• Fagin crime bosses ordered kids to steal in the Birmingham riots – FAGIN-STYLE criminals ordered youngsters to go out and steal for them during the Midland riots, a Crown Prosecution Service chief has revealed. Harry Ireland, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the West Midlands, said the actions of some crime bosses during the disorder in August were reminiscent of the Dickensian character.
• Morris Hunting, the man who founded The Diskery, dies aged 82 – BIRMINGHAM legend Morris Hunting, founder of the world famous vinyl record shop The Diskery, has died. And his city centre store, which has served stars from Robert Plant to Joe Cocker and Black Sabbath, is to close for the first time today in 60 years as a mark of respect.
• I was raped in broad daylight by sex fiend under police surveillance says Birmingham youngster – A TEENAGER has told how she was viciously raped in broad daylight by a sex fiend who was supposed to be under police surveillance. The victim was just 16 years old when she was attacked by Dean Hammersley, who is five years older than her, as she walked along Bull Street in Birmingham city centre.
• Man jailed for firing gun in Birmingham city centre Broad Street nightspot – A GUNMAN who fired seven times in the air in the centre of Birmingham’s entertainment district has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years. Keith Dandy terrorised innocent revellers on Broad Street when he took out a handgun and pulled the trigger at 2am on June 8 last year.
• Some history of Island House by Joe Holyoak – Island House is situated in a prominent position at the west end of Fazeley Street at its junction with Albert Street. It is a prominent landmark and a fine Classical style building, described by Andy Foster in the Pevsner Architectural Series volume ‘Birmingham’ (2005) on p190 as “of 1912-13 by G. E. Pepper. Mannerist, e.g. the reversed orders on the corner entrance: Ionic below, then Doric, then Tuscan.” Island House was built as offices and warehousing for Churchill & Co, and has parallels in other commercial and industrial buildings designed by Pepper, of which 75 Vyse Street in the Jewellery Quarter, constructed in 1909, is now listed by English Heritage at grade II.
• Demolition of Birmingham city centre’s Island House begins despite claims of legal agreement – THE future of a historic Birmingham building remained clouded in doubt last night – even after planners approved its demolition. Despite opposition from residents and conservation groups, the council’s planning committee was powerless to prevent a demolition order for Island House at Eastside.

• The strange tale of Island House – The tale of Island House has exposed the limitations, the complexities and the legal difficulties of the planning process. The owner of Island House, a grand 1913 built warehouse and offices at Eastside, wants to demolish it because either restoration is too costly or it has been unable to find a tenant.
• New NSPCC centre opens in Newhall Street – THOUSANDS of at-risk children in the West Midlands will be given help from a new centre which has opened in Birmingham. The innovative NSPCC base aims to reach out bringing face-to-face counselling to much greater numbers of abused children and their families.
• Birmingham gets another thumbs-up from the New York Times – Top Stories – News – Birmingham Mail – AMERICAN tourists could soon be flocking to Birmingham after another resounding thumbs-up from the New York Times. The influential newspaper highlighted some of the city’s best offerings in its latest article. Birmingham’s canals, Michelin star restaurants, the Jewellery Quarter and even the city’s two football clubs got a mention in the article called 36 hours in the city.
• Unemployment benefit map shows party political divide – The number of people claiming unemployment benefit is falling in some key coalition constituencies while continuing to rise in many Labour-held seats, new figures show. An analysis by Tribune magazine of the latest unemployment statistics shows that 12 out of 15 constituencies with the highest percentage of jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) claimants are held by Labour MPs.
• Work due to start on new John Lewis store at Birmingham New Street station – Construction will get underway by spring and will see builders creating a mammoth 155,000 sq ft store, which will be the largest John Lewis shop outside of London. It is estimated it will take more than two years to construct the store, which is to be built over four floors. It is expected to open its doors to shoppers in autumn 2014, creating 650 jobs to staff the shop.
• Demolition of Birmingham city centre’s Island House begins despite claims of legal agreement – THE future of a historic Birmingham building remained clouded in doubt last night – even after planners approved its demolition. Despite opposition from residents and conservation groups, the council’s planning committee was powerless to prevent a demolition order for Island House at Eastside.

