering. We are always keen to support the local area and were thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase the students at the school.”

Captions:

1 Ann Tonks, Holly Haines, Nicole Daybel

2 Ed Purcell, Jonathan Carter

3 Ellie Oakes, Georgia Burke, Dan Atchison

4 Haydn Cooper

5 Jessica Ward

6 Jonnie Green, Marija Ninic-Todorovic, Manpreet Sambhi

7 Phil Powell, Richard Suart, James Bridge, Eva Falomir

8 Tom Foley, Paul Collins

More than 430 guests helped raise £50,000 for Warwickshire children’s charity Molly Ollys at its 10th Anniversary Blossom Ball. The evening of glitz and glamour took place at the IXL Centre at Dallas Burston Polo Club in Southam. Guests were entertained by local children’s dance troupe, Viva Theatre Arts, Motown band the Soul Brothers, a Chinese lion and drummers and local DJ Andy Saunders. They also enjoyed an Asian fusion meal delivered by Sanjay Foods.

1 Tim and Rachel Ollerenshaw

2 Amanda Silcock, Jessica Roberts, Katie and Jaimie

3 Maeve Ollerenshaw, Phoebe Swanwick

4 Richard George

5 Jonathan Smith, Atul Lakhani

6 Karen Robbins, Pete Walker

7 Penny and Ian Ravenhall, Catherine and Neil Thompson

Estate agent Esther Broomhall & Partners (EB&P) held an event for developers, friends of the company and clients to showcase their new larger offices in Station Road, Knowle, and say thank you for their continued support. Esther Broomhall set up her business amid the Covid pandemic with experienced property professional and former colleague, Lucy Cullen. The duo covers locations across Warwickshire, providing a bespoke high-level service to buyers and sellers, including land appraisal and new home sales for builders and developers.

Captions:

1 Esther Broomhall, Marie and John Green, Naz Cusack

2 Lucy Cullen, Pat Meehan, Esther Broomhall

3 Andrew Vine, Tim Langford

4 Matthew Jolley, Kristian Rowlands

5 Ailish McGowan, Lucy Cullen

6 Mary Corridan, Nicola Whitehead

7 Lucy Cullen, Dan Lyons, Esther Broomhall

The RSC held a special press night of its production of A Christmas Carol, adapted by David Edgar and directed by Rachel Kavanaugh. The evening was attended by members of the cast, including Adrian Edmondson and Sunetra Sarker, and guests including Alison Hammond and Stephen Mangan. Mark Dickens, the great-great grandson of Charles Dickens, was also in the audience. The show runs at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon until 1 January.

Captions:

1 Alison Hammond, Sunetra Sarker

2 Shaheen Jafargholi, Will Beck, Elinor Lawless, Amy-Leigh Hickman

3 Mark Dickens, Rachel Kavanaugh, David Edgar

4 Adrian Edmondson

5 Louise Delamere, Stephen Mangan

6 Rebecca Lacey, Mitesh Soni, Lauren Arney, Liyah Summers, Georgie Westall

7 Michael Lyle, Beruce Khan

8 The Tiny Tims: Jasiri Brown, Gracie Coates, Jasper Dance, Alexander Joseph

9 Erica Whyman

10 The production’s stage management team

Orelle, the newest addition to Birmingham’s restaurant and bar scene, held an exclusive launch party before officially opening to the public. The 88-cover restaurant is located on the 24th floor of 103 Colmore Row and offers guests panoramic views of Birmingham and beyond. The restaurant showcases a menu created by head chef Chris Emery, while bar manager Tiago Bastos mixes up contemporary and classic cocktails.

Captions:

1 David Loewi, Yasmin Howell, Lord Mayor of Birmingham Cllr Maureen Cornish, Olivia and Chris Howell

2 Michele Wilby, Nicola Fleet-Milne, Bethan Stimpson, James Turner

3 Karin O’Sullivan, Hannah Sidley, Judi Gilbert, Laura Hegan-Smith

4 Matthew Enstone, Duncan Pitfield, Geoffrey Meakin

5 Karl George, Alex Tross, Jimi Shabir

6 Liz Duckmanton, Rebecca Stew

7 Louise Panayides, Karen O’Donovan

8 Aimee Severn, Jack Sims

9 Denise Morris, Tim Andrews

Elevate Property Group hosted a garden party at its recently completed Southside development to celebrate the successful regeneration and transformation of Priory House into 79 apartments. In attendance were many of those residents who were the first to move in along with a number of those professionals involved in the development process.

Captions:

1. Tommy Chan, Milly Shaw, David Hofton, Dorian Chan, Kin Bong Lam

2. Lauren Colwell, Christiana Platini, Alex McCormack, Sam Meetan

3. Louise Phillips, Neil Inman, James Dodd, Savannah Severn

4. Peter Chan, Bo Chan, Neil Peppard, Lisa Brown,

5. Oliver Law, Marek Torac, David Hofton, Kiran Karra, Joyce Tia

6. Urban Myth Artwork ­– a tribute to The Shadowman/The Godfather of Street Art

A VIP night marked the opening of Bijoux Lounge, a new cocktail venue in the former home of the Colmore Club on the corner of Colmore Row and Newhall Street. Guests got their first taste of the subterranean cavern and enjoyed Bijoux Gold cocktails and canapés from the new Tropical Fusion menu.

Captions:

1. Emma Howden, Anita Champaneri

2. Laura McEwan, Dave Roberts

3. Rosa Pericu, Talitha Thomas

4. Navneet Mangat, Ranj Barn

5. Trevean and Lovirne Anderson

6. Demi Wilton, Mark O’Sullivan, Iliyana Deliradeva

7. Diana Ossowska, Deemple Singh, Tania Joseph

The team behind Lucarelli restaurants in the Mailbox has opened Emporio Atari – an Italian bar and café inspired by one of the oldest coffee houses in Italy – in Touchwood shopping centre, Solihull.

Award-winning Italian celebrity chef Aldo Zilli has brought his expertise to help create new signature dishes for the upcoming seasonal menus. As well as offering great Italian coffee, Emporio Artari serves Lucarelli-style cicchetti food, including sharing platters, arancini, oven-baked lasagne and panini and even an indulgent Italian-style Afternoon Tea.

Captions:

1. Aldo Zilli

2. Carmine Sacco, Jo and Wayne Shemmel, Eduardo Artari

3. Mark Walters, Gary Newbon

4 .Deputy mayor, Cllr Joe Tildesley, Karen Grinsell

5. Elia Vergnano

6. Emma Howden, Anita Champaneri

7. Julian Smith

8. Lucy Burnett

9. Christiana Plati

A Pink Ball at Nailcote Hall Hotel Golf and Country Club raised more than £15,000 for state-of-the-art cancer treatment at local hospitals. The popular event in its 18th year was organised by the hotel’s co-owner and two-time cancer survivor Sue Cressman who underwent a mastectomy 10 years ago and has continued to give back by donating a total £250,000 worth of life-saving medical equipment so far to local hospitals. The ball was attended by 170 guests with proceeds from ticket sales, an auction and raffle going to Solihull, Heartlands and Queen Elizabeth Hospitals.

Captions:

1 Sue Cressman, Charlotte Schofield

2 Margaret Brent, Terena and Stuart Moore, Gary and Sheila Reeves, David Brent, Phil and Claire Sykes

3 Narinder Kaur, Jack Riggs, Sue Cressman, Greg Parsons, Amy Ashby, Claire and Sophie Bonner

4 Rebecca Yazdianpour, Michelle Bunn, Natasha Roberts, Katie Clarence, Maria Morgan, Katy Thomson, Debbie Have

5 Sandra Nutt, Rick and Sue Cressman, Chris Nutt

6 Sharon Gray, Martin Reeves, Darren Gray, Hayley Reeves, Ray Darby, Steve Gammon, Jenny and James Harrison

7 Soultown Collective

8 Sue Cressman, Lisa Devine

St Basils hosted a gala dinner at Edgbaston Stadium to kickstart its 50th anniversary celebrations, raising £9,500 towards a new Live and Work scheme in Birmingham. The event hosted by Heart FM’s Ed James saw friends and supporters of the charity enjoy a three-course meal, entertainment and live auction. St Basils aims to raise £1million over its anniversary year to build on the success of its Sandwell Live and Work scheme, creating a new facility in Birmingham city centre which will enable more young people to live, work, earn and learn.

Captions:

1 Christine Luke-Harrison, Jean Templeton, Sian Dhillon

2 Ed James, Paul Brown, Barrie Hodge

3 Feizal Hajat

4 Trish Adudu, Paul Cadman

5 Albert John, Yvette John, Judy Large

6 Jenny Loynton, Satnma Rana and guests

Law firm Lodders hosted its annual golf day at Edgbaston Golf Club for the first time. The four-ball led by Lodders’ Lee McBride, partner and head of the firm’s environmental team, and Oliver Thompson (Cameron Homes), Kevin Rendell and Lawrence Roberts (Christie Finance) recorded the best score to take the overall Golf Day winners title and a luxury hamper each. “It was a fabulous – if not rather rainy – day of golf at the famous Edgbaston Golf Course,” said Graham Spalding, partner in Lodders’ corporate and commercial team.

Captions:

1 The winning team: Lawrence Roberts, Lee McBride, Kevin Rendell, Oliver Thompson

2 Graham Spalding, Gerald Bloom, Bill Law, Graham Young

3 Chris Dewes, Adrian Kennedy, Richard Wain, Owen Williams

4 Richard Godwin, Andrew Wylde, Rev Cannon Longbottom, Martin Poole

5 Ian Russell, Tim Venner, Mike Wakeling, Aspi Mobed

Davenports Brewery teamed up with Tanqueray Gin and Ketel One Vodka to host a Sundowner Party at their Queens Head pub to celebrate the sun setting on a successful summer for the city. Leader of Birmingham City Council, Cllr Ian Ward, also raised a toast to her late Majesty the Queen, as well as the new King Charles III. Guests enjoyed drinks, canapes and left with a generous goody bag.

Captions:

1 Steve Clamp, Dawn Keylock, Baron Davenport, Katie McPhilimey, Brian Doogan

2 Cllr Ian Ward, pictured centre, with members of the Davenports board and guests.

3 Jo Edwards, Elizabeth Comley, Simon Carlo, Enda Mullen

4 Tee Morris, Sarah Hannon

5 Leanne Adderley, Fiona Kidd, Victoria Jeacock, Carly Payne, Judi Gilbert

6 Dee Kelly, Jennine Duffy

7 Hieu Tran, Richard Fallon, Syd, Paul Cadman, Cllr Ian Ward, Matt Jones

A stellar line-up of stars from the world of entertainment and golf came together recently at Nailcote Hall. Charlie Hull, Gary Beadle, Glen Hoddle, Tony Jacklin, Eve Muirhead and Costantino Rocca were among the top names at the Farmfoods Par 3 Championship, which saw the pro event won by three-time European Tour tournament winner, Phillip Price.

Captions:

1 Tony Jacklin

2 Gary Beadle

3 Derek Redmond

4 Charley Hull, Constantino Rocca and a delighted fan

5 Philip Price, Sue Cressman

6 Dean Ashton, Roger Day

7 Tournament host, Rick Cressman

Delicious PR threw a party to celebrate its 15th birthday with clients old and new treated to Champagne, canapes and music at Lulu Wild in Brindleyplace. Delicious has launched more than 60 premium brands since 2007 and managing director Anita Champaneri said: “I am so proud of what we’ve achieved and wanted to thank our loyal clients and our friends in the media who have supported us on this incredible journey. It’s a fantastic time to be in Birmingham and I am very excited about what the next 15 years will bring for us.”

Captions:

1 Satnam Rana, Suzanne Virdee, Anita Champaneri

2 Emma Howden, Anita Champaneri

3 Treavean and Lovrine Anderson

4 Lorraine Olley, Rai Singh, Naomi Aly, Mike Olley

5 Tony Elvin, Andeep Mangal, Phil Oldershaw

6 Cristina Tataran, Elaine Weir

7 Alev Dervish, Rai Singh, Laura McEwan

8 Bharat Champaneri, Emma Howden

9 Nancy Nathwani, Anita Champaneri, Harish Nathwani

The golf was as hot as the sizzling temperatures when Nailcote Hall hosted the Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship. The event was won by three-time European Tour tournament winner Phillip Price who took the 50,000 Euro prize money. The tournament attracted a host of celebrities, including former Ryder Cup captain Ian Woosnam, ex-England manager Glenn Hoddle, Ladies European Tour and LPGA star Charley Hull, gold medal-winning Olympic curler Eve Muirhead and Italian golf legend Costantino Rocca.

Captions:

1 Overall winner, Philip Price

2 Charley Hull

3 Dean Ashton, centre

4 Host, Rick Cressman, centre

5 Ian Woosnam, left

6 Constantino Rocca, left

7 Glenn Hoddle

8 Derek Redmond and wife Maria

9 Alan McInally, right

mfg Solicitors hosted a drinks and networking event in Birmingham – an occasion which also marked the appointments of commercial property associate Phil Hunt and commercial property paralegal Yasmin Yau-Karim. The event was held at Barwick Street bar and eatery, Primitivo, with more than 60 guests from across the city’s property industry attending. Phil and Yasmin will work alongside partner Beth Margetson advising developers, investors and occupiers on projects across the country.

Captions:

1 Alfred Bartlett, Laura Moore, John Nolan

2 Lisa Morrison, Charles Gillett, Laura Moore

3 Lynsey Cater, Andy Ward, Amelia Edwards

4 Mark Lenton, Clare Regan, Stephen Talboys

5 Roger Betts, Sufyaan Aslim, Rachel Dear

6 Ryan Lynch, Patricia Hansen, Ed Siddall-Jones, Phil Hunt

Sporting Social launched with cocktails, canapés and summer beats at a media event. Guests from ITV, BBC, Bullring and social media influencers enjoyed table tennis and table football while listening to a DJ. Located on St Martin’s balcony at the Bullring, Sporting Social offers the perfect place to relax and watch a fantastic summer of sport on the huge 15ft screens below. It is open for cocktails, beers and light bites every day from 11am to 10pm until 11 September.

A series of launch parties marked the opening of the Queens Head in Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham. The pub is the latest opening by Davenports Brewery which was established in the city in 1829. Guests raised a glass with a variety of drinks, including Continental Lager which the brewery is reviving. The pub, dating back to before 1850, has undergone a £350,000 refurbishment by Davenports’s own build team.

Captions:

1 Andrew Harris, Paul Marmall, Alex Tracy, Carmel Bate

2 Denny Knowles, William Simpson, Vicky Warner

3 Earl Pinnock, Pat Hawkins, Tom Kelly

4 Helen Churchill, Vanessa Raggatt, Mia Raggatt

5 Judi Gilbert, Ellie Greenwood

6 Katie McPhilimey, Marcus Clay, Titine LaVoix

7 Linzie Phillips, Rachel Ackers, Kathryn Simkiss, Abby Goldie

8 Matt Reeves, Georgia Corleyshaw, Neil Thompson

9 Carly Payne, Louisa Holland

Following months of renovation, the Four Oaks pub in Sutton Coldfield opened with a special launch event attended by more than 100 guests who enjoyed fizz on arrival, complimentary drinks and Aperol spritz throughout the evening, as well as live music and grazing ‘Stix’ from its menu. The Four Oaks boasts a remodelled and striking interior, outdoor spaces and a food offering that celebrates the best of British produce.

