►
|
Home (main)
West Midlands
Home
County News
Voluntary
Sector Support
High Sheriffs Awards
County History
Links
|
West Midlands
County News
2010/2011
My Year may be winding down but there is no rest from public duties – from the Justice Service in Wolverhampton to supporting the Special Games. The Justice Service serves to remind us of the fundamental values on which an open, democratic society is built.
I feel humbled to hold the Office of High Sheriff. During my term of Office, I have been privileged to acquire a deeper insight into the work of our judicial system and the indefatigable efforts of our judges, magistrates, probation workers, police officers and those in the wider caring services to ensure that justice is delivered fairly, sensitively and wisely.
We depend upon the judiciary to be the final arbiters between individual liberty and social justice. They also remind us about our duty as citizens to hold a proper balance between our rights and responsibilities. Through their regulation of the social order, they encourage us in turn to develop a greater sense of public duty. It is gratifying to observe that their contribution to creating a good society is matched by the efforts of so many people in the community who are daily engaged in public service in a spirit of altruism and social responsibility.
I was delighted to attend the Basketball Special Games to give awards to the winners. Many of the athletes involved in the Special Games also aspire to reach the Special Olympics. The Special Olympics provide sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. These activities give them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship.
I hosted an event to support the outreach work of Birmingham Town Hall which is a registered Charity working with hundreds of local community and civic groups, as well as presenting world-class artists in this hall and in the Symphony Hall. The two halls engage with thousands of people through the charity’s Education and Community programme and through family-friendly activities, children’s programming and targeted ticket schemes for local residents in Ladywood. Some of the work involves working with refugee families and with over 200 Birmingham primary and secondary schools.
Winter 2010
The High Sheriff for the West Midlands, Anita Bhalla OBE has pledged to support youth initiatives during her year of Office. At her Garden Party this summer students from Birmingham Metropolitan College performed to an invited audience of Judges, local community groups, arts organisations, representatives of religious groups, Mayors from across the region and past High Sheriffs.
 
The performing group the ‘ForeRunners’ is named after the Forerunner Records which is the official record label of Birmingham Metropolitan College and is a link between education and the music industry. The main objective of Forerunner Records is to give young musicians the opportunity to experience how things work in the music industry.
The event was also used as an opportunity for the High Sheriff to talk about her visits to the Birmingham Hospice, the Bangladeshi Youth Forum and other youth projects across the region.
The High Sheriff also attended Civic Sunday in Wolverhampton, the picture above shows the Mayor of Wolverhampton and other dignitaries including the High Sheriff taking the salute.
Anita Bhalla
High Sheriff of the West Midlands 2010/2011
Summer 2010
The day after my Declaration I had the pleasure to be one of the official guests at the Bangladeshi Professional Business Forum’s launch of its new website. This event was held to celebrate the success of British Bangladeshis and to launch FYSHnet, a business networking organisation that brings together the ‘new generation’ of British Bangladeshi entrepreneurs and professionals. The event was held at Warwickshire Cricket Ground. There were over 600 guests from across the region and beyond with speakers including myself, TV presenter Konnie Huq, the High Commissioner for Bangladesh and an array of successful speakers from business.
The Bangladeshi community is one of the youngest and fastest growing communities in the UK and there are well over 38,000 Bangladeshis living in the West Midlands. FYSHnet provides a vital network for an ever increasing number of second and third generation British Bangladeshis who are involved in or diversifying into ‘non-traditional’ sectors and positioning themselves into mainstream business and professional lives.
 My Declaration took place at Birmingham Crown Court. As one of six siblings, this was both a formal event with civic dignitaries present but also very much a family event as well. My Chaplain, Derek Webley, is the District Bishop for the New Testament Church of God in Handsworth. As well as serving the church - he is a former chair of the Council for Black-led Churches – he is also involved in numerous community groups. His influence spreads wider than the Aston and Lozells area of Birmingham. Derek is also Vice Chairman of the West Midlands Police Authority and in this capacity provides a vital link between the police and minority ethnic communities.
I am very much focusing my Year on supporting community groups and many have already been in touch with me asking that I visit. I feel that in my role as High Sheriff I can help to promote their good work and raise their profile. There are so many unsung heroes working hard to make a difference in our society. I was very pleased to be invited to present the Pride of Handsworth Awards, a ceremony which gives awards for Services to the Community in this inner city area of Birmingham. The awards recognise the contributions individuals or groups make in keeping their local communities safe, clean and fun places to live and work in. This year the Awards recognised a wide variety of community activity, from those running allotments, to young people taking action to keep their local area safe, to those contributing to the physical environment of Handsworth.
Anita Bhalla OBE
High Sheriff of the West Midlands 2010/2011
|