• Flurry of first time buyers head en-masse to Park Central – A flurry of first time buyers have descended upon Park Central in the last two weeks according to Crest Nicholson, the developer behind the popular residential development in Birmingham city centre. Visitor levels more than doubled in January, with approximately 60 per cent of the visitors being first time buyers interested in the government’s FirstBuy scheme, which is available on the newly launched two bedroom apartments in the Lincoln building at Lower Parkside.
• Brummie rockers Black Sabbath to finish new record back home – The legendary band, formed in Aston in 1969, will fly back to the city from Los Angeles to put the finishing touches to the record – the first featuring the original line-up since 1978. A statement on their website said: “The guys have moved writing sessions from Los Angeles to Birmingham.
• Cops find £500,000 of cannabis in raid on old factory next door to Birmingham theatre – POLICE discovered almost £500,000 of cannabis after raiding a derelict factory – next door to the Old Rep Theatre in Birmingham. Cops said more than 600 plants had been found at the two-floor factory in Station Street, behind New Street Station.
• Meet Birmingham celebrates 30th anniversary of Birmingham Convention Bureau at Confex – Meet Birmingham, the official business tourism programme for the city, is marking the 30th birthday of its Convention Bureau (BCB) by launching its new 2012 Conference Guide and taking its strongest ever selection of partners to this year’s International Confex, the UK’s leading conference for event organisers. The event, taking place from 6-8 March at its new home ExCeL London, will see Conference Aston, Edgbaston Stadium, Hotel La Tour, The Belfry, the ICC and venuebirmingham join Meet Birmingham to showcase the city, Solihull and the Black Country as a top conference and events destination.
• Birmingham riots: West Midlands Police charge 15-year-old Stechford boy with four burglaries after fresh swoops on suspected rioters – The 15-year-old, from Stechford, was one of ten people arrested in dawn raids mounted by police hunting suspected looters. He will now be hauled before the courts accused of burgling Orange mobile phone shops in New Street and High Street, the T-Mobile shop in Corporation Street and Jessops in Cherry Street.

• Midland pop wizard Roy Wood’s Broad Street star is cracking up – Sunday Mercury – WELL, he wishes it could be cleaned up every day… The glitzy star awarded to Midland pop wizard Roy Wood isn’t all it was cracked up to be. In fact, it’s just cracked up.
• Film and TV productions worth £10 million to Birmingham over just six months – The latest big-budget production, the Stephen Poliakoff drama Dancing on the Edge starring actors Matthew Goode and Chiwetel Ejiofor, has just finished filming in the city. Much of the filming took at the Council House in Victoria Square and the Grand Hotel in Colmore Row and the Black Country Museum were also hired.
• Staff at Birmingham shoe store Barratts given the boot with four days’ notice – STAFF at a Birmingham city centre store arrived for work – to be ordered to clear the shop of customers because they were being made redundant. Almost 30 Barratts shoe shop workers based at the New Street branch – which operated for 40 years – lost their jobs yesterday.
• First Birmingham city centre store for Waitrose – UPMARKET High Street retailer Waitrose is opening its first store in Birmingham city centre – creating 40 new jobs. The ‘little Waitrose’ will open its doors to Birmingham shoppers at premises in Colmore Row on March 20, it was revealed.
• Birmingham businesses hit out at city centre car parking rules – Companies in Birmingham city centre claim business is being damaged and customers driven away by on-street parking restrictions. New figures obtained by the Birmingham Post under the Freedom of Information Act have revealed the top 20 streets in central Birmingham where the most parking fines have been issued.
• Birmingham library ‘Faces’ see work move ahead – THE public faces representing Birmingham’s £190 million new library enjoyed a tour of the city centre site. Twelve of the 17 faces of the Library of Birmingham met city council leader Coun Mike Whitby to check on progress at the Centenary Square venue, which is due to open next year.
• Birmingham city centre bar Anjo’s given order to remain closed – A Vietnamese bar in Birmingham city centre, which was the scene of attempted murder must stay closed because the authorities have no confidence in the owner. Si Kwong Lee, who owns Anjo’s bar in Essex Street in the Southside area, has failed in his bid to take on the licence from his previous tenant following strong objections from police.