Captions:

1 Sarah-Louise Lydon, Adam Dilks, Ed Dugdill

2 Anthony Weston, Amanda Royston

3 Dave Caddick, Harj Millington

4 Kevin Harper, Ben Silvester

5 Kat Schofield, Nuala Gallagher, Sarah-Louise Lydon

6 Lauren Rae, Liam Smith, Alex Dobly, Ash McGrady

7 Dean Piggott, Alex Dawson

8 Cora Woodhouse, Wendy Hull

9 Natalie Hopkins, Jake Tyers

KIBOU Japanese Kitchen & Bar in Solihull celebrated its opening with a VIP party of invited local guests, influencers and celebrities. The party featured a traditional kagami-biraki ceremony performed by Scott Paine of artisan sake producer, Akashi Tai. The special ceremony sees the lid of a sake barrel broken open by wooden mallets and the sake then enjoyed by everyone present. Based at the former Café Rouge site on Solihull high street, the new restaurant has undergone a major redesign by Cheltenham-based architects, Q&A Interior Design.

Captions:

1 Justin Davies, Suzanne Virdee, Scott Paine, Kin Ho Fung

2 Graham Jones, Marianne Kelly

3 James and Khaleda Meredith

4 Royston Blythe, Andrew Riley, Nick Malenko

5 Richard O’Gorman and friend

6 Sophie Howell

7 Ryan Sidebottom, Ian Bell

8 Wasps Rugby players, Tim Cardall, Tim Simonds and Cameron Anderson with partners

9 Suzanne Virdee, Andrew Fox

Park Regis hotel opened its new flagship Indian restaurant, Indus, with a party for the business community and media. Guests were greeted with signature cocktails and treated to ‘upmarket dining’. The restaurant is inspired by a love of India with chefs taking inspiration from their native homeland. Levi Bailey, hotel manager said: “Our restaurant celebrates the traditions, life and culture of India and its beautiful flavours, aromas and spices through our specially curated menus of dishes.”

Captions:

1 Jas Rohel, Gary Newbon

2 Anna Cosgrove, Ryan Doyle, Rosie Major

3 Scott Brierley, Rosie Major, Jessica Brabant, Amelia Ladbrook

4 Phil Oldershaw, Llewella Bailey, Bob Warman

5 Tru Powell, Abby Goldie

6 Alex Tross,  Nirmal Vora

7 Alev Dervish, Parv Gandham, Anita Champaneri

8 Brad Pattni, Chloe Jean Grey

9 Roz Wilson, Jing Zhang, Denise Morris

10 John Angus, Nick Biring

The Black British Classical Foundation (BBCF) hosted Sing into Spring, an operatic gala at Birmingham’s St Philip’s Cathedral. The gala, hosted by Classic FM presenter Margherita Taylor, shone a spotlight on rising stars of opera from Black and South Asian communities. Performers mezzo-soprano Julia Daramy-Williams, soprano Natasha Agarwal, tenor Thando Mjandana and baritone Chuma Sijeqa performed a wonderful programme of solos, duos, trios and quartets. They were accompanied on the piano by musical director Beatrice Nicholas. The programme included songs from well-known operas such as Carmen, as well as a unique Mother Tongue section that allowed the singers to perform pieces from their homelands of South Africa, Senegal and India.

Captions:

1 Margherita Taylor

2 Andy Street, Vincent Osborne, Anita Bhalla, Iqbal Khan

3 Julia Regis, Nikki Tapper, Tim Pemberton, Satnam Rana, JJ Rana Grindley

4 Daniella Genas, Monder Ram, Arif Zaman

5 Dionne Buckingham Brown, Tom Mallens

6 Jaki Graham, Natalie Graham

7 Julia Daramy-Williams, Natasha Agarwal, Thando Mjandana, Chuma Sijeqa

8 Artistic director Vincent Osborne

Australian-born journalist Lynne O’Donnell gave a fascinating insight into her career as a war correspondent when she addressed Birmingham Press Club members at a lunch held at Edgbaston Golf Club. Lynne, the winner of an Amnesty International Human Rights Press Award for her series of stories on Afghan women, was bureau chief in Kabul for Associated Press and French news agency AFP. Lynne, who was made an honorary life member of the Press Club, also signed copies of her book, High Tea in Mosul. A raffle in aid of The Frontline Club, which supports journalists, cameramen and photographers who risk their lives in the course of their work, raised £600.

Captions:

1 Adrian Kibbler, Tony Adams, Llewela Bailey, Elizabeth Negus, Fred Bromwich. Front_ Bob Warman, Lynne O’Donnell

2 Tim Andrews, Samantha Faulkener, Phil Oldershaw

3 Hazell Horton-Peppercorn, Suzanne Lazarus, Dianne Hall, Steve Hall

4 Howard Bennett, John Duckers, David Dunckley, Val Deeley

5 Derek Inman, Andy Skinner, John James

6 Beryl Williams, Nick Hudson, Sue Arnold

7 Anita Sharma-James, Anne Harcourt, Sue Green

8 Pat and Chris Mair

Retail and hospitality centre Touchwood Solihull was crowned Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce Business of the Year at the Chambers’ annual dinner and awards attended by 1,300 guests at the ICC. The President’s Award went to Wendy Merricks, chief executive of Jumar Solutions, which provides technology and people services for clients such as the DWP, DVLA, Home Office and Cabinet Office. Other winners included Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre, Flexeserve, RotaSpa and Millennium Point.

Captions:

1 Business of the Year winners, Touchwood Solihull

2 Customer Service winners, Indigo

3 Contribution to the Community winners, Edgbaston Park Hotel

4 Manufacturing Award winners, Roto Spa

5 Sustainability Award winners, Arup

6 President’s Award winner, Wendy Merricks

7 Technology & Innovation Award winners, G&P Group Holdings

8 Excellence in Responsible Business winners, Unity Trust Bank

Edge Creative hosted its first networking event of the year at Saint Pauls House, St. Paul’s Square. The event was sponsored by Boxxed Up and KLO Financial Services and guests were treated to a selection of cocktails, courtesy of Rugby Distillery.

Captions:

1 Colin White, Anna Hajilari, Liz Hobster, Terry Michael

2 John Glavey, Alex Tross

3 Lee Elliot, Andrew Griffin

4 Lorraine Evans, Andy Evans Brad Pattni, Alan Webb

5 Louise Panayides, Mark Panayides

6 Richard Wilson, Emma Riddell, Kelly Kent

7 Sheila Kelly-Trow, Leonie Martin, Mindo Sheamar

8 Sheila Mistry, James Stanley, Clair Ashley, Emma Jones, Nav Naqvi, Mark O’Sullivan

9 Uvarlyn Hayles, Mark O’Sullivan, Matt Booton, Mark Panayides, Dan Styles, Matt Pearson, Svenja Keller, David Jones, Richard Lent

Lucarelli restaurant hosted a special VIP event to celebrate its new partnership with celebrity chef Aldo Zilli. The 60 guests enjoyed a live demo by Aldo, showcasing his authentic pasta-making skills. They were then treated to a delicious meal crafted by Aldo which included dishes such as seared Sicilian tuna with fennel and orange topping, wrapped lamb cannon with Pancetta served on orange mash and lamb jus, and Scrigni Cacio e Pepe. The event raised £850 for mental health charity, Mind.

Captions:

1 Aldo Zilli, Carmine Sacco

2 Andrew Riley, Alev Dervish

3 Charlotte Ruff, George Hancorn

4 Alex Dymova, Galina and Gareth Thomas

5 Neha D’Souza, Lexi Florescu

6 Gemma Morris, Amy Langston, Sophie Howell

7 Preeti Sidhu, Liliana Ayana

8 Bharat and Anita Champaneri

9 Wayne and Joanne Shemmell

Much-loved Indian restaurant Pushkar Dining has been a favourite of the Birmingham food scene for more than 12 years. Unfortunately, lockdown meant they were unable to mark their 10th birthday at the time, but a belated celebration was held with a special showcase dinner for media and influencers that also marked their third win at the British Curry Awards.

Captions:

1 Rai Singh, Anita Champaneri

2 Rebecca Stew

3 Ali Trigg, Liliana Anaya, Neha D’Souza

4 Tim Andrews, Sam Faulkener

5 Paul Fulford, Mike Olley

6 Cristina Tataran, Money Chopra

7 Andrew Riley, Jas Sangha

8 Poonam and Abz Walid

9 Laura McEwan, Emma Stokes

10 Sunny Nandhera, Monifa Bobb-Simon

The breath-taking Gaia artwork, created by artist Luke Jerram, was revealed at a special unveiling event at Millennium Point. The installation is suspended from the venue’s atrium, giving visitors the chance to view the Earth from every angle in space as never before. On display until 28 March, it is accompanied by a specially created surround sound composition by BAFTA award-winning composer Dan Jones. Gaia is free to visit for all ages, no booking required. More information at: www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/gaia/

Captions:

1 Jackie Graham, Natalie Graham

2 Abigail Daniels, George Jessop, Holly Young

3 Cllr Karen McCarthy, Simon Topman, Steve Holden

4 Fran Molina, Bastien Goubeaux, Ben Morgan

5 Hanifa Shah, Abbie Vlahakis

6 Simon Pitt, Rebecca Delmore, Jo Jeffries, Abbie Vlahakis

7 Kevan Holland, Victoria Webb, Abbie Vlahakis, Henrik Court

8 Phil Oldershaw, Kate Canty, Steve Evans

Visitors came together to celebrate the opening of the latest offering of the Butchers Social – the Forest Hotel in Dorridge. The eatery brings the signature style of the Butchers Social – seasonal, bold, modern British food with a nod to the classics – to the old coach house.

Captions:

1 Russell Martin, Darryl Eales, Genie’s Wish representative, Mike Bullard, Ben Howell

2 Dave Pinnington, Louise Panayides, Brian Bladsdale

3 Dave Totney and Russell Martin

4 Jackie Ling

5 Katherine Strang and Hattie D’Souza

6 Steve Dodd and Anne-Marie Eden

7 Tim Andrews and Max Andrews

8 Mike Bullard and Phil Moore

Albert’s Schloss hosted a launch party to celebrate its arrival in Paradise Forum. The 500-strong cover venue is run by Mission Mars, the award-winning hospitality group that also operates Albert Hall (a 2,500-capacity gig/club venue), Rudy’s Neapolitan Pizza and Zumhof Biergarten in Digbeth.

Guests were treated to the full Albert’s Schloss experience, including a variety of Biers, specialty cocktails and canapes sampling their Alpine-inspired menu. There were cabaret acts and live performances while the Haus band performed throughout the evening.

Coronavirus failed to dampen the spirits of Birmingham Press Club members who attended their annual festive lunch at Edgbaston Golf Club. Entertainment came from Mrs Barbara Nice, the alter ego of stand-up comedian Janice Connolly, whose caricature of a middle-aged housewife from Kings Heath has been wowing the comedy circuit for the last two decades. The lunch was sponsored by Birmingham-based signage specialist Hollywood Monster, whose chairman Tim Andrews also co-founded local charity LoveBrum. Proceeds from the raffle – prizes for which included donations from Park Regis Birmingham, Digbeth Dining Club and Drayton Manor Theme Park – were in aid of the Journalists Charity.

Captions:

1 Mandy Markell, Hazel Horton-Peppercorn, Mrs Barbara Nice, Radcliffe Shields, Joyce Coakley, Sandra Rhodes

2 Adrian Kimberlin, Deborah Harries, Helen Toomey Hesk, Lesley Wilde

3 Angela Podmore, Fred Bromwich, Hazel Horton-Peppercorn

4 Beryl Williams, John Lamb, Angela Podmore

5 Derek Inman, Daisy Inman, Hazel Horton-Peppercorn, John Duckers

6 Richard and Jayne Grimes

7 Terri Smart-Jewkes, Jo Jeffries, Karen Gittins, ,Nicole Durbakova Jupp, Becky Green

8 Chris Mair

9 Mrs Barbara Nice

Elevate Property Group, alongside their selling agent Savills, hosted drinks in the show apartment at the launch of their latest Birmingham development, Priory House. Situated in Southside next to China Town and the Theatre District, the conversion of the former Forensic Science building – set for completion next summer – will create 79 loft-style apartments with prices ranging from a one-bed at £180,000 to the penthouse at £625,000. Canapes for the launch event were provided by Chung Ying Garden.

Captions:

1 Andy Hoggard, Steve Dodd, Martin Rennie, Richard Colyer, James Costello

2 Jenny Loyton, Dr Dorian Chan, David Hofton, Angus Yam, Doricy Lee

3 Simon Brooks, Oliver Law, Dan Stones, Marek Torac

4 Andrew Brettell, Helen Elowe, Sam Meeten

5 Milly Shaw, Isaac Burner, Anjanee Kotecha, Joe Shorney

6 Sam Deffley, Christiana Plati, George Xydias, Andy Butts

7 Richard Hunt, Scott Raybould, James Dodd, Tom McElroy

8 Stephen Rankin, Ben Osborne, Stella Xydias

Midlands Air Ambulance Charity marked its 30th anniversary by teaming up with the Word Association to create a celebratory and thought-provoking anthology of poems and creative writing. The book entitled On a Mission: 30 Years of Rapid Response, includes contributions from past patients, aircrew, volunteers and charity staff and was unveiled at an event at Birmingham Library, with many of the authors present. The book was funded by a National Lottery project grant from Arts Council England and printing of the hard copies was supported by solicitors’ firm, Irwin Mitchell.

Captions:

1 Hilary Wetherell, Waheed Saleem, Richard Apps

2 Caroline Sweeny, Charlie Fogarty

3 Jeff and Sally McMahon, Emma and Dale Pountney

4 Robin Bunting, Matthew Boddison, Jamie Bunting, Sarah Boddison

5 Sophie Williams, Marni Bond

6 Trystan Shaw, Alice Kinder

7 Abbie Hawkins, Waheed Saleem, Matthew Boddison

Partners from law firm mfg Solicitors hosted a private networking event in central Birmingham to mark the appointment of new commercial property partner, Beth Margetson. The event was held at Barwick Street bar and eatery, Primitivo, with more than 60 guests from across the city’s property and professional services sectors enjoying an evening of drinks, canapes and meeting face-to-face again. With 20 years’ experience in commercial property, Beth joined mfg this summer and is based at the firm’s St Paul’s Square offices in Birmingham.

Caption:

1 Mike Hargreaves, Beth Margetson, Tim Blairs

2 Clare Regan, Andras Karpati, David Allen

3 James Bridge, David Hastings, Richard Bache, Clare Lang

4 James Ng, Lisa Morrison, Gigi Cassandra

5 Jilly Cosgrove, Laura Moore, Lyndsey Cannon-Leach, Paul King

6 Keith Bagby, Steve Hemming, Chris Piggott, Alex Tross

7 Alison Biott, Stephen Dobinson, Patricia Hansen

8 Patricia Hansen, George Xydias, Alfred Bartlett, Lucy Harrold

The beat of New York was pumping out at Temple Street with the grand VIP opening of NYC-inspired bar Manahatta. The red carpet was filled with eager guests excited to soak up the glitzy atmosphere of the New York City nightlife. The venue features neon signs and is decorated in flowers and boasts a velvet swing sofa, ready to be snapped for the ’gram. A giant disco ball dominates the dance floor, along with an iconic New York crossing sign giving one simple instruction: “Don’t Walk. Dance”.

Captions:

1 Camille Gill

2 Trevean and Laverne Anderson

3 Dan and Tirena Nelson

4 Beth Roskell, Leila Smith, Sally Parnell

5 Ikela Lawrence, Charlene Wall

6 Summer and Marlene James

7 Jessica Watson, Andrew Strugnell

8 Ellie Greenwood, Alex Tross, Anita Champaneri and friends

9 Martin Wolstencroft, Anita Champaneri, Anni Opong

Nigel Morris, former political editor of the Daily Mirror, the Independent and the i newspaper, was guest speaker at Birmingham Press Club’s first celebrity luncheon held since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak. A former Birmingham Post political correspondent, Nigel discussed his 30-year career in a Q&A session with Press Club president Bob Warman before being installed as an honorary life member and presented with the club’s traditional bugle, crafted by famous Birmingham-based Acme Whistles. Amazon UK sponsored the event, which was held at Park Regis Birmingham.

Captions:

1 Carolyn Quinn-Morris, Nigel Morris, Bob Warman, Andy Street, Llewela Bailey

2 Brian Conway, Beryl Williams, Howard Bennett, Kay Alexande, Jenny Wilkes

3 Anita Sharma-James, Alan Carruthers, Sue Green

4 Anne and Steven Dann

5 Euan Rose,  Johannah Dyer, Carolyn Quinn-Morris

6 Hazel Horton-Peppercorn, Michelle Sutcliffe, John Sutcliffe, Steve Hall, Dianne Hall

7 John Duckers, Val Deeley, Nick Hudson, Peter Brookes

8 Fionnuala Bourke, Brian Doogan, Helen Stevens

9 Graham Young, Nigel Morris, Fred Bromwich

Birmingham Ormiston Academy (BOA) is celebrating a decade of success as it marks its tenth anniversary. The 14 to 19 academy, specialising in Creative, Digital and Performing Arts, first opened its doors in 2011 and this month marked its birthday with a celebration event for students, staff and industry partners.

Captions:

1 Lizzie Watson, Neve Prosser, Emma Williams, Jay Nuttall, Iain Estell

2 Mike Gibbons, Philip Thickett, Mary Carswell

3 Nick Williams, Mike Phillips, Gaynor Cheshire

4 Derek Pitt, Richards Evans, Rebecca Maddocks, Michael Penn, Simon May

5 Robert Capper, Sarah Wood, Elaine Fisher

6 Rebecca Delmore, Abbie Vlahakis

7 Peter and Diane Murray

8 Gurdip Bhangoo, Alison Grade, Vicky Jepson

9 Andy Edwards, Georgie Meller, Alistair Chattaway, Holly Arnold, Steve Elias

10 Rob McPherson, Sara Middleton, Olly Hills

Following a year-long transformation, the ribbon was officially cut on the newly-pedestrianised Greenfield Crescent in Edgbaston Village. Representatives from a host of nearby businesses came to watch CEO of Calthorpe Estates, Haydn Cooper, and Sir Euan Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe officially open the new streetscape. Guests enjoyed a live jazz reception at the Blue Piano, before heading to the new-look Crescent for opening speeches.

Captions:

1 Haydn Cooper, Sir Euan Calthorpe

2 Dr Katy Ricks, Oliver Powell, Phil Powell

3 Ralph Minott, Ann Tonks, Kay Cadman

4 Prashant Dave, Chris Adams, Andrew Parker

5 Lee Haynes, Hannah Gallop, Katie French

6 Kelly Sangha, James McBride, Linda McBride

7 Lewis Roberts, Tony MacDonagh, Matt Bennett

8 Gerald Allison, Tory Burgin please crop man on left

9 Sharon Gordon, Nancy Harding, Vanessa Powell

10 Prashant Dave, Paul Gillot, Paula Hay Plumb, Chris Adams, Drew Dulson

The team from Aluna and Siamais celebrated the launch of their latest venue in Brindleyplace with an explosion of colour and cocktails. Lulu Wild is a modern Chinese restaurant and cocktail bar situated at the old Carluccio’s site. The design team has transformed the 5,000 sq ft space into a stylish two-story venue with bold and quirky interiors. Chef Derrick Chen showcased a tasty menu of modern Chinese cuisine, paired with some great cocktails.

Captions:

1 Anita Champaneri, Harish Nathwani, Alexandra Ionsecu

2 Liliana and Evie Farnell

3 Sacha Dymova, Galina Thomas_Gareth Thomas

4 Eve Thomas and Louise Thomas

5 Kelly Johnson, Amy Langston, Millie Frizzell

6 Abbie Richardson, Naomi Aly, Anita Champaneri

7 James March, Fionnula Burke, Andrew Riley

8 Khaleda and James Meredith

The family team of law firm Lodders served up a day of tennis and high-tea. More than 50 guests including friends and professional contacts joined Lodders’ Beverley Morris, Vivienne Middleton, Caroline Dresden, Baldish Khatkar, and Christine Williams at Pershore Tennis Centre, Worcestershire. Partner Beverley, who heads the family law team, said: “The event was a great success with 56 players taking the opportunity to enjoy time on the court.”

Captions:

1 Beverley Morris, Simon Corbishley, Sarah McCormick

2 Helen Anderson, Mary Osborne, Siew Kuan, Andrea

3 Marius Lutken, Sue Hartill, Caroline Dresden

4 Gail Eales, Lynda Collins, Jo Eales, Hannah Griffin, Baldish Khatkar, Alicia Farran

5 Graham Mills, Natasha Brandler

6 Beverley Morris, Pete Hodgson

7 Pershore Tennis Centre coaches, Mike, Lucy, Simon, Steve and Brad

Wet and blustery conditions tested golfers competing in the Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship at Nailcote Hall. PGA EuroPro Tour winner Andrew Marshall scooped the €50,000 first prize and said: “Hit the green, make a three, that was my plan really – and I’ve ended up winning. I’m delighted to take home the title.”

Other winners included Mark Mouland and Peter Fowler in the Super Seniors pair event, William Bailey in the highly-contested Norma C Herd trophy and former Aston Villa ace Lee Hendrie who lifted the celebrity title on the final day of play.

This year’s tournament played host to a number of famous faces, including ex-England football star Teddy Sheringham and Strictly Come Dancing favourite Len Goodman, alongside golfing legends Ian Woosnam and Paul Lawrie.

Captions:

1 John Inverdale, Inci Mehmet, Len Goodman, Keith Dyer, Gary Wolstenholme

2 Overall winner Andrew Marshall

3 Inci Mehmet

4 Rick Cressman and Lee Hendrie

5 Ian Woosnam

6 Alan Mcanally

7 Barry Lane

8 Craig Phillips

9 Paul Lawrie

10 Derek Redmond

Was it really that long ago? One of our favourite nights out when 130 guests attended the multi-award-winning musical Kinky Boots at Birmingham Hippodrome. Resident drag queen DJ Miss Penny took charge of the playlist while guests enjoyed being transformed at the MakeUp Central glitter station and helped raise more than £2,500 for Hippodrome Projects. Happy days are nearly here again….

Captions:

1 Laura Smith, Ben Wooldridge, Amy Stutz

2 Amelia Ladbrook, Nicola Fleet-Milne, Jennie Green

3 Emma Herritty, Jayne Herritty

4 Jackie Kelly

5 Jo Smith, Miss Penny

6 Lawrence Barton, Miss Penny, David Nash, Peter James-Nash

7 Sian Moxon, Kayi Ushe, Jayne Higgins

8 Toyan Thomas-Browne, Scarlet Gabriel, Fred Smiley, Kayi Ushe, Portia Harry, Daniel Conway

Those were the days!  Was it really 2 years ago when the Jam House celebrated its 20th anniversary with a ‘good old knees-up’ with many of the characters that contributed to its two decades of success. Guests enjoyed Tanquery on tap supplied by Diageo, sweeties, canapes and mini-burgers, washed down with boogie-woogie from local legends Dino Baptiste and Phil Sayer. Manager John Bunce said: “This milestone makes us reflect on all the good times with the great international stars we’ve worked with, talented local musicians, hard-working bar staff, waiters and chefs – and above all the customers.”

Captions:

1 Birmingham Chinatown Lions

2 Cissy Stone, Des Tong

3 Dino Baptiste, Phil Sayer

4 Felicity Martin, Ian Shirley

5 John Bunce

6 Roy Hemmings, Tessa Rhodes, Leonie Martin, Hannah Floyd, Denise O Neil

7 Maddie O’Donnel, Maya Watson

8 Pete and Wendy Mew, Tracey Minshull, Mick Rawlins

Remember when the sun was shining and Resorts World officially celebrated its secluded Secret Garden terrace in style? On the hottest night on record, during transport heatwave chaos, guests enjoyed many a summer spritz, a live saxophonist and delicious canapés – all creating a perfect night of Mediterranean al fresco vibes.

Captions:

1 Nick and Royston Blythe with Nick Malenko

2 Amanda Thurlow and friend

3 Cherry Shaw, Becky Humphries

4 John Dalziel, Phil Godfrey

5 Megan Reece, Murat Bicer, Gemma McMahon

6 Caitlin Golder, Katie Morris

7 Guests were entertained by live saxophonist

Remember when we all played outside together?  Well we’re almost there and to whet the appetite, here’s a reminder of an event at Harborne Cricket Club that boosted the coffers of Property For Kids, which raises money for disadvantaged children across the region. Players wore fancy dress for the tournament, which saw 46 teams take part. Main sponsors were CoStar and Sylter, with Greek Outdoors supplying catering. The tournament was won by Knight Frank.

Some of the teams that took part:

1 Barques

2 Willmott Dixon Interiors

3 mac group

4 Rider Levett Bucknall ladies

5 Rider Levett Bucknall men

6 Bulleys

7 Faithful + Gould

Birmingham-based digital marketing company, Bootcamp Media, hosted the popular Phoenix Business Club networking lunch at Simpsons restaurant to help raise funds for Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice. The afternoon raised more than £2,000 for the hospice which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Generous networkers enjoyed a three-course lunch at the Michelin-starred restaurant while they met like-minded business professionals from across the city.

Captions:

1 Charlene Wall, Pamela Hodgetts

2 Jaimon George, Jamil Shabir, Ryan Doyle

3 Naomi Aly, Anita Champaneri

4 Charlotte Wallace, Stuart Moseley, Chantelle Herbert

5 Raj Chadha, Sandie Lehal

6 Steve Brittan, Abid Khan

7 Paul Brown, Eleni Constantinou, Mark Linton

8 Pinder Dhaliwal, Jamil Shabir, Ninder Johal

Local kitchen design specialists Kuche & Bagno celebrated its 20th anniversary with an exclusive event featuring a guest appearance from Aldo Zilli. As well as showcasing new ranges from Kuppersbusch & Dornbracht, specially invited guests were able to tuck into some fine Italian culinary delights specially created by the celebrity chef. Lisa Melvin said: “We have had so much fun this year already celebrating our 20th anniversary. We are aiming to do a competition, exclusive interview, new product showcase or event every month of 2019.”

Captions:

1 Fin Birrane, Aldo Zilli, Hannah Davidson, Lisa Melvin

2 Karen and Ben Ferraby

3 Simon, Isaac and Rhianne Cottom

4 Barbara and Kevin Mason

5 Mathew and Sam Healey, Fin Birrane

6 Holly, Shelley and Lottie Carter

7 Les Fairclough, Debi Lee

8 Sara and Stewart Bray

9 James Smith, Tamara Hardman

Sue Cressman, the first lady of leading local hotel Nailcote Hall celebrated a milestone birthday in style with a wonderful themed party. Family and Friends, from the World of Showbiz and Sport arrived in fancy dress celebrating Icons and Celebrities . Entertainment from Duncan Norvelle and Take@That. Sue said: ‘It was an unforgettable evening surrounded by friends old and new’

Captions:

1 Sue and Rick Cressman

2 Mel and Paul Carvell

3 Andy Cummings, Tracy Meredith-Cummings

4 Duncan Norvelle

5 Sue Cressman, Linda Nolan

6 Jasper Carrott with Take@That

7 Laura Barrow, John and Johnathan Dowen

8 Gary and Katie Newbon

9 Guests

Way back when – before the words Covid-19, pandemic and lockdown became part of our everyday vocabulary – Resorts World officially celebrated its secluded Secret Garden terrace in style. On the hottest night on record, guests enjoyed delicious canapes and a live saxophonist in perfect harmony with the Mediterranean al fresco vibe.

Captions:

1 Caitlin Golder, Katie Morris

2 Amanda Thurlow and friend

3 Cherry Shaw, Becky Humphries

4 John Dalziel, Phil Godfrey

5 Megan Reece, Murat Bicer, Gemma McMahon

6 Nick and Royston Blythe with Nick Malenko

7 Guests entertained by live saxophonist

Hands up if you’re yearning for a return to the pre-Covid days of Champagne, cocktails and canapes? Yes, us too! Like when the Edgbaston Boutique Hotel invited bubbly lovers from across the region to the party of the year with Moët & Chandon. Guests enjoyed a special Moët moment to remember, with an impressive Moët & Chandon Rosé pyramid taking centre stage in the Edgbaston’s glamorous cellar bar.

Captions:

1 Jayne O’Malley, Natasha Wellsey, Caroline Perrins

2 Daniel Skermer, Nicky Smith

3 Deniss Saporenko, Shefali Oza, Chris Durden

4 Galina Thomas, Gareth Thomas, Yana Buzko

5 Helen Benussi, Diane Benussi, Ruth Pipkin, Naomi Jones-Owen

6 Josh Turbill, Debbie Collin

7 Neethu Sehdev, Mia Bains, Lisa Bains, Lindsey Bains

8 Rob Bloomer, Kirsty Jepson, Jedd Davies, Jon Niven

9 Sophie Canning and friends

St Mary’s receives welcome cash help thanks to Bootcamp Media 

Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice was the beneficiary when city-based digital marketing company Bootcamp Media hosted the Phoenix Business Club networking lunch at Simpsons restaurant. The event raised more than £2,000 for the hospice which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. The three-course lunch at the Michelin-starred restaurant brought together business professionals from across the city.

Captions:

1 Charlene Wall, Pamela Hodgetts

2 Jaimon George, Jamil Shabir, Ryan Doyle

3 Naomi Aly, Anita Champaneri

4 Charlotte Wallace, Stuart Moseley, Chantelle Herbert

5 Raj Chadha, Sandie Lehal

6 Steve Brittan, Abid Khan

7 Paul Brown, Eleni Constantinou, Mark Linton

Comedian Sara Pascoe and creator of BBC’s Man Like Mobeen, Guz Khan, headed a star-studded line-up when the Glee Club, Hurst Street celebrated its 25th anniversary. Also taking part in the special event were Shooting Stars’s Angelos Epithemiou, Canadian Mike Wilmot and regular compere Andy Robinson from Oldbury, who has been performing at the club for more than 20 years. Friends of the Glee and regular guests also joined in the celebrations.

Captions:

1 Jemima Cox, Kate Glaze

2 David Parkinson, Jonathan Noone

3 Duncan and Fiona Burns

4 Neelam Ara, Faisal Aslam

5 Claire Tooke, Elin Dowsett

6 Hannah and Stuart Haynes

7 Laura Davis, Matt Gregor, Harriet Park-Davies, Alex Hill

8 Esther Cheung, Brian Smith

9 Matt Beck, Laura Still

City’s great entertainers saluted at Wonders of Westside awards

The Wonders of Westside awards celebrated the finest venues and businesses in Birmingham’s entertainment district. Organised by Westside BID and sponsored by Jelley’s Organic Vodka, the WOWs 2020 honoured the venues, bars, clubs, restaurants, hotels, organisations and businesses in and around Broad Street and Brindleyplace. Top awards went to Pushkar (Best Fine Dining), Hyatt Regency Birmingham (Best Hotel), Hampton by Hilton (Best Hotel Manager), Vodbull (Best Promoter) and Jurys Inn (Best Front of House). The awards held at Pryzm Birmingham, Broad Street were hosted by ITV Weather presenter Des Coleman.

What a party that was! Barques, the Birmingham-based full-service marketing agency, celebrated its 30th anniversary with an event at the Compound, Snow Hill. Great food was teamed with an eclectic choice of music that was chosen by enthusiastic guests.

Captions:

1 Suzanne Barnes, Jilly Cosgrove, Lucy Hansell

2 Adam Hargreaves, Sarah Swain, Jason Fox

3 Bill Houle, Tim Blairs, Alex Watson

4 Elliot Pettingale, Dave Goora, Reese Goora, James Roberts

5 Rhiannon Williams, Claire Harris, Jilly Cosgrove, Baljit Soomal, Michelle Ward

6 Scott Heeks, Steve Bartlett, Ian Curtis

7 Adrian Willet, Andy McKenzie, Nicki Gibberson

8 Danny Parmar, Peter Adkins, Paul King, Jayne Howarth, Beth Margetson

9  Rhys Tummey, Lee Haynes, Craig Sargant, Luke Trueman, Hitesh Mistry, Joe Kyle

Join us on a throwback to when life was normal… ah yes, those were the days! And the order of the day was oodles of great street food and plenty of glam when Birmingham Hippodrome threw one of the city’s best parties to celebrate the award-winning musical Kinky Boots. The event – held before ‘lockdown’ and ‘social distancing’ had entered the everyday vernacular – was enjoyed by 130 guests. Living long in the memory was music from resident drag queen DJ Miss Penny and the MakeUp Central glitter station, which added some real pizzazz to proceedings. Sponsored by The Forum, the event raised more than £2,500 for Hippodrome Projects.