• Property  /  GBR Phoenix Beard bags a bargain – BARGAIN Pages, the classified ad operator, has relocated from Tyseley to Birmingham city centre’s Cavendish House as part of the company’s plans to increase awareness of the brand.
• Birmingham road brought to standstill by Congo protest march – TRAFFIC on a major Birmingham road was brought to a halt today (TUES) when protestors staged a march against human rights in the Congo. Hundreds of people walked along the A34 from Newtown to the Mailbox at lunchtime, leaving behind long traffic jams in their wake.
• Search on to find Birmingham’s greenest restaurant – THE search for Birmingham’s most environmentally friendly eatery begins today with the launch of the city’s Green Restaurant Awards. Workers in the food industry and members of the public will be able to nominate restaurants in the scheme now in its third year.
• Back to Backs launches appeal for wallpaper for new exhibition at a historic Birmingham attraction – SCRAPS of wallpapers are needed for a new exhibition at a historic Birmingham attraction. This year, staff at the Back to Backs, in the heart of the city centre, are working on a new project cataloguing and researching machine-made wallpaper.
• Waitrose to open its first Birmingham city centre store in March – Waitrose has confirmed that its first store in Birmingham city centre will open on Tuesday 20 March. The 3,229 sq ft little Waitrose will be the retailer’s first store in Birmingham’s city centre, complementing nearby branches in Harborne, Sutton Coldfield and Four Oaks. Creating up to 40 new jobs, recruitment for the store is taking place online now via waitrosejobs.com. Successful candidates will begin their training in early March.

• Birmingham Steelhouse Lane police station could close as force cuts costs – A LANDMARK Birmingham police station that has been in operation for 120 years could be ditched under a £126 million cost-cutting drive. Cash-strapped police chiefs are investigating the possibility of closing the doors on the historic Steelhouse Lane base, in the city centre, and replacing it with something smaller.
• Birmingham Council unveils plans for The Pallasades – Network Rail and Birmingham City Council has appointed retail consultants to commence the leasing of The Pallasades shopping centre, which is being significantly upgraded and remodelled as part of the major redevelopment of Birmingham New Street station. The multimillion pound redevelopment will see a new 250,000 sq ft John Lewis store open at the site in autumn 2014, and the currently run-down The Pallasades shopping centre situated above New Street Station is set to undergo a major upgrade and remodelling initiative.
• Birmingham city centre rush hour chaos after Expressway crash – RUSH hour traffic out of Birmingham was gridlocked when a car and motorcyclist were involved in a collision, causing major delays for commuters heading home. Queues stretched back on Aston Expressway along Smallbrook Queensway to Holloway Circus in the heart of the city after the incident at Park Circus at about 5.30pm yesterday.

• HS2 station at Curzon Street in Birmingham will see all of Eastside regenerated – A new high speed railway station will bring wealth and jobs into Birmingham city centre, Transport Secretary Justine Greening has pledged. Speaking to the Birmingham Post, Ms Greening backed Birmingham City Council’s proposals to use the planned new station at Curzon Street to regenerate the surrounding area, known was Eastside.
• Birmingham city centre tunnel to shut for ‘vital’ refurb – ONE of Birmingham’s main city centre tunnels is being shut down at night for more than two months in a move that could cause rush hour chaos. “Vital” strengthening works means that from next Monday on weeknights Lancaster Tunnel will close from 7pm to 6am.
• Major Australian hotel chain takes on Birmingham City Centre office block – A RUN-down 1960s shopping centre and office block is set to get a £100 million overhaul courtesy of one of Australia’s leading hotel chains. The Sydney-based Staywell Group is looking to open its first European hotel in the Auchinleck House office block overlooking Edgbaston Five Ways.
• New coach and lorry park for Birmingham – A new dedicated coach and lorry park, serving Birmingham city centre, is now open to hauliers and coach operators, nearly ten years after the closure of the city’s last such dedicated facility. The new secure park, at Brewery Street will provide 32 coach or lorry spaces, be monitored by CCTV and feature a rest room with hot and cold water, showers and toilets.
• Broad Street boss hands in petition against Birmingham police front counter changes – THE boss of Birmingham’s Golden Mile has handed in a petition in protest at plans to close police station front counters at night. Broad Street manager Mike Olley was among those who submitted the document to West Midlands Police at the force’s Lloyd House headquarters on Saturday.

Laura J Martin

Duotone

3D

And as a special bonus track, if you have a pair of red-cyan 3D glasses, here’s an experimental 3D video!