Captions:

1 Toyan Thomas-Browne, Scarlet Gabriel, Fred Smiley, Kayi Ushe, Portia Harry, Daniel Conway

2 Amelia Ladbrook, Nicola Fleet-Milne, Jennie Green

3 Emma Herritty, Jayne Herritty

4 Jackie Kelly

5 Jo Smith, Miss Penny

6 Lawrence Barton, Miss Penny, David Nash, Peter James-Nash

7 Sian Moxon, Kayi Ushe, Jayne Higgins

8 Laura Smith, Ben Wooldridge, Amy Stutz

Oh for the return of afternoon tea with friends and colleagues – just like the networking event which was held at Edgbaston Priory club to celebrate female entrepreneurship in the Midlands and the support available to help further future opportunities. The event was run in partnership between Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, Women in Banking & Finance and NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator. Speakers included RBS chief financial officer Katie Murray, head of Rose Review Implementation Wincie Wong and the founder of Absolute Collagen, Maxine Lacey.

Captions:

1 Margot Laceby, Maxine Laceby, Darcy Laceby

2 Honey Ajuwon, Katie Murray

3 Pam Sheemar, Sarah Cooper-Jones, Wincie Wong

4 Jaz Rohel, Simone Bell, Steph Watkins

5 Pam Sheemar, Laura Foley, Georgina Woodcock

6 Sukhy Lally, Gemma Hunt, Manjit Kang

7 Sharonjit Clare, Jennie Koo, Laura Suffolk

8 Pooja Raj, Manveer Mann

9 Elizabeth Russell, Victoria Platt, Katie Hale

A pre-lockdown VIP Champagne reception marked the official launch of the West Midlands’ most talked about property – Hedge House – on to the market. The event hosted by the Signature Collection by Centrick featured a first look at the £3.5million smart home in Knowle. Built by 10M Group and set in 6.5 acres, Hedge House is made from locally-sourced brick and larch felled by the Forestry Commission in Cannock Chase. Guests were treated to Champagne by Loki Wine, canapés by the Butchers Social and live entertainment by Elegant Entertainment.

Captions:

1 Marco Abonandi, Andy Butts, James Ackrill

2 Mike Bullard

3 Jodie Tipper, Monica Price, Hattie D’Souza, Barry Tomes, Olly Attfield, Tara Tomes

4 Phil Innes

5 Sophie and Phil Carlin

6 Alan and Katherine Strang

7 Samantha and Craig Gibbs

8 Russell Townsend, Natalie Beaver

9 Adam Scott, Simon O’Neill

The Asian Business Chambers of Commerce (ABCC) recently celebrated International Women’s Day with another very successful event held at Edgbaston Stadium. Keynote speakers included Judy Dyke, Dee Matto and Victoria Clare, CEO of the national UK ovarian cancer charity. Guests were also treated to a rousing performance from the Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer Choir.

Captions:

1 Judy Dyke

2 Victoria Clare, Fajli Bibi

3 Dee Matoo

4 Amina Sultani

5 Lakhbir Sanghera, Omar Rashid, Rukeya Begum

6 Veronica Kumeta, Qasim Majid, Shelley Duncan

7 Dr Haseena Lockhat

Birmingham Hippodrome treated its Leading Ladies social networking group to a very special evening to celebrate Matthew Bourne’s production of the Red Shoes. Guests heard from keynote speaker Martin Green, chief creative officer of Birmingham 2022, followed by a delicious supper created in partnership with the Oyster Club by Adam Stokes head chef, Rosanna Mosely, who also shared her experiences of training in a Michelin-starred kitchen and being at the helm of one of the city’s most regarded restaurants.

Captions:

1 Martin Green, Roseanna Moseley, Judith Greeburgh

2 Amy Mclean, Mary Montgomery

3 Jayne Surman, Lara Ratnarajara, Suzi Norton

4 Justine Coglan, Jackie Banks, Sally Gill, Olivia Newell, Katie Driscoll, Rowan Jones

5 Karen Williams, Alison Weaver

6 Rebecca Parys, Kerry Morgan

7 Martin Green

Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice hosted a special event at the Lost and Found to commemorate the charity’s founder receiving a prestigious Blue Plaque. Professionals from some of Birmingham’s leading businesses and healthcare organisations joined the charity to mark the unveiling of the plaque awarded by Birmingham Civic Society to celebrate the life and work of the hospice’s founder, Monica Pearce. The honour comes as the hospice – which cares for 500 people every day – marks its 40th anniversary.

Captions:

1 Tina Swani, Judi Millward, Candy Passmore

2 Colin Graham, Gabrielle Stanley, Clare Tooth

3 Nick Venning, Lucy Watkins, Clive Stone

4 Paul Cadman, Paul Jennings

5 Richard Morris, Charlotte Dowling, Lucy Watkins

6 Rita McLean, Tina Swani

A cocktail and canapes party celebrated the unveiling of a new, bigger bar at Gaucho restaurant, Church Street. The event in the new Drinking Den was hosted by general manager Luca Bottazi for guests from the Colmore BID area. As well as great food and drink, the bar features a live DJ every Friday and Saturday night.

Captions:

1 Olia Humpreys

2 James Bovill, Asha Ghosh, Anita Champaneri, Gov Singh

3 Sophie Howell, Jonathan Bryce

4 Jonathan Wilcox, Satpal and Barry Sherwin

5 Dave Roberts, Navneet Mangat

6 Marc Reeves, Tony Elvin, Corabeth Pearsall, Matt Shaw

7 Rosa Pericu, Luca Bottazi

8 Mark O’Sullivan, Elizabeth Mee, Abby Golding, Matthew Southall

An evening of delicious street food, music from DJ Mazzy Snape and plenty of laughs from comedian Rob Beckett was enjoyed by 100 guests at a networking event at Birmingham Hippodrome. Sponsored by Molson Coors and hosted by Martin Guest, the evening raised more than £1,500 for Hippodrome Projects – the theatre’s curated programme of indoor and outdoor live performance, community work and transformational learning projects.

Captions:

1 Alison Heathcote, Rachel Clements, Kirsty Gallagher, Lucy Jackson, Nikki Guest

2 Ashika Patel, Jasmine King, Nisa Patel, Rhian Banks, Olivia Mellow

3 Brieze Reid, Mike Reid, Sharon Brooks, Christine Brookes, Harry Brooks, Matt Gamsom

4 Cherry Elliott, Zahir Ahmed, Andrew Stokes, Nick Oakley

5 Lucy Howard, Hannah Reid, Hannah Beardmore, Aasha Choudhary, Douglas Houghton, Terry Michael

6 Mazzy Snape

7 Paul Reade, Dean Gray, Georgina Petrou, Simon Baines, Lisa Birch, Matt Westwood, Mike Slattery, Rowanne Dicker, Lucy Clarke, Karen Potts

VIP guests experienced the Hatton Arms’ new look and menu at a launch party in Warwick. The exclusive event, hosted by owners Johnnie and Arabella Arkwright, included a showcase of food and drinks from the new spring menu, plus entertainment from BBC CWR presenter Kirsty Leahy whose DJ set of funk, soul, disco and house classics maintained the party vibe. More than 100 special guests included former England cricketer Ian Bell who lives in Dorridge and Warwick mayor Cllr Neale Murphy.

Captions:

1 Jessica and Kerry Field

2 Harry Arkwright and friend

3 BBC CWR Radio presenter Kirsty Leahy

4 Cllr Neale Murphy with his wife Sarah

5 Richard Cornfield, Sam Fraser

6 Rachel MalloyIan, Chantal and Ian Bell

7 Arabella and Johnnie Arkwright

8 Verity Chapman, Arabella Arkwright, Sophie Sutton, Harry Arkwright, Sophie Jennings, Toni Lucas

More than 100 landowners, farmers, planners, commercial developers, land agents and environmentalists from across the Midlands discussed the Government’s far-reaching Environment Bill at law firm Lodders’ inaugural planning event. The Development and Nature seminar, held at Warwickshire’s Mallory Court, was designed to help tackle the confusion and uncertainty surrounding the Bill and specifically the bio-diversity net gain elements of it. Delegates voted the event a ‘timely forum’, given the concern about the status of the key piece of implementing legislation.

Captions:

1 David Lowe, Ed Green, Jon Dearsley, Tom Docker, Gemma Jerome, Rod Bird

2 Edward Matthews, Stephen Holloway, John Rouse, Stephanie Edmondson

3 David Thomas, Rachel Best, David Hawes, Peter Deeley

4 Imogen Booth, Kate Drewett, Rebecca Lock

5 Ian Flavell, Philip Blackman

6 Tom Docker, Thaddeus Rasbash, Jon Dearsley

7 James Millard, Gary Stockley

8 Jackie Ostocke, Edward Bird, Brian Hawker, Jane Hawker

9 Reuben Bellamy, Tom Pike, Richard Burke

Birmingham’s entertainment district celebrated its finest venues and businesses in style at the annual Wonders of Westside awards held at Pryzm Birmingham, Broad Street. Organised by Westside BID and sponsored by Jelley’s Organic Vodka, the WOWs 2020 saluted the venues, bars, clubs, restaurants, hotels, organisations and businesses in and around Broad Street and Brindleyplace. Winners were Pushkar (Best Fine Dining), Hyatt Regency Birmingham (Best Hotel), Hampton by Hilton (Best Hotel Manager), Vodbull (Best Promoter) and Jurys Inn (Best Front of House). The awards were hosted by ITV Weather presenter Des Coleman.

The Asian Business Chamber of Commerce held a successful lunchtime networking event at Arena Birmingham. The event was hosted and sponsored by Amplify, the premium hospitality provider for the NEC Group, and keynote speakers included ABCC president Qasim Majid and Amplify general manager Sally Walder. As well as some fine networking, guests enjoyed great food from Amadeus, caterer for the NEC Group.

Captions:

1 Qasim Majid, Anjum Khan, Sally Walder, Jas Sansi

2 Sarah Wallace, Erica Burke

3 Neelam Afzal, Zoe Clulow

4 Ikhlas Alvi, Mohan Bhogal, Lee Clayson

5 Kevin Page, Chantal Herbert, Rick Grain

6 Susan Kelsall, Asim Fiaz

7 Julie Ledesman, Anjum Khan

8 Ifraz Ahmed, Neelam Afzal

Guests were treated to a Taste of Italia showcase when Milano Kitchen and Bar relaunched in the Arcadian. Authentic canapés, Italian favourites such as authentic pizza and speciality pasta and Italian wine were served. Under new ownership, the Milano has been refreshed with the arrival of Antonella Atzori, formerly of the Fig & Olive, and a new chef team.

Captions:

1 Antonello Atzori

2 Stefania Pellegrino, Elizabeth Mee Janna Kuhl, Shaheen Shah

3 Matt Barnsley and Stephanie Taylor

4 Rabia Raza, Rebecca Bannister

5 Navneet Mangat, Sarah Hartley and Anita Champaneri

6 Tony and Lucy Elvin

7 Lauren Morton, Amelia Frizzel

8 Phil Oldershaw, Julia Robinson

9 Kate Morley, Matt Roden

10 Stefano Neofitou, Denisa Antonia Neo

The annual Signature Awards for the manufacturing and service industries were held at the ICC in front of an audience of nearly 600. Keynote speaker at the awards, hosted by Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands, Ninder Johal, was Paresh Davdra, co-founder of RationalFX. Winners included Lola Ojomo (Business Person of the Year), Tehmi Parinchy (Business Woman of the Year), Imperial Roofing Supplies UK (Small Business of the Year), Gurpreet Bassi (Entrepreneur of the Year) and Enzen (Business of the Year). The event was presented by Tommy Sandhu and raised £13,000 for Acorns children’s hospice.

Captions:

1 Small Business of the Year, Imperial Roofing Supplies UK

2 Excellence in Legal Services, FBC Manby Bowdler

3 Excellence in Creative and Design – HDY Agency

4 Business Person of the Year, Lola Ojomo

5 Business Woman of the Year, Tehmi Parinchy

6 Entrepreneur of the Year, Gurpreet Bassi

7 Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion, Irwin Mitchell

8 Business of the Year, Enzen

EDGE Creative hosted another of its exclusive events at the Jam House. More than 100 clients and partners had the opportunity to network with professionals across many industries while sampling a special selection of Botanical Vodka from drinks provider, Diagio. The event – which even had a magician performing close-up tricks and illusions – was sponsored by Hayward Wright and KLO Financial Services.

Captions:

1 Kathryn Small, Ros Wilson, Elizabeth Mee, Clare Macleod

2 Faye Wilson, Amy Brown

3 John Laycock, Darren Riley

4 Louise Panayides, Melinda Rice, Liane Denton

5 Sophia Raftery, Jodie Green, Pavan Harnal, Dan Styles

6 Stephen Cloves, Jonathan Ratcliff, Gary Simpson

7 Iain Hall, Amy Lloyd, Mark Abrol

8 Rebecca Mander, Paul Ord

9 Kyri Christou, Jessica Greaney

10 John Glavey, Paul Warren

Employment specialists joined by friends and clients for celebration

Schofield & Associates celebrated its 10th anniversary at Hogarths, Solihull. The employment specialist law firm, based in Knowle and headed by principal Eileen Schofield, was joined by friends, colleagues and clients to celebrate the landmark occasion.

Captions:

1 Eileen Schofield, Diane Benussi, Mike Kelly

2 Gerard Dufficy, Richard Moxon

3 Sandrine and Andy Wakefield

4 Stephanie Boyce, Janie Frampton

5 Richard Fallon, Calum Nisbet, Henrik Court

6 Chris Allen, John Dufficy

7 Angela Richards, Gill Travitzky

8 Sarah Dwight, Judy Groves

9 Charlie Cooper, Sarah Coyne, Carina Jheeta

Celebrity guests took to the red carpet for the opening of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Birmingham Hippodrome. The line-up included Michelin-star celebrity chef Glynn Purnell, Great British Bake Off’s Michael Chakraverty and Olympic medallist, Katharine Merry. The show, which runs until 2 February and has received five-star reviews from critics, stars Lesley Joseph, Matt Slack and Joe McElderry.

Captions:

1 Michael Chakraverty

2 Satnam Rana and family

3 Shay Grewal and family

4 Amy Stutz, Emma Hogan, Ben Wooldridge, Jenna Hadley and Camila Poccard

5 Dan Morrissey and Andy Goulding and guests

6 Glynn Purnell and family

7 Richie Anderson and guest

8 Bob Warman

9 Katharine Merry

Winner of the top Business of the Year title was the Rape and Sexual Violence Project (RSVP) based in Bennetts’s Hill, Birmingham. RSVP also claimed the Outstanding Charity of the Year award. Other winners included Business Woman of the Year, Fiona Allan of Birmingham Hippodrome; Start-up Business of the Year, Midland Health; and SME Business of the Year, Love Your Postcode. The President’s Award went to disability rights advocate and entrepreneur Shani Dhanda.

Captions:

1 Qasim Majid, Danielle Ford, Sophie Fletcher, Lisa Thompson, Nina Wadia

2 Bobby Singh

3 Clive Reeves, Sam Watts

4 Saqib Batti, Anjum Khan, Aftab Chughtai

5 Dr Haseena Lockhat, Steve Brittan

6 Kavita Parmar, Anita Champaneri

7 Paul Faulkner, Denise Sheasby

8 Qasim Majid, Shani Dhanda

9 Anita Chumber, Ifraz Ahmed

Veteran TV reporter Keith Wilkinson was installed as an honorary life member of Birmingham Press Club following his retirement after 35 years with ITV News Central. He received the traditional Press Club bugle, created by craftsmen at Acme Whistles, from Press Club chairman and ITV colleague Bob Warman at a lunch held at the Circle Restaurant, Birmingham Hippodrome. The occasion turned out to be a ‘nice’ lunch – as stand-up comedian Janice Connolly introduced her alter ego, Mrs Barbra Nice, a caricature of a middle-aged housewife from Kings Heath. Janice is also artistic director of Birmingham-based theatre company, Women and Theatre.

Captions:

1 Bob Warman and Keith Wilkinson

2 Janice Connolly as Mrs Barbara Nice

3 Derek Inman, Dorian Chan, Alan Birks

4 Fred Bromwich, Jayne Grimes, Richard Grimes, Beryl Williams

5 Sandra Rhodes, Joyce Coakley, Radcliffe Shields

6 Steve Hall, Dianne Hall, John Lamb

7 Hazel Horton-Peppercorn, Tony Adams

8 Laurie Upshon, Val Deeley

9 Peter Harkness, David Dunckley, Chris Mowbray, Adrian Kibbler

Lodders Charity Foundation presents £6,000 hand-out at special reception 

Lifespace Trust and Shakespeare Hospice charities each received a £3,000 donation from the Charitable Foundation of Midlands law firm Lodders. Foundation chairman David Lodder presented cheques to Lifespace’s Andrea Gardner and Shakespeare’s Fiona Stark at a drinks reception held at Stratford’s Castle Fine Art Gallery. Since its launch in 2016, the foundation has raised £50,000 for regional charities. Lifespace Trust mentors young people to help them build resilience and achieve more while Shakespeare Hospice offers supportive care for patients living with life-limiting illness.

Captions:

1 Andrea Gardner, David Lodder, Emily Waddell, Fiona Murphy

2 Emily Waddell, Mike Wakeling, David Lodder, James Spreckley, Alastair Frew

3 Mark Humphries, Andrea Gardner, Fiona Legros, David Markham

4 Victoria Borrow, David Lodder, Jan and Fred Mourton, Martin Green

5 Lord Hertford, Debbie Jagla, John Rouse, Sue James

6 Geoff Phipps, Jude Bowley, Diane Redmile

More than £5,000 was raised at a lunch for Smart Works Birmingham, the charity that provides high-quality work clothes and interview training to help women in need back into work. The lunch was attended by 130 people from across the West Midlands business community who heard guest speaker Isabel Spearman, brand and image consultant and former special adviser to Samantha Cameron, who is also an ambassador for the charity. She was in conversation with the charity’s Birmingham chairwoman and trustee, Philippa Pickavance.

Captions:

1 Ruth Paulin, Julia Regis, Jilly Cosgrove, Philippa Pickavance, Caroline Wilkie, Victoria Camfield

2 Caroline Penn Smith, Lucy Hanslell

3 Michele Clifton

4 Michelle Elleman, Alison Hill

5 Rhian Banks, Elizabeth Evans

6 Alison Montieth

7 Joanne Penn-Crossland, Isabel Spearman, Laura Dalby, Caroline Wilkie, Philippa Pickavance

8 Tina Cannon, Fiona Mellor, Olivia Morris, Abi Linford, Sara Garratt

A preview event was held at Rozu, the new pan-Asian restaurant at the Arcadian Centre. Founded by Rory May, the 70-cover restaurant is inspired by the glamour of Ibiza, London and Dubai. With flamingos, flowers and jungle foliage, the tropical theme provided guests with a vibrant backdrop to enjoy the food and drink and to party.

Captions:

1 Albee Valentine, Rory May, Ellis Porter

2 Sanjeeta Bains, Jason Hadden

3 Brad Pattni, Jack Lear

4 Sunny Mandez

5 Anita Champaneri

6 Jess Fitzpatrick, Rory May, Dean Gordon

7 Ruby and Kithi Bansal

8 Ushma Valerio, Leilah Bell

The Midlands Media Awards welcomed 225 guests to the Holte Suite, Villa Park. The awards, now in their 18th year, recognise the achievements of the region’s journalists, photographers, broadcasters and bloggers. Media personalities Bob Warman and Llewela Bailey hosted the evening and headline sponsor was Bobby Singh, founder of Love Your Postcode.com. Other event supporters were Wing Wah Group, HSBC UK and Digbeth Dining Club. Winner of the Newspaper of the Year (Daily) category was the Express & Star, while the Staffordshire Newsletter won the Weekly Newspaper award.

Captions:

1 Laurie Upshon, Keith Wilkinson, Mark Gough, Daniel Pallett

2 Wei Geng, Jacky Lo, Brian Doogan, Dr Dorian Chan, Fred Bromwich, Dr Jiayu Jiang, Shu Wang

3 Martin Wright receives the Newspaper of the Year trophy from headline sponsor Bobby Singh

4 Julie and Mike Lockley, Sue Green

5 Toby Neal, Shropshire Star, receives the President’s Award from Bob Warman

6 Helen Hoddinott, Diana Peasey

7 Stacey Barnfield, John Duckers, Zoe Chamberlain, Adam Fradgley

8 Jack Brabant, Danni Page, Krupa Brabant, Harry Jenkins

9 Dean Williams, Sarah Jolley

Ladies Fighting Breast Cancer hosted a fund-raising evening at Henry Wong restaurant in Harborne. Since 2000, the Midlands charity has given more than £1million to the cancer unit of Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital which has helped fund new medical equipment and create a centre of excellence. The evening was supported by Ruinart Champagne and guests enjoyed a variety of fabulous fizz and food.

Captions:

1 Pat Murphy Wright, Parm Rai, Jemma Leeson

2 Hannah Whitaker, Nicole James, Julie Guest, Debbie Raggett

3 Veronica Kumeta, Mikey John Knight, Trish Kennedy

4 Lyn Jones, Judy London

5 Jim Shipley, Peter London

6 Maureen Munnelly, Donna Stroud, Margaret Hayes

7 Dee Mattoo, Dawn Jones, Eden Craddock, Lisa Naylor

8 Ron and Maggie Atkinson, Tony Pearson

9 Yen Sehdeva, Jenni Byrom, Roopy Sunner, Debbie Raggett

Crime-writer AA Abbott, also known as Helen Blenkinsop, launched the fifth and final book in her action-packed Trail series at an event at Bottega Prosecco Bar and Restaurant, Arena Birmingham. AA Abbott’s love for Birmingham became the inspiration for the Trail series and the event was attended by fans of the books, local authors and VIPs. There was also a Q&A with the author, hosted by Brum Hour’s David Massey, readings and a book signing. Action in the Final Trail takes place across the city and features the Rose Villa Tavern and 1,000 Trades in the Jewellery Quarter.

Captions:

1 Pat Spence, AA Abbott

2 Punam Farmah, Chris and Edna Hills

3 Mary Tibbett, Ali Aelsey, Phil Stubbs

4 Anita Mann, Samantha Lyster

5 Sheila Kelly-Trow, Angoora Begum, Julia Greensall

6 AA Abbott, Dave Massey

Henry Wong restaurant hosted another charity evening and helped raise funds for Fisher House, the ‘home away from home’ for military patients and their families at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham. An incredible £9,500 was raised on the night and Mike Hammond, chief executive of Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity, presented the restaurant with a certificate for raising £50,000 for Fisher House to date.

Captions:

1 Ricky Wu, Marianne Liu, Mike Hammond

2 Sarbjit and Sareena Jagait

3 Mike and Avril Adams, Sue and Nigel Hood

4 Daljit Jagait with mixologist Swani

5 Rosie Mayer, Adam Andrew Hayes

6 Maureen and David Mackay, Val and Malcolm Cathcart

7 Ben Handley, Annabelle Davis

8 Sue Hood, Avril Adams, Jayne Peplow, Helen Bradley

9 Carol and Clare Webster, Tallis Dove

A record-breaking 160 delegates from the residential and commercial property and real estate sectors attended the annual property seminar hosted by regional law firm Lodders Solicitors. Keynote speaker was Eleanor Deeley, deputy managing director of the Deeley Group, who explained that the real estate industry must change its focus on building to one with a greater eco-friendly mind-set. Other speakers included Dr Lucy Greenwood, associate director in residential research and consultancy at Savills; Derek Stebbing of Strutt & Parker and George Campion, non-executive chairman at Lodders.

Captions:

1 Dr Lucy Greenwood, Alastair Frew, David Lowe, George Campion, Eleanor Deeley, Derek Stebbing

2 Chris Brown, Alexis Nicholls, Warren Bolton

3 Andrew Dickens, Paul Mourton, Rod Bird

4 Paul Twyneham, Pete Clarke, Russell Spencer

5 Josy Haigh, Jeff Downes, David MacMullen

6 Michelle MIlls, Tom Bromwich, Martin Green, Martin Elliott

7 James Shelley, Graham Jones, Alistair Clark

8 John Lowe, Jane Senior, Elaine Shoosmith

9 Jonathan Wish, Nathan McLaughlin, Richard Doffman

10 Steven Baker, Tim Cox, Maxwell Reader

Birmingham-based full-service marketing agency, Barques celebrated its 30th anniversary with a party night to remember at the Compound, Snow Hill, featuring delicious food and an eclectic choice of music that had been pre-determined by enthusiastic guests.

Captions:

1 Suzanne Barnes, Jilly Cosgrove, Lucy Hansell

2 Adam Hargreaves, Sarah Swain, Jason Fox

3 Bill Houle, Tim Blairs, Alex Watson

4 Elliot Pettingale, Dave Goora, Reese Goora, James Roberts

5 Rhiannon Williams, Claire Harris, Jilly Cosgrove, Baljit Soomal, Michelle Ward

6 Scott Heeks, Steve Bartlett, Ian Curtis

7 Adrian Willet, Andy McKenzie, Nicki Gibberson

8 Danny Parmar, Peter Adkins, Paul King, Jayne Howarth, Beth Margetson

9 Rhys Tummey, Lee Haynes, Craig Sargant, Luke Trueman, Hitesh Mistry, Joe Kyle

Edgbaston Priory club hosted a networking and afternoon tea event celebrating female entrepreneurship in the Midlands and the support available to help further future opportunities. The successful event was run in partnership between Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, Women in Banking & Finance and NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator. Keynote speakers included RBS chief financial officer Katie Murray, head of Rose Review Implementation Wincie Wong and the founder of Absolute Collagen, Maxine Lacey.

Captions:

1 Margot Laceby, Maxine Laceby, Darcy Laceby

2 Honey Ajuwon, Katie Murray

3 Pam Sheemar, Sarah Cooper-Jones, Wincie Wong

4 Jaz Rohel, Simone Bell, Steph Watkins

5 Pam Sheemar, Laura Foley, Georgina Woodcock

6 Sukhy Lally, Gemma Hunt, Manjit Kang

7 Sharonjit Clare, Jennie Koo, Laura Suffolk

8 Pooja Raj, Manveer Mann

9 Elizabeth Russell, Victoria Platt, Katie Hale

Cobden Hotel, Hagley Road was the venue for ‘The Fashion Event’ which raised money in aid of the Samaritans. Julie Morris and Sophie Alexander, the reigning Miss Diamond Hereford, hosted the show with 25 models wearing outfits from original designers, Omojevbe Couture, Wobia Designs and Jolina and resellers Diamond Couture and Jumping Ships. Also on the runway, Birmingham-based Warrillow Studios showed a collection of handcrafted vegan millinery. Entertainment came from singers Iridis and Laura Griffiths and dancers Tierney Lawrence and Sewli Bhattacharyya.

Captions:

1 Beverly Greenwood, Iridis

2 Rachael Kin, Niamh Franklin, Vicky Lang

3 Trinity Harper, Bina Rahul

4 Anne Barratt, Charley Rodgers, David Barratt

5 Jessica Jones, Esther Jones

6 Julie Morris, Lewis Cromwell, Sophie Alexander

7 Jessica Januszkiewicz, Chelsie Rose Evans

8 Rachel Warrillow, Dave Warrillow

9 Julie Wright Howard, Jane McKenzie

The inaugural Midlands Fashion Awards (MFA) were held at the CSBO Centre, Birmingham. Thirty-five finalists competed in seven categories at the awards which showcase independent, emerging and creative talent from designers to make-up artists and photographers. Winners included Professional Make-up Artist of the Year, Chetna Ladwa, Rising Star Make-up Artist of the Year, Miriam Bibi and Young Designer of the Year, Convergence by Lucy Taylor. MFA founder and director Jenny Eason said: “The calibre of the awards candidates has blown me and the rest of the judges away.”

Captions:

1 Sophia Edie, Melisa Law, Jo Tabis, Jenny Eason, Alan Sharman, Marie Carter

2 Abigail Burril, Fraser Cairns

3 Accessory Designer of the Year, Abigail Burvill

4 Angela Armstrong, Scarllett Holland

5 Chloe Lang, Millie Austin-Hare

6 Matt Wilson with Fashion Photographer of the Year, Lee Leyland

7 Preet Singh, Oliver Rose

8 Rebecca Francis, Chetna Ladwa, Laura Quirk, Michelle Beddall

Lodders’ Birmingham-based Family Law practice marked its top rankings in each of the independent guides to the UK’s best law firms and lawyers with a ‘drinks on the square’ party at the Jam House, St Paul’s Square. More than 100 guests, including clients, barristers and professional contacts, joined the Lodders team to celebrate its continued success in the Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners 2020. Among those attending were Liz McGrath QC, Charles Westrope of Bridgegate Wealth and representatives from Ernst & Young, Bedford Row Chambers and KLO Financial Services.

Captions:

1 Back: Daniel Payne, Graham Barber, Gurinder Johal, Caroline Dresden , Beverley Morris, Lynda Collins, Thaddeus Rasbash , Robin Cooke. Front: Tina Forde, Baldish Khatkar, Alicia Farran, Amy Parker, Vivienne Middleton

2 Lucy Bunting, Beverley Morris, Lynda Collins

3 Matt Booton, Charles Westrope, Kim Klahn

4 Sassa Ann Amaouche, Graham Mills, Philip Cayford QC

5 Liz McGrath

6 Deputy district judge Joan Price, Rebecca Franklin

7 Vivienne Middleton, Andrew Day

More than 100 construction and commercial property professionals attended a drinks reception hosted by West Midlands-based construction company mac-group. The event was held at Primitivo, Birmingham to mark the company’s growing market share in the UK, having secured significant construction and interior projects that have taken its UK turnover to more than £80million. Earlier this year mac expanded its Birmingham office and director Ray O’Sullivan said: “It was great to celebrate mac-group’s success since we opened our office in the city nearly three years ago.”

Captions:

1 Neil Edmunds, Emma Cochrane, Guy Hollis, Ray O’Sullivan

2 Paul Anderson, Steven Handley, Andrew Crowter

3 Simon Jones, David Bloxham, Paul Anderson, Rav Kumar, Sarah Reed

4 Ian Goodman, James Costello

5 Chris Fisher, Roger Tice, David Burns

6 Mike Teague, Adrian Adams, Andrew Macklin, Kevin Campbell

7 Matt Biott, Michelle Elleman, Simon Dicken

8 Dan Wilkes, Scott Lydon, Craig Baldwin

Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity teamed up with Sir Quentin Blake, the world-famous children’s illustrator, and Felicity Dahl to bring the magic of Roald Dahl’s most iconic characters permanently to the hospital for patients, visitors and staff to enjoy. Sir Quentin has donated his instantly-recognisable designs to the hospital to be created in a stained-glass window installation – the first-time his work has ever been produced in stained-glass. The original illustration was unveiled at a special event attended by Felicity Dahl and close friend, actress Joanna Lumley and other guests.