Auriyga

Sharron Kraus

Fursaxa

It was my first go with a new camera I’d bought two days earlier, so excuse some of the interesting camera angles!

The Sound of Ore

Lash Frenzy

The debate kicked off in earnest last night at the Hyatt, with a panel session and question and answer hosted by @PoliticsInBrum; below is a Wrangl of the key points made for and against. By logging in to it using your Twitter account you can add your own points, or add counter-arguments to the points already made.

Or why not join the discussion on our new forum?

http://www.thedrumachineproject.com/

And now also in experimental 3D-O-Vision!

Two bands which have come out of the Folk Ensemble recently which have what lazy PR-writers like to say ‘exploded’ onto the scene are The Bonfire Radicals, and Auriyga; both bands formed earlier this year, The Bonfire Radicals caused quite a stir when they played at Moseley Folk Festival, and another stir with their Symphony Hall performance as part of ArtsFest. As well as displaying a high standard of musicianship, what also characterises their performance is musical maturity; they’re not just playing the tunes that they’ve read in the books (or written themselves) – they clearly all get the folk genre, living and breathing the traditions whilst making them their own, and not being hide-bound by those traditions but very quickly taking the traditional forms and tunes and extending them in the way they want to take them whilst still remaining respectful to the origins.

One thing which shines through the Radicals’ performances is just how much they are enjoying themselves – they are clearly a tight-knit group of friends who enjoy working together, and when they play you can tell they’re doing it to please themselves, which results in a much more natural performance than the usual band which just seems to be going through the motions, or worse still, visibly acting; they’re enjoying themselves, and that enjoyment is infectious, making it impossible for us in the audience not to share that enjoyment. But there’s also the added bonus that as musicians they’re all true professionals, doing their own things separately in their own projects, which I hope to check out as well.

If they wish it, they could go a long way as a band together – they gel as if they’ve been doing it for years; the challenges they face immediately are threefold – (1) to not let their immediate success go to their heads, (2) to stick at it rather than it being a year-long project which they move on from, and (3) if they survive the previous two challenges, to grow and develop their own soundworld to keep moving forwards, rather than getting stuck in a sonic rut. The creativity they show so early in their careers plus the wealth of material they can draw from in world folk music traditions should make (3) a cinch – so let’s hope (1) and (2) don’t let them down. I have every confidence in them!

 The Bonfire Radicals

Auriyga

(the lighting in the venue was a bit too low for my cheapo video camera, hence the graininess)

In this review I’m aware I’ve not touched upon Auriyga’s performance; they’re playing again in Birmingham on 2 December (Hare and Hounds) and 11 December (Tower of Song), after which I hope to write about them in their own rights.

Day 1

Performers featured:

• The Bonfire Radicals
• Great Imitation
• Elliot Jack
• Highly Sprung Performance Co
• The Cohen Brothers
• Trinity PKFR
• Snooty Bobs
• Rakesh Chauhan

Day 2

Performers featured:

• Someone-at-the-door Samba Band
• Elfynn
• FaceOmeter & The Dapper Swindler
• Gypsy Fire
• Dance Sansaar
• Greyish Quartet
• MUTATE
• Arbor Lights
• Cordao de Ouro capoeira
• Chickenbone Blues
• The Pockets
• The Guillemots

See you next year!