Captions:

1 Joanna Lumley, Doug Wright, Felicity Dahl, Sarah-Jane Marsh

2 Rob Nagra, Paul Faulkner

3 Steve Hewlett, Felicity Dahl

4 Helen Green, Elizabeth Griffiths, Louise McCathie

5 Elisa Howe, Linda Marston-Weston

6 Michael Kuo, Jonnie Turpie, Owen Dutton

7 Karmjit Singh, Kam Reehal, Mandy Dhaliwal, Jas Singh

8 John Desmond, Lynn Brookes, David Willetts

VIP guests turned out to welcome the new general manager of Hyatt Regency Birmingham, Mohammad Labban. A drinks reception was followed by a five-course dinner prepared by head chef Liam Crotty in the hotel’s signature restaurant, Aria. Originally, from Beirut, Lebanon, Mohammad – whose wife Sam studied at the University of Birmingham – has spent 22 years leading some of the most luxury Hyatt hotels in Asia. Most recently he opened the Hyatt Regency Aqaba Ayla Resort on the Red Sea coast of Jordan.

Captions:

1 Sam Labban, Lady Mayoress, Lord Mayor and Mohammad Labban

2 Gary Newborn, Anita Champeneri

3 Joanne Barrows, Elaine Weir

5 Michael Heaven, Jemma Crowther, Sam Labban

6 Richard Vickery, Sam Watts

7 Sheila Kelly-Trow, Liam Crotty

The Glee Club, Hurst Street celebrated its 25th anniversary in star-studded style. Acclaimed comedian Sara Pascoe and star and creator of the BBC’s Man Like Mobeen, Guz Khan, headed up a special birthday line-up that included Shooting Stars’s Angelos Epithemiou, Canadian Mike Wilmot and regular compere Andy Robinson from Oldbury, who has been performing at the club for more than 20 years. Friends of the Glee and regular guests were invited to the club to mark the celebrations.

Captions:

1 Jemima Cox, Kate Glaze

2 David Parkinson, Jonathan Noone

3 Duncan and Fiona Burns

4 Neelam Ara, Faisal Aslam

5 Claire Tooke, Elin Dowsett

6 Hannah and Stuart Haynes

7 Laura Davis, Matt Gregor, Harriet Park-Davies, Alex Hill

8 Esther Cheung, Brian Smith

9 Matt Beck, Laura Still

Birmingham Press Club hosted a reception at Bank Restaurant to mark the launch of vice-president John Lamb’s book, Telegraph People. The book, published by Takahe Publishing, reveals the dramas – and fun – behind the print production of multi-edition, big-city evening newspapers in their pre-digital heyday. A former Fleet Street journalist, John started his career as a copy boy at the Coventry Evening Telegraph. He is now director of press and PR at Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce.

Captions:

1 John Lamb with his daughter, Joanne Perry

2 Alan Carruthers, Claire Pinder-Smith

3 Llewela Bailey, Harriet Giles

4 Anita Sharma-James, Chris Hopkins, Claire Pinder-Smith

5 Brian Doogan, John Lamb, Hazel Horton-Peppercorn

6 Christopher Mowbray, Jon Griffin, Phil Brown

7 Paul Raymer, John Lamb, Sue Green, Fred Bromwich

8 Peter Brookes, Adrian Kibbler

EDGE Creative was joined by sponsors KLO Financial Services and Life Ensure for an evening of tasting cocktails, making new connections and having fun at the Jam House. More than 90 guests were treated to a drinks selection supplied by Diago, who crafted Spiced Mojitos and Cuba Libres. A business card draw competition closed the evening with a three-course meal for two at the Jam House for the winner.

Captions:

1 Dimitri Theofanou, Ed Butler, Martin Hall

2 Chris Wallsgrove, Eleanor Jordan, Phil Brown, Kenneth McDonald

3 Katherine Rose, Katherine East, Jon Paul Casati

4 Carmel Givling, Donna Galt

5 Kieron Hawkes, Craig Povey, Gareth Wood, Jon Chance

6 Iwan Thomas, Paul Hooper-Keeley, Louise Panayides

7 Christina Polychronakis, Joyce Bennell

8 Mark Panayides, Stuart Mosley, Peter Komolafe

9 Terry Michael, Michael Bragg

Senior property professionals gathered at Godwin Group’s Birmingham office for Midlands UK’s first pre-MIPIM event. A Midlands UK delegation of leading figures from the private and public sectors will attend MIPIM 2020, the world’s biggest property event in Cannes to showcase the region’s investment opportunities. Speeches were given by Neil Rami, CEO of the West Midlands Growth Company, and Stuart Pratt, co-founder and group development director of Godwin Group.

1 Simon Hall, Stuart Pratt, Stephen Pratt, Neil Rami

2 Anthony Hodge, Sian Roberts, Laura Smith

3 Tom Clift, Paul Thomas, Matt Potts, Neil Walker

4 David Hardman, Karen Evans, Tony O’Toole

5 Rich Fielding, Neil Harvey

6 David Farrow, Zo Hoida

7 Jane Morcom, Nicki Gibberson, Belinda Morgan, Karina Connolly

8 Stuart Pratt, Sonia Mann

A hugely successful Farmfoods British Par 3 Championships at Nailcote Hall saw a host of celebrities from the worlds of TV, stage and sport do battle over four days on one of Europe’s finest par 3 courses. Jarmo Sandelin was crowned champion in the main event with football manger David Moyes winning the celeb am. Special evening dinners were attended by a galaxy of starts including Keith Duffy, Steve Harmison, Johnny Herbert, James Jordan, Len Goodman, Alan McInally and Gail Emms.

Captions:

1 Tony Jacklin with winner Jarmo Sandelin

2 Jasper Carrott

3 Clayton Blackmore, David Moyes

4 Gail Emms

5 Bobby Davro

6 William Roache, John Hayes

7 Katie Niland, James Jordan

8 Dan Walker

9 Keith Duffy

10 Claudia and John Regis

Champagne lovers from across the region toasted a party at Edgbaston Boutique Hotel with Moët & Chandon. Guests raised a glass as they enjoyed cocktails, canapés and a ‘Moët moment to remember’ with an impressive Moët & Chandon Rosé pyramid providing the centrepiece in the Edgbaston’s glamorous cellar bar.

Captions:

1 Jayne O’Malley, Natasha Wellsey, Caroline Perrins

2 Daniel Skermer, Nicky Smith

3 Deniss Saporenko, Shefali Oza, Chris Durden

4 Galina Thomas, Gareth Thomas, Yana Buzko

5 Helen Benussi, Diane Benussi, Ruth Pipkin, Naomi Jones-Owen

6 Josh Turbill, Debbie Collin

7 Neethu Sehdev, Mia Bains, Lisa Bains, Lindsey Bains

8 Rob Bloomer, Kirsty Jepson, Jedd Davies, Jon Niven

9 Sophie Canning and friends

Glorious sunshine greeted guests who attended the Friends of Winterfold summer ball. Proceeds contributed to the creation of Winterfold’s very own radio station. Ed James from Heart FM took time out from his busy broadcasting schedule to help pupils with their first Radio Winterfold podcast which was also broadcast into the school playground, where music loving youngsters were listening and dancing. Helping make the ball a success were Holroyd Howe and everyone involved in the Friends of Winterfold community.

Captions:

1 Tim and Clare Lang, Caroline Ince, Emily and Simon Handslip

2 James Lloyd-Jones, Alex Crompton, Karen and Denis Lloyd-Jones

3 Vanessa and Peter Canavan

4 Lisa Samuel-Horton, Gemma Hughes

5 Louise and Steve James

6 Jo and Martin Hill

7 Catherine and Peter Hale

8 Rebecca and Ross Northall

9 Jessica Conyers, Leanne Lillywhite-Sutton, Zoe Mcguire, Lucie Richards, Naomi Evitts

Legendary cricketer and commentator Sir Ian Botham showcased his own range of wine at Birmingham’s Hotel du Vin. Having travelled to some of the best wine-making countries in the world, visited their wineries and listened to producers talk about their wine, Beefy certainly knows his vino. Guests enjoyed a wonderful evening of both great wine and food.

Captions:

1 Tom Gallimore, Sir Ian Botham, Stephanie Taylor

2 Paul and Tina Heseltine, Jenny Grey, Roger Eade

3 Richard and Monique Worth, Nick Weate

4 Oliver and Debbie Rowe

5 John and Diane Weedon

6 Simon and Eileen Shaw

7 Trevor Walker, Rebecca Simkiss, Tara Tomes, Olly Attfield

Birmingham Hippodrome Leading Ladies enjoyed an exclusive pre-show discussion with cast members of The Color Purple to celebrate the venue’s first co-production with Curve and raise funds for Hippodrome Projects. The event was sponsored by West Midlands Growth Company, with head of business growth Sian Robert giving an overview of its objectives. Judith Greenburgh, head of partnerships and events at Birmingham Hippodrome said: “We’ve welcomed over 500 guests from all sectors to nine events in 2018-19 and raised nearly £10,000 for Hippodrome Projects.”

Captions:

1 Dr Mano Hashmi, Judith Greenburgh, Kathryn Stanczyszyn, Danielle Fiamanya, Charlie Pette, Joanna Francis, Sian Roberts

2 Cathy Scott, Chantall Herbert, Sally Walder

3 Helen Underwood, Sian Roberts, Helen Martin, Cathy Johnson

4 Karen Chamberlain, Christie Gaskin, Emma Speed

5 Liz Acton, Helen Wright

6 Rachel Thompson, Lisa Moore

7 Ruby Prosser, Amy Watson, Benita Roberts, Sadie Williams

Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s Recognition Awards and Charity Ball celebrated aircrew, volunteers, fundraisers and supporters who went above and beyond in aid of the charity over the last 12 months. The evening at the Vox Conference Centre, Resorts World, was hosted by actor and TV personality Will Mellor and radio presenter Ed James. A host of famous faces including Paul Chuckle and Sally Bee presented the awards before an auction raised further funds for the charity.

Captions:

1 Becky Hayes, Ian Graves, Lesley Chester, Andrea Graves

2 Helen Grice, Amy Reece, Joe Smallman, Davinia Sherlock, Steve and Michelle Morris, Paul Dupre-Smith, Samantha Grice

3 Adam Williams, Andrew Higgs

4 Angela Watkins from Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, Steve Wheaton from West Midlands Ambulance Service

5 Sally Bee with husband Dogan

6 Eleri and Pete Edwards, Richard Apps, Becky Chappell, Sarah Elder, Karen Baker, Andrew Goode, Katie White

Harborne-based Cantonese restaurant, Henry Wong celebrated its new partnership with Moet Hennessey and Ruinart Champagne with a special dinner in support of local charity, Fisher House. As well as being treated to some of the restaurant’s finest cuisine, guests enjoyed carefully selected accompaniments from the luxury Champagne house. The event raised funds for the charity based at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital and supports injured military personnel and their families.

Captions:

1 Mike Hammond, Parm Rai, Adrian Lilly

2 Jo and Paul Williams, Grant and Jane Moss

3 Shelia Chana, Kanchana Perera, Sian Averill

4 Sanjay Singh, Simran Kaur

5 Dr Qamar Ghafoor, Stephen Rooney, Ehab Bishay

6 Steve and Sally Price, Adrian Lilly

7 Mike Hammond, Susan and Sara Price, Karen and Clare Johnson

8 Hannah and Geoff Heyes

9 Shelly Duncan, Veronica Kumeta

West Midlands-based Warwick Music Group celebrated its Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Innovation at a party held at Hotel du Vin, Birmingham. The award-winning pBone – the world’s first plastic trombone that has since become a global best-seller – took pride of place at the event. Warwick Music Group has sold more than 250,000 pBones, conceived by a team of West Midlands musicians who set out to create a quality instrument that made the joy of music accessible and fun for all. Chief executive Steven Greenall thanked guests for their support.

Captions:

1 Queen’s Award for Enterprise winning team, Warwick Music Group

2 David Hirst, Carole Crompton, Steven Greenall

3 Dr Liz Stafford, Kay Charlton

4 Derrick Parker, Adrian Taylor, Simon Hogg

5 Katie Ruigrok, Natalie Hines, Kate Greenall, Matthew Ruigrok

6 Paul Faulkner

7 Andy Palmer, Neil Taylor, Surjit Kooner

8 David Clarke, Claire MacDonald, Anna Hutton, Calum Nisbet

9 Rob Langley-Swain, Penny Edwards

Leading fine art retailer Castle Fine Art opened its new biggest gallery to the public at the Mailbox, showcasing the best contemporary artists from around the world. It is the latest in the company’s network of 38 galleries across the UK and is home to some of the biggest names in art – from Bob Dylan, Ronnie Wood and Lorenzo Quinn to Marvel, Billy Connolly Pop Art movement pioneer, James Francis Gill. The gallery will host headline-grabbing collection launches and welcome famous names for personal appearances and events.

Captions:

1 Castle Fine Art founder Ian Weatherby-Bythe, Lord Mayor Mohammed Azim, Lady Mayoress Ms Bushra Bi, Daniela Quinlan

2 Arron Foster, Kate Morley, Matt Roden

3 Becky Weaver, Phil Ellis, Alev Dervish

4 Chrissie Wolfe, Tamlyn Jones

5 Linda Quinton, Paul and Michelle Newman

6 Emiliano Muco, Katey Macallister

7 Mat Lovell, Fraser McGee

8 Madaline Bourne, Beth Gordon-Taylor

9 Olly Attfield, Jack Soars, Laura Soars

To help celebrate its 12th birthday, leading Midlands PR agency, Delicious PR, hosted the popular Phoenix networking lunch at Fazenda in Colmore Row. More than 100 guests enjoyed great food and wine and making connections at the Brazilian rodizio where they use the traditional gaucho way of cooking meat.

Captions:

1 Dan Walton, Anita Champaneri, Alex Tross, Hannah Floyd

2 Jayne O’Malley, Lesley Wilde

3 Sophie Cassidy, Kiran Hayre, Taylah Catlow

4 Navneet Mangat, John and Beth Toovey

5 Rebecca Young, Kirsty Nicholls

6 Rene Williams, Paul Brown

7 Eleni Constantinou, Anita Champaneri

8 Jamil Shabir, Prem Ahark, Anup Soker

Birmingham’s commercial property professionals raised more than £46,000 for charity at the annual spoof awards event organised by Property for Kids – the biggest single amount raised in the event’s 15-year history. The BRENDAs brought together a sold-out audience of 380 influential people from Birmingham’s property sector to raise cash for disadvantaged young people across the West Midlands. Held at Macdonald Burlington Hotel, the annual lunchtime event saw a series of tongue-in-cheek awards presented to some of the industry’s most talented vocalists.

Captions:

1 Jessica Lees, James Tickle, Amy Clutterbuck, Vicki Wilson

2 William Higgins, Jonathan Browning, Dominic Lean

3 Sophie Portman, Jo Jones, Billie Frain

4 Chris Rosier, Alfred Bartlett, Alex Tross

5 Helen Guest, Helen Reilly, Lisa Beaman, Karina Connolly, Andy Bishop

6 Stephen Mealings, Joe Vale, Richard Whitehouse, Alex Gaworski

7 Lydia Ellis, Chris Keye

8 Andrew Wood, Amanda Franks, Michele Clifton, Lizzy Sleeman, Chris Mellor

9 Paul King, Graham Haydon-White, Martin Taylor, Neesha Gopal, David Sharp

More than 500 people attended the Nachural Summer Business Awards held at Wolverhampton Racecourse to celebrate the achievements of individuals and companies across the West Midlands. Winners at the event, sponsored by Investec Wealth and Investment, included TPL media (overall business of the year), James Wong (recognised for his work in the community) and Stewart Towe who was presented with a lifetime achievement award. More than £10,000 was raised for local children’s charity, Acorns. Host for the evening was the BBC’s Tommy Sandhu.

Captions:

1 Community excellence awards, James Wong

2 Businesswoman of the year, Farhana Sheikh and Amina Hussain

3 Business person of the year, Jaya Nayyar

4 Entrepreneur of the year, Mark O Sullivan

5 Lifetime achievement award, Stewart Towe

6 Business of the year, TPL Media

7 SME of the year, Dunton Environmental

8 Best business start-up, Fluoro Tech

Tap & Tandoor Solihulll kicked off its first birthday celebrations with a drinks reception for more than 80 guests. The independent Indian gastro pub at Warwick Road invited loyal customers, local businesses and community members to join them. Guests enjoyed prosecco, cocktails, craft beers and canapes at the private event, held ahead of a weekend of anniversary celebrations which included a discounted fizz Friday, birthday beer festival in association with Solihull Round Table and a fully-booked Father’s Day.

Captions:

1 Tap and Tandoor’s Ajay and Shivani Kenth

2 Rav Sohal, Amanda Copsey, Jane Goodwin

3 Andy and Marian Moore

4 Anthony Gillespie, Ajay Kenth, Tony Elvin

5 Karen Jackson, Julie Gilronan

6 Kate Derrick, Mick Marshall, George Etherington, Burak Alpar

7 Rebecca Barton, Samantha Harrison, Sophie Houghton, David McDonnell

Birmingham business and financial advisors Friend Partnership hosted an event at its Brindleyplace offices to launch a new report entitled Women in Business – Can We Truly Have It All? The research was commissioned to uncover and understand the difficulties faced by women in the workplace and the businesses looking to employ skilled female colleagues. The event brought together a group of inspirational, successful women from a range of professions and organisations. Guest speaker was Sarah Cooper Jones, regional director for RBS Corporate & Commercial Banking.

Captions:

1 Marianne Daniels, Toni Palmer

2 Ann Clark, Adelaide Bailey, Sarah Cooper-Jones

3 Sarah Evans

4 Sheri Hughes, Hannah Kassimi

5 Julia Gracheva, Judy Dyke

6 Janette Rawlinson, Alyson Poulson, Denise Friend

7 Saranne Jones, Denise Friend

IHG Midlands hosted a networking event bringing together seven IHG Hotels and six local Birmingham attractions. Held at Harvey Nichols, goody bags and fizz were given out on arrival and music was provided by Elegant Entertainment. The evening showcased IHG Hotels – Crowne Plaza NEC and Solihull, Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre and Airport, Birmingham Conference and Events Centre, Voco St Johns Solihull and Hotel Indigo Birmingham – and attractions, Sea Life Centre, Legoland Discovery, Cadbury World, Resorts World, BBC Tours and the Land Rover Experience.

Captions:

1 Sophie Boulton

2 Christie Gaskin

3 Clare Galvin, Nicola Corfield

4 Debbie Jaura

5 Kayleigh Swift, Sarah Brown

6 Penny Dyer

7 Ruth Bennet, Ewelina Tomiszczak

Henrik Court Events Management celebrated its first-year anniversary at the Botanist. Guests enjoyed networking with canapes, cocktails and cake as part of the celebrations. Henrik said: “It was a nice way to mark my first year of running my own business. It was great to invite my business friends and show how much I appreciate their support. I am really looking forward to the year ahead.” The business organises all aspects of a wide range of events on behalf of clients.

Captions:

1 Gayle Kelly, Abby Goldie, Henrik Court, Anna Mitchell

2 Abby Goldie, Donna Whitbrook

3 Katrina Halkova, Chantall Herbert

4 Taylah Catlow, Laura Moore

5 Claire Flatt, Henrik Court, Sarah Shirley

6 Anna Mitchell, Henrik Court

7 Hollie Williamson, Jason Jones

8 Eric Mitchell, Harj Sandher, Paul Roberts

Digital agency Lightbox celebrated its relocation to the Jewellery Quarter with a launch event for clients and partners. The agency moved to the Counting House, Mary Ann Street to accommodate an expanding team and portfolio of new clients. The move comes after promotions and hires at senior level, including the promotion of Anthony Bisseker to managing director. Lightbox founder Rob Pollard told guests: “After starting this business 10 years ago on a spare desk at a friend’s kitchen fitting company, I’m proud of how far we’ve come.”

Captions:

1 Anthony Bisseker, PJ Ellis, Rob Pollard

2 Henry Carpenter, Steve England, Rob Pollard

3 Lee Gill, Akil Gordon-Beckford, Anthony Bisseker

4 Liam Thomas, Joanna Seabright, Mark O’Sullivan

5 PJ Ellis, Nicola Fleet-Milne, Conrad Brunton

6 Rob Bhol, Daniel Dean

7 Tracey Parker, Anthony Bisseker, Emma Simkiss

Edge Creative hosted its latest Where Extraordinary Relationships Begin event at the Jam House in St. Paul’s Square. The Guinness-themed event was sponsored by Finance 4 Business and KLO Financial Services with more than 100 guests treated to Guinness and Guinness Espresso Martinis provided by drinks sponsor Diageo.

Captions

1 Lesley Griffin, Mark Panayides, Nathan Haines, Andrew Griffin

2 Terry Michael, Anna Hajilari, Stuart Price, Rupa Parekh

3 David Lloyd, Eleni Constantinou, Matt Hetherington

4 Henrik Court, Sam Adkins, Adam Heard, Sarah Shirley

5 Anthony Kendall, Shaheen Shah, Pete Hall

6 Nigel Pugh, William Taaffe, Martin Hall

7 Rich Moore, Steven Court

8 Matthew Lawrence, Paul Varley, Dave Golightly

9 Angie Lewis, Raimund Berens, Paul Lewis

The secrets of the sound-room were laid bare when Birmingham Press Club members visited the studios at BBC Birmingham. Guides John Wiley and Emma O’Brien gave an insight into recording the Archers and led a tour of the Midlands Today and BBC WM studios. For Press Club president Bob Warman and chairman Llewela Bailey – who for many years co-hosted ITV Central News – there was a ‘déjà vu’ moment as they were re-united on the sofa; albeit the one normally occupied by Mary Rhodes or Nick Owen on Midlands Today!

Photography: Adrian Kibbler

Captions:

1 Bob Warman and Llewela Bailey reunited on the sofa

2 Debbie Jaura, Jenny Wilkes, John Wiley, Emma O’Brien

3 Adrian Kibbler

4 Aurora Bonin, Steve Gracey, Penny Thorp

5 Fred Bromwich

6 Fred Bromwich, Sarah Whitticase, Paul Raymer

7 Hazel Horton-Peppercorn, Bob Warner, Peter Brookes

8 Penny Thorp

Guests enjoyed Birmingham Hippodrome’s Leading Ladies at Les Miserables, sponsored by PwC. The night included a delicious taster menu with drinks and some trademark Hippodrome surprises and twists – while also raising funds for the valuable work of Hippodrome Projects.

Captions:

1 Reshma Rama, Jackie Goodfellow, Brian Ashmead-Siers, Nicky O’Reilly, Lisa Orton

2 Annette Smith, Fleur Sexton

3 Cathy Macliver, Minty Macliver, Mari Thompson, Carys Thompson

4 Sarah Lack, Lisa Hicks

5 Nicola Fleet-Milne, Lucy Johnson

6 Molly Cofman-Nicoresti, Michelle Stammers

7 Lindsey Wager, Clare Mac

8 Katrina Lawson, Sarah Holmes

9 Laura Loftus, Harpal Kaur, Tesni Thacker

Birmingham’s best dressed were out in force for the latest Harvey Nichols fashion show. More than 350 guests enjoyed a Prosecco reception, staged in the Mailbox car park. The unusual setting provided a striking backdrop to the most sought-after pieces from the likes of Saint Laurent, Off-White, Fendi, Christian Louboutin, Balmain and Valentino. The evening was held in partnership with luxury car brand DS Automobiles. Hair was styled by the in-store James Bushell team, make-up was by Marc Jacobs Beauty and nails by Heaven Skincare.

Captions:

1 Huda Shamsan, Fatima Al-Ani, Nabila Shamsan

2 Sophie Jade Hall, Amber Juggins

3 Karim Akroum, Ikraam Hussain

4 Luisa Hackney, Krishma Parmar

5 Kris Cholmondeley, Alex Ollerearnshaw

6 Gabriella Rooney, Esme Dublin, Lusia Haraburda

7 Ellen and Kate McNamara

8 Hanna Gamble, Sinead O’Herlihy, Evie Garrod

9 Denise Owen, Dominika Korkova, Shelley Brumpton

Property professionals from the region’s commercial real estate market attended an agent’s launch event at Tattu Birmingham for Liberty Park, Lichfield – a £38 million industrial and logistics development that is set to create 700 new jobs. The audience of 60 heard that work has started on two buildings at the 30-acre site, next to to the A38, that will deliver 115,000 sq ft and 48,000 sq ft of Grade A industrial/logistics accommodation.

Captions:

1 Rob Watts, Greg Dalton

2 Robin Vaughan, Ed Peel

3 Nick Hardie, Alex Eagleton, Charles D’Auncey, Neil Slade

4 Andrew Blevins, Luke Thacker

5 Myles Wilcox-Smith, Tom Bromwich, Mike Eagleton

6 Max Shelley, Matt Tilt, Robin Vaughan

7 Tom Kimbell, Katie Aitchison

8 Jane Harrison, Ed Peel

Students from the universities of Birmingham City, Derby, Gloucester, Lincoln, Northampton and Staffordshire won honours at the Midlands Media Student Awards, held by Birmingham Press Club at Mama Roux’s, Digbeth. Student of the Year was Hesham Abdelhamid who also won the Features Category. Amazon was headline sponsor of the awards, hosted by BBC Radio WM presenter Alex Noble. Further support came from HSBC UK, the overall sponsor of the Press Club, and the universities of Birmingham City, De Montfort, Gloucestershire, Northampton and Worcester.

Captions:

1 Student of the Year Hesham Abdelhamid

2 Eve Smallman, James Vukmirovic, Amneet Kaur

3 Ama Esson, Samuel Ogunleye, Monique Reynolds-Blanche

4 Marverine Cole, Lydia Johnson, Anisah Vasta

5 Bob Warman, James Williams

6 Kaylee Poloczek, Rachel Ammonds

7 David Wainwright, Molly Hudson, Adam Barker

8 Rob Stills, Adam Barker, Alex Noble, Jonathan Drake, Jim Quinlan

9 Hesham Abdelhamid, Ellie Kirwin-Jones

Midlands Air Ambulance Charity hosted its corporate networking luncheon for more than 80 guests at Edgbaston Stadium, sponsored by Wall James Chappell. Guests enjoyed a two-course lunch while hearing from Kate Dempsey, cyber protection officer for Staffordshire Police, discussing ways for businesses to protect themselves against cybercrime.

Captions:

1 Lynne Stone, Jeremy Cartwright, Tessa Rollings

2 Chloe Brookes, Lisa Nicholson

3 Richard Goodall, Jon Cottrell, Adam Barnfield

4 Kim Satchwell, Gareth Wood, Julie Smith, Adam Williams

5 Siobhan Doherty, Rachel Wade, Lynne Stone, Marion Doherty

6 Jonathan Carter, Martyn Lomax

7 Jessica Bird, Lynda Bragg-Walker, Victoria Hicks, Ros Wilson

8 Deepa Patel, Jeremy Cartwright, Rebecca Clark

9 Adam Flynn, Sofia Voutianitis, Zoe Ryan

More than 300 guests attended the premiere of a new film about blind West Bromwich marathon runner Dave Heeley at Birmingham Rep. The film titled 7 Days, charts how the runner nicknamed Blind Dave completed seven marathons across seven continents in seven days. Made by Pixel Revolution Films, it was produced by Nigel Davey and directed by Ian and Dominic Higgins. Blind Dave has raised millions of pounds for charity since he started his epic runs. The film is released this month.

Captions:

1 Ian Higgins, Nigel Davey, Jack Lane, Dominic Higgins, Oliver Phelps

2 Eleanor Griffiths

3 Andrew Fox, Suzanne Virdee

4 Ian Higgins, Dominic Higgins, Steve and Tracy Dourass

5 Sam and Charlie Boswell

6 Suzi and Joe Meads

7 Dave Heeley, Kash Gill

8 Chris Jones, Rik Jones, Jayne Jones

9 Kate Manners, David Manners, Sarah Manners

Famous faces, businesses and community groups from across the West Midlands came together to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice. Football legend Brendon Batson, media broadcaster Llewela Bailey, Antique Roadshow’s Will Farmer and comedic character Barbara Nice, who is played by Janice Connolly, all showed their support for the much-loved charity. They were joined by city professionals from a number of businesses, including Irwin Mitchell, EY and Digital Glue, who together raised a remarkable £20,000 at the black tie evening attended by more than 230 guests.

Captions:

1 Llewela Bailey, Brendon Batson

2 The team from the Birmingham branch of Irwin Mitchell

3 Imran and Samra Pasha, Shakila and Sultan Choudhury, Dr Sabena Jameel, Maryam and Mohammed Saqub

4 Lucy Watkins, Richard Stone

5 Ian Bowland, Karen Dowman

6 Andy and Tracy Williams

7 Rachel Shuttleworth, Debbie Talbot, Trish Squire, Ruth Roberts, Wendy Cox, Helen Smith, Cath Markham, Helen O’Halloran

Ahead of the official opening, Asha’s Solihull welcomed more than 150 guests to an exclusive preview evening for a first look at the new restaurant. Following the success of the Birmingham city centre venue, the team celebrated its arrival at Touchwood by treating guests to a selection of wines, Champagne, cocktails and an array of award-winning dishes.

Captions:

1 Paul Bassi, Domnic Norunha, Pawan Kenth main

2 Tony Elvin, Jas Rohel, Suzanne Virdee, Andrew Fox

3 Chris Rosier, Paul Graham, Andy Butts, David Cook

4 Ella and Amelia Gardner, Jordan Broadhurst

5 Jane Morcom, Ruth Pipkin, Elaine Birkley

6 Bobby Bassi, Catherine Gee, John Handscomb

7 Vinay, Pawan and Sabrina Kenth

8 James Ackrill, Harj Millington, Jill and Andrew Lawton Smith

9 Steph Collins, Barry and Dee Woodley, Linda Daly

The first annual Midlands Service Excellence Awards were held at Hogarths Hotel, Solihull. Organised by Henrik Court Events Management in conjunction with First Impressions Training, awards were presented to 12 category winners recognised by the judging panel as being ‘best in the region’ for providing service excellence. More than 150 guests heard guest speaker Peter Roper, known as The Family Man.

Captions:

1 Pauline Edden, Tracey McAtamney, Natasha Blacklock

2 Hardip Ghattaura, Reena Ghattaura, Tara Bhambra, Bally Bhambra

3 Kat Lowers, Simon Foley, Lindsey Tyler, Lisa Roberts

4 Stuart Walton, Rachael Cornwell, Tim Venner, Candace Venner

5 Phoebe Alexander-Nead, Graham Foster, Angie Foster, Jeff Foster

6 Hannah Nicholson, Charlotte Kelly, Cheryl Rawbone

7 Sam Watts, James Burton, Rachael Bates

8 Elinor Perry-Hall, Anne Tasker

9 Henrik Court, Elinor Perry-Hall, Lyn Bromley

Birmingham business community and Cancer Research UK hosted an event at the ICC. The inspirational evening highlighted the life-changing research carried out by the likes of the University of Birmingham and helped raise more than £24,000. The event included a moving talk from BBC Midlands presenter Satnam Rana about her own journey with cancer. #brumbeatscancer.