• Manager of Birmingham city centre Indian restaurant Milan accused of keeping bill payments – Tarun Arora is alleged to have stolen £23,000 from Milan Indian Cuisine, Birmingham, which he ran. The 33-year-old was arrested by West Midlands Police after suspicions were allegedly raised by staff and customers.
• ArtsFest: Thousands attend first day in Birmingham – More than 100,000 people visited Birmingham’s annual arts festival on its opening day. ArtsFest began on Saturday with free events around the city giving people the chance to enjoy music, theatre, dance and storytelling.
• Birmingham taxi drivers prosecuted in spot-check operation – A CLAMPDOWN on taxis in Birmingham saw 89 vehicles pulled over and subjected to a spot check – with more than 40 per cent facing prosecution. Four vehciles were taken off the road immediately for having faults that would fail an MOT and seven drivers had their licences suspended on the spot due to the state of their cars.
• Aktar Islam’s perfect weekend – Chef Aktar Islam runs the kitchen at award-winning Birmingham restaurant Lasan. The Jewellery Quarter-based restaurant was over all winner of Gordon Ramsay’s F Word Best Local Restaurant and Aktar has also appeared on the BBC’s Great British Menu. He tells us about his ideal weekend.
• Support our Markets: Carl Chinn fears working class will be forced out of Birmingham city centre – CLOSING Birmingham’s Wholesale Markets could lead to working class people being alienated from the city centre, according to historian Carl Chinn. He is the latest figure to back the campaign by traders and the Birmingham Mail to save the city’s under-threat institution.
• Birmingham service held for 9/11 victims – A POIGNANT service was held in Birmingham to mark the anniversary as nearly 100 people joined together in prayer and reflection at Birmingham Cathedral. Before the hour-long service, firefighters from Aston held a minute’s service at the exact time the first hijacked plane slammed into one of the Twin Towers in New York.
• Birmingham market traders call for meeting with City leader – BIRMINGHAM’S Wholesale Market traders have called for a meeting with City Council leader Mike Whitby after he claimed that cash might be found from developers to support their relocation from the City Centre. The Wholesale Traders Association are now calling for more details from the Tory leader to help end the doubts over their future.
• 600 events on the bill for Birmingham Artsfest – The annual jamboree will once more provide an impressive display of unabashed creativity in the city, with a mouth-watering line-up of major artists from across several disciplines. Top indie outfit Guillemots warm up for their forthcoming UK tour with a special headline show.

• Saffron restaurant expansion to serve up jobs – Under £600,000 plans, Saffron in Oldbury intends to open a new branch at the former Mango Tree in Stonnall and in Colmore Row in Birmingham city centre. The branches, which will also be called Saffron, will open at the end of October.
• Team Birmingham ready to welcome Liberal Democrats – The successful ‘Team Birmingham’ approach, which brings together the city’s leading companies and agencies to host major events, has been deployed in preparation for the autumn conference. Partners such as Birmingham City Council, Marketing Birmingham, The NEC Group, West Midlands Police, Broad Street BID, Brindleyplace, Centro, The Hyatt Regency, City Centre Partnership and others have been working closely to ensure the event delivers maximum benefit to the city.
• Birmingham celebrates opening of new £40 million student homes complex – Birmingham’s status as one of the UK’s most student-friendly cities has been underlined with the opening of a new £40 million student accommodation complex in the city centre. The 656-bed project, jointly developed by Cosmopolitan Student Homes and Iliad Group, is adjacent to Birmingham Aston University and near Birmingham City University. Students will begin moving in this month with all rooms already taken.
• West Midlands Police chief insists he had no reason to believe riots were to spread to Birmingham – THE head of West Midlands Police has said the force had no reason to believe that rioting would spread to Birmingham last month. Chief Constable Chris Sims’ comments came as more than 700 people gathered at Birmingham Town Hall for a three-hour public debate on August’s disorder which marred the city.
• Visiting Birmingham: exploring Britain’s second city – With a buzzing arts scene and a revamped centre, Birmingham is firmly on the travel map. Birmingham may be Britain’s second largest city, but these days its inhabitants (the Brummies) are no longer content to play second fiddle to London. And neither should they, as I discovered when I headed to a city where I found more canals than Venice, a totally revamped centre, a buzzing arts scene and one of the most impressive budget culinary sensations in Britain.
• Birmingham gangs ‘not only to blame for riots’ – A former gang leader has warned people not to put the Birmingham riots solely down to gang culture in the city. Gavin McKenna was one of about 1,000 people at a BBC Radio 4 debate at Birmingham Town Hall on Monday night to discuss the causes of the riots.
• Birmingham Wholesale Markets could still be relocated in city, says Whitby – The Tory council chief hinted that money for a move could be generated to help traders, despite the council previously admitting it could no longer subsidise the relocation of the Wholesale Markets in Pershore Street, Digbeth, to Witton.

The mall through the ICC will be closed to the public throughout the conference. The area around the building, including Centenary Square, the Hyatt Regency Hotel and the section of Broad Street closest to Paradise Forum will see some changes to access for traffic.

You can download a map of the closures and diversions.

Before the Conference

The following vehicle restrictions will apply. During these times access will not be permitted to any vehicle.

8pm Thursday 15th September 2011 to 5am Friday 16th September 2011
No vehicle access to Broad Street between Gas Street and Paradise Circus. Vehicle access to Broad Street between Gas Street and Sheepcote Street will be via Holliday Street and Berkley Street only.