Captions:

1 David Smeeton, Satnam Rana, Judy Dyke

2 Gemma Mallett, Rachel Fell

3 Emily Henderson, Ben Wilcox, Claire Packer

4 Henrik Court, Rosie Major, Rachel Smeeton, Paul Titley

5 Neil Antcliffe, Chris Nicholls, Paul Nicholls

6 Sarah Harrison, Katie Powell, Emily Henderson, Rachel Fell, Claire Doggett

7 Jonathan Bray, Stephen Harris, Paul Wilson

8 Abbie Owen-Thomas, Matthew Beckett

Two gala evenings alongside performances of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake attracted 150 guests and raised more than £5,000 for Birmingham Hippodrome’s Curtain Raiser and expanding youth dance programme. Guests enjoyed a Laurent-Perrier Champagne reception and an AA Rosette standard dinner in the theatre’s dance studio, transformed by resident stylists AVA Events Styling. Post-show, guests enjoyed a specially designed cocktail, Flowers from Russia, served by the team from Edgbaston Boutique Hotel and Cocktail Lounge. This year’s Curtain Raiser at Swan Lake was sponsored by Tilney Group.

Captions:

1 Katie Trout, Fiona Allan, Glenn Howells

2 Jane Bauiley, Jayne O’Malley, Jilly Cosgrove

3 Susan Barnes, Lucy Strong

4 Elaine Huttley, Deborah Kent, Sarah Gull, Sarah Riding

5 Rachel Thompson, Leanne McClean, Claire Comley, Carol Graham

6 The Hon Mrs Justice Geraldine Andrews, Jayne Higgins, Glenn Howells, Chris Loughran

7 Karen Horsfield, Carmen Watson, Anne Brookes, Eileen Schofield, Jenny Loynton, Louise O’Reilly

8 Andrew Segal and friends

The official launch of a collaboration between two of the city’s leading PA networks, the Gatekeepers Guild and PA Way, was held at Hyatt Regency. With fizz, canapés, speeches – and even a chance to be made-up by the likes of Harvey Nichols’s Fenty Beauty experts, Marc Jacobs and Hourglass beauty – the event was attended by more than 100 of Birmingham’s assistants. The collaboration creates of one of the largest PA and EA networks in the region.

Captions:

1 Benitta Dosanjh, Becky Jukes, Kerry Hill

2 Angela Croads, Lisa Perks

3 Becky Simkiss, Skevi Constantinou

4 Freya Lane, Louise Haynes, Rose Horsfall

5 Jan Walker, Jenny Allen

6 Kay Dashti, Wade Taylor

7 Louise Simkiss-Gallet, Dee Finch

8 Yvette Pearson, Sarah Leonard, Vicki Morris

More than 150 VIP guests enjoyed an evening of cocktails, music and beauty as Heaven Skincare launched its new salon at Harvey Nichols Birmingham. The luxury beauty brand, founded by Deborah Mitchell, is a favourite of royals and celebrities and offers a complete range of products and treatments at its new Mailbox home. Guests were entertained by live music, DJ and drinks provided by Tiger Gin while also getting the chance to see the new treatment rooms and watch facial demonstrations.

Captions:

1 Hanna Gamble, Constantine Tziambazis, Sinead O’Herlihy

2 Ella Jane Cox, Deborah Mitchell

3 Isabel Hill, Louise Hill

4 Lisa Piddington, Luisa Hackney

5 Nicholla Boddy, Kerry Pace, Jane Gilmore, Helen Hollier

6 Raymond Kwok, Huihui Zheng

7 Royston Blythe, Nick Malenko

8 Sally Faye, Alannah Evitts, Sophie Shakespeare

9 Sophie Dodd, June Dodd

10 Tessi Rehman, Fozia Tawfiq, Sophina Khan

A selection of media, press and tenants of the Custard Factory and Zellig were welcomed to the official launch of Stag Digbeth’s new concept bar, barbers and coffee shop. Guests were treated to complimentary drinks, music and street food by connoisseurs Canoodle. Just feet away from the original barbershop, Stag now offers clients and customers a unique, independent destination to hang out, drink, have a coffee and receive the full barbering service.

Captions:

1 Aaron Foster, Adam, Judith Armstrong, Lee Kemp

2 Baldwin, Ant Douglas

3 Jenny Blake, Zoe Aitken, Matt Yates

4 Laura Whitehouse, Jodie Perry

5 Staff from Eastside Co

6 Guests enjoying opening party

7 Friends of Stag Digbeth

LoveBrum celebrated its fourth birthday with a party for more than 150 guests at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and launched the charity’s new membership campaign. Since its inception, LoveBrum has showcased more than 120 ‘hidden gem’ causes and funded 72 projects to the tune of over £100,000. It has also secured a partnership with the National Lottery and set up its Causes Conference where projects and charities from across Birmingham get vital business support and advice.

Resorts World launched its multi-million pound bar and restaurant transformation, Sky By The Water, with a special party serving classic comfort cooking, cocktails and afternoon tea in its stunning fifth-floor rooftop setting. Guests enjoyed drinks and cocktails, canapés from head chef Aaron Darnley and chocolate bon bons from head pastry chef and Bake Off: The Professionals finalist, Darryl Collins.

Captions:

1 Ed James, Adam Woodyatt, Gary Newbon

2 John Hornby, Mayor of Solihull Cllr Flo Nash, Ian Bennett

3 Kelly Cridland, Kim Keyes, Karen Basnett

4 Kate Manion, Sarah Morris

5 Linda Leggett, Janine Peel, Tracy Whitehouse, Hannah Smith

6 Rob Palmer, Glynn Purnell, Darryl Collins, Aaron Darnley

7 Ashlie Nevin, Rebecca Bohemia, Kerstyn Zeslawski

8 GBBO The Professionals reunited: Darryl Collins, Hideko Kawa, Bharat Chandegra

9 Paul Mitchell, Anita Champaneri, Matthew Dodwell

More than 200 guests were welcomed to Tattu for an evening of food, drink and entertainment on the eve of the opening of the new restaurant and bar in Barwick Street. They were treated to Champagne, cocktails and spirits alongside a selection of contemporary Chinese canapés from the new menu, including lobster prawn toast, sticky beef short rib and wild mushroom spring rolls. A DJ provided live entertainment while guests took the chance to explore the venue’s yin and yang-inspired interior.

Captions:

1 Abz and Poonam Walid

2 David Pardoe, Andrew Riley

3 Katy Paddock, Anita Champaneri, Tru and Tara Powell

4 Katy Paddock, Victoria Ball, Raj Sanghera, Marcus Hawley, Pieter Claussen

5 Mandeep Rajput, Qasim Majid, Bilal Hussein, Pawan Kenth

6 Sophie Canning, Anna Hawkins

7 Sunny Sanga, Angie Wallsworth, Kate Murray, Liesel Aldridge

Alphaatire’s first event and fashion show was held at TC’s Centre, Moseley Road, Balsall Heath in conjunction with new clothing brand Life Over Death (L-OR.D) which focuses on making a positive change within youth in relation to gang culture and knife crime. The show was hosted by Shovon Wiggan and as well as clothes from Alphaatire and Life Over Death, there were performances from artists Jay L’ Booth, Slickz and RsKrr.

Captions:

1 Samantha-Jayne, Heckly Man

2 Sharna Johnson, Jasmine Barnard

3 Isa Khan, Mya Henry

4 Zeryab Nadeem, Amy Saunders

5 Levar Darrell, Handreth McGowan

6 Tammy Rose Bringloe, Lloyd McDonald

7 Tanya Fuller, Ben Ffrench, Abe Gabriel

8 Juddah James, Tueson Stuart, Shovon Wiggan

9 Tanya Fuller, Abe Gabriel

The fifth annual Signature Awards, celebrating excellence in the region’s business, manufacturing and service industries, were held in front of a sell-out, 560-strong audience at the ICC. Keynote speaker Piers Linney of BBC’s Dragons’ Den outlined the changing economic landscape as a result of technological advances and the impact of AI (Artificial Intelligence). The premier Business of the Year award was won by Walsall-based, The Staffing Group, which has grown to become one of the UK’s top 30 recruitment agencies. The evening raised £6,500 for Acorns children’s charity.

Captions:

1 Excellence in Finance: Clydesdale & Yorkshire Bank plc

2 Excellence in Real Estate: Bahram Parinchy (Pro Build 360)

3 Small Business of the Year: KMB Shipping Group

4 Business Person of the Year: Manjeet Rai

5 Entrepreneur of the Year: James Tark

6 Excellence in Promoting Apprenticeships: Total Training Company

7 Business of the Year: The Staffing Group

8 International Innovation Enterprise: Byron Dixon (Microfresh)

Bereavement charity Edward’s Trust launched a year of celebrations to mark its 30th anniversary with a special event at the Binding Site group, Edgbaston. Guests were welcomed by patron and Binding Site CEO, Charles de Rohan, before hearing about the Trust’s three decades of work from founder Peter Dent. CEO Yvonne Gilligan talked through plans for the future and introduced the event programme for 2019. An exciting year began with patron Judy Dyke receiving an MBE from the Queen for her amazing support for the Trust.

Captions:

1 Cynthia Lawson, Aine Gallagher

2 The Binding Site staff

3 Deak Lake, Lucy Goodway

4 Lava Yassen, Mariam Al-ani

5 Judy Dyke, David Christie

6 Judy Dyke, Peter Dent

7 Peter Barrett, Peter Dent

8 Lucy Goodway, Richard Page

Hallfield School celebrated its 140th anniversary with a Founders Ball at Birmingham Conference and Events Centre. The black-tie event was attended by Old Hallfieldians, parents and staff – past and present – as friends of school celebrated Hallfield’s huge successes. The evening kicked off with a Champagne reception, followed by a three-course meal and wine and ended with a bang as guests were treated to live music and a disco.

Racing fans gathered at the Belfry Hotel and Resort for an exclusive evening with 20-time champion jump jockey Sir AP McCoy – and raised more than £30,000 for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity. Guests were welcomed by talkSPORT presenter Rupert Bell before enjoying a three-course meal. Sir AP then took to the stage for a Q&A hosted by Sky Sports’ Emma Spencer. Proceeds from tickets for the evening and a raffle and auction on the night will fund 12 future life-saving air ambulance missions.

Captions:

1 Rupert Bell, Sir AP McCoy, Willie Thorne

2 Edward Austin, Charlie Todd

3 Adele Whelan, Martin Whelan, Adam Williams

4 Cairi Dyson, Rachel Paddock, Hayley Hankey

5 David Burrows, Tessa Rollings, Rob Fulton

6 Lorra Bicknel, Jason Levey, Shaun Kelly

7 Sir AP McCoy, Abbie Hawkins

One of the nation’s most recognisable and memorable wrestlers, Tony ‘Banger’ Walsh, hosted a star-studded event at Berkswell’s Nailcote Hall. Guests included Adam Woodyatt, Nick Owen and Gary Newbon with the black tie evening raising vital funds for local charities.

Captions:

1 Adam Woodyatt, Tony Walsh

2 Bob Hall, Nick Owen, Gary Newbon

3 Tony and Carole Walsh with take@that

4 Tony Walsh with Eddie Kidd, Roy ‘Chubby’ Brown, Duncan Norvelle, David Moorcroft

5 Sue and Rick Cressman

6 Tony and Tracy Walsh

7 Sue Cressman, David Shortland

Nepalese restaurant Jojolapa celebrated its move to the Jewellery Quarter with an exclusive event for family and friends. The family-run business, which was first opened by the nationally-recognised chef Ganesh Shrestha, now has his son Sanju Shrestha taking over the reins as the restaurant continues on a new and exciting journey.

Captions:

1 Ganesh Shrestha and family

Broadcast journalist-turned-comedian Jeremy Nicholas provided the laughs when he appeared as guest speaker at a Birmingham Press Club lunch. Award-winning Jeremy, who last year enjoyed a successful 27-show run at the Edinburgh Fringe, reminisced about a career which has taken him from the Midlands – where he received a punch from legendary Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough ¬– to the BBC World Service, Channel 5 and being stadium announcer at West Ham United FC. The lunch was held at the Circle Restaurant, Birmingham Hippodrome.

Captions:

1 Llewela Bailey, Jeremy Nicholas, Bob Warman

2 Olie Hills, Jo Jeffries, John Duckers, Dorothy Hobson, Simon Pitt

3 Clive Reeves, Hazel Horton-Peppercorn

4 Alan Carruthers, Diane Hall, Neil Wilson, Fred Bromwich

5 Claire Fry, Steve Price, Jessica Brabant

6 Dean Williams, Chris Mair, Sue Smith, Chris Mowbray

7 Said Khan, Jackie Royal, Kate Canty

8 Bob Warman, Bob Haywood, Anne and Reg Harcourt

An annual property seminar hosted by Midlands law firm Lodders attracted 140 delegates from across the region. They heard a talk from Spencer Claye, senior planning and development director of Bloor Homes, which centred on the government’s Building Better, Building Beautiful commission that is set to tackle the challenge of poor quality design and build of new homes. The seminar was held at the Ardencote at Claverdon.

Captions:

1 Spencer Claye, Phil Fermor, Tom Docker, Mark Miller, Alastair Frew, Jane Senior, George Campion

2 John Gray, Louise Igoe

3 Martin Green, Martin Elliot, Mark Robins

4 Rebecca Freeman, Andrew Oulsnam

5 Brian Lewis, Steven Baker

6 Michael Peachey Tim Malby, Stephen Moore

7 Keith Williams, Ed Bird, Mark Miller, Rod Bird

8 David Cook, John Angood, James Spreckley

9 Jeremy Watson, Roger Campion

Investment Property Forum (IPF) Midlands celebrated their annual dinner at the ICC with more than 600 guests from the region’s property sector. Special guest was actress and Birmingham Living cover star Meera Syal who took time out from her busy panto schedule to entertain guests with stories of being brought up in the Midlands. Sponsors for the event included Irwin Mitchell and Lloyds Bank.

Captions:

1 Meera Syal, Damian Lloyd

2 Martin McQueen, Barry Riley, Sue Forster

3 Matthew Hannah, Mike Eaglesfield, David Smith, Graeme Rutter

4 Paul Bagshaw, Scott Osborne

5 Jonathan Wallis, Damian Lloyd

6 Allen Mckenzie, James Tudge, Richard Round

7 James Cubitt, Edyta Mikulko, Guy Gusterson

8 Gareth Williams, Gareth Thornton, Mark Watkins

The annual golf tournament between Old Hallfieldian Society and West House Old Boys Association took place Edgbaston Golf Club with OHS once again coming out on top. This year’s victory also included a hole in one by OHS’s Allan Fatah. The golfers were joined for lunch by Roger Outwin-Flinders, headmaster of Hallfield School, Richard Harper, chairman of OHS, and Celia Hooper, OHS executive officer. They also welcomed former West House headmaster Kim Duce, Jean Pratt and Clive Smith, chairman of WHOBA.

Captions:

1. Tim Venner receives the silver salver from Michael Matthews
2. David Jackson, James Barwell, William Winstone, Julian Francis
3. Harry Bowler, Nick Davies, Jonathan Carter, James Gittins
4. John Austin, Bob Hale, Richard Baller, Peter Heath
5. Paul Platnauer, Ted Rogers, Jeremy Thornton, Mark Adams
6. Peter Lugsdin, Chris Williams, Rob Bulpitt, Nick Jones
7. Allan Fatah, Robert Hall, James Harman Sherwood, Tom Handley
8. Peter Wall, Richard Harper

A masquerade ball was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel to raise funds for Birmingham Big Art Project. The ball coincided with the unveiling of five concepts for the £2million public artwork, one of which will be chosen and commissioned in the New Year. The ball brought together the project’s steering group, trustees and supporters for a night of carnival fun and raised more than £3,000.

Photography by Jas Sansi

Captions:

1. Glyn and Maggie Pitchford, Mayor and Mayoress of Birmingham
2. James Rose, Jo Brain, Mario Flanagan
3. Maila Tablizio, Elizabeth Martin, Anita Champaneri
4. Robin and Suzanne Barnes
5. Ellie and Will Wong, Shelley Carter
6. David Jupp, Lee Benson
7. Gerry Loughrey
8. Pet, Clare and Marc Reeves, Clive Reeves