5am Friday 16th September 2011 to 7am Saturday 17th September 2011
Broad Street open to all traffic but some localised road width restrictions.

8pm Friday 16th September 2011 to 7am Saturday 17th September 2011
No vehicle access to Cambridge Street between Brindley Drive to Civic Close and Bridge Street near to the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Access for residents to Civic Close will be via King Edwards Road only.

During the Conference

7am Saturday 17th September 2011 to 5am Thursday 22nd September 2011
Broad Street (Gas Street to Paradise Circus), Bridge Street (near to the Hyatt Regency Hotel) and Cambridge Street (Brindley Drive to Civic Close) will be pedestrian access only. Vehicle access for residents to Civic Close will be via King Edwards Road only.

Broad Street will not be available as a through route for vehicles during the conference, motorists are therefore advised to use the following alternative routes:

• Into city direction from Hagley Road, via Monument Road, Alston Street, Ring Road, Spring Hill Circus, Summer Hill Road, Sand Pits, Parade, Summer Row to Paradise Circus.
• Into city direction from Five Ways, via Islington Row, Bath Row, Holloway Head, Holloway Circus Queensway, Suffolk Street Queensway to Paradise Circus
• Out of city direction from Paradise Circus, via Summer Row, Parade, Sand Pits, Summer Hill Road Ring Road to Five Ways

The ICC will be closed to the general public from Thursday 15th September, reopening Thursday 22nd September at 7am. The public will not be able to access Symphony Hall, Symphony Hall Box Office, Cafe Vite or Castle Galleries during this time. A temporary Box Office station will be located in the main marquee on Centenary Square offering the opportunity to book and collect tickets.

Birmingham Register Office – Access to Birmingham Register Office (in Holliday Wharf, Holliday Street, Birmingham, B1 1TJ) will be available at all times via Suffolk Street Queensway into Holliday Street.

On Street Pay and Display – In Bridge Street, on street pay and display parking will be suspended during the conference.

Car Parks – The Brindley Drive, Brindleyplace and National Indoor Arena car parks are not affected.

Taxis – The taxi ranks outside the Reflex bar in Broad Street and in Bridge Street, next to the Hyatt Regency Hotel, will be suspended during the conference. Temporary taxi ranks will be provided in Broad Street (Oozells Street to Gas Street).

Buses – Throughout the conference, bus stops on the section of Broad Street between Five Ways and Sheepcote Street (in both directions), will continue to be in use. Bus stops in Broad Street between Sheepcote Street and Paradise Circus will not be in use.

Restaurants, bars, attractions, theatres, cinemas, businesses, and offices

All of the bars and restaurants along Broad Street and in Brindleyplace will be open as usual. The Hyatt Regency Hotel remains open. Cineworld cinema on Broad Street is not affected by the conference.

The National Sealife Centre, Crescent Theatre, Ikon and Number Nine Galleries in Brindleyplace are unaffected by the conference.

The Brasshouse Language Centre, the Transport and General Workers Union and all other shops, outlets, offices and businesses along Broad Street, at Five Ways and at Broadway Plaza are unaffected by the conference.

All temporary traffic restrictions will be removed from 5am on Thursday 22nd September 2011.

• Support our markets: Yardley MP says solution to crisis is close – AN MP has blamed a ‘communication problem’ for the Birmingham Wholesale Markets crisis after stepping in to mediate between traders and the city council. Yardley Liberal Democrat John Hemming said he believed the council was close to securing the future of the historic venue.
• Fairy Jobmother set to help Birmingham jobseekers – JOBSEEKERS have the chance to meet TV’s very own Fairy Jobmother at an employment roadshow in Birmingham city centre on Tuesday. Hayley Taylor, star of programme the Fairy Jobmother, will be on hand to offer advice and tips on landing that dream job at the Fish4jobs pop-up jobs fair in Victoria Square.
• Women called on for Acorns Children’s Hospice Midnight Walk in Brimingham – Top Stories – News – Birmingham Mail – WOMEN are being urgently encouraged to sign up to the 2011 Midnight Walk in aid of Acorns Children’s Hospice. The female-only event takes place on September 17 and will see more than 1,000 women stay awake to help the charity.

More information (Facebook link).