More than 160 West Midlands workers have lost their jobs in the collapse of photographic company Doubletake Studios, it was revealed today.
They are among around 800 people across the country to be made redundant immediately as administrators move in to close the business down.
Doubletake employed 166 people at its site in Mary Ann Street in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, as well as 290 at Manchester, London and Southampton.
Another 350 people employed as contractors are also affected. While existing orders are being sent out, anyone owed money by Doubletake is warned they are unlikely to be repaid in full.
A tiny Worcestershire firm has beaten off worldwide competition to win the UK's biggest medals contract since the First World War - to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Bromsgrove-based Worcestershire Medal Services have been awarded the £7 million order to supply medals to the armed forces, emergency services, prison staff and others celebrating next year's anniversary of the Queen's 60 years on the throne. And all the medals will be made in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, with city-based Gladman and Norman working with two neighbouring firms - Toye, Kenning and Spencer and Thomas Fattorini - to supply 450,000 medals from February 6 next year, the anniversary of the Queen's accession."
Gladman and Norman owner Phil McDermott, who set up Worcestershire Medal Services with just £120 in 1988, said: “These medals will be worn from everyone from the Duke of Edinburgh down to the youngest soldier in the Army. It’s a fabulous story for the Jewellery Quarter.
A Birmingham jeweller and a colleague “fled for their lives” when masked raiders hijacked their car in a gems heist in London.
Manoj Kumar ran off in terror when the crooks blocked in his car and smashed the windows to get at a bag containing a haul of 22-carat gold jewellery before escaping in the vehicle.
The 38-year-old said his ordeal had left him considering his future in the jewellery trade.
“It was terrifying,” he said. “I ran for my life.
“We’re still in shock. Sitting in my office I try to be normal but then I have flashbacks about what happened.”
Mr Kumar, a director of Hockley-based Karishma Jewellers, said he could not be sure how much the stolen jewellery was worth but estimated it would easily run into six figures.
The attack happened as he and a colleague, who would not be named, left a shop in Southall, London, last Tuesday.
He recalled: “We were blocked in by a blue Vectra and then they started smashing the windows of my car.
“He was asking for the bag, the guy with me got out of the car and they tried to punch him in the face. He bent down and the punch hit him in the neck.
“He was OK but obviously shaken.
A Worcestershire company has beaten off international competition to produce the official medals to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
Bromsgrove-based Worcestershire Medal Services (WMS) has been awarded a £7m contract.
Some 450,000 medals will be made in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter and mounted at the Bromsgrove factory.
They will be officially launched on 6 February, the anniversary of the Queen's accession.
Company owner Phil McDermott said: "This is real David and Goliath stuff, it's the biggest medals contract that has been put out by the government since the end of the First World War."
The contract was tendered across Europe, with the company successfully beating off competition from the Royal Mint among others.
Medal enthusiast Mr McDermott said he had started WMS in 1988 with just £120.
THE majority of West Midlands schools are set to close next Wednesday as public sector workers stage a mass 24-hour strike over pension reform.
Teachers, teaching assistants, dinner ladies, nurses, hospital cleaners, care workers, binmen, PCSOs and lollipop people are joining the demonstration.
Marchers will go from Lionel Street in the Jewellery Quarter to the National Indoor Arena where a rally will be held. Roads will be closed as a result.
Up to 20 public sector unions are supporting the action.
The major teaching unions, the NASUWT, the NUT, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers and the National Association of Head Teachers are all set to stage walkouts closing schools and colleges. Many parents have already been warned of the school closures.
The strike is over the Government’s proposed reform of public sector pensions.
TUC general secretary Brenden Barber said: “Dedicated public sector workers take no pleasure in taking action next week, but the blame for this strike lies squarely with the government for failing to engage in serious talks until unions decided on a day of action.”
A number of historic buildings in Birmingham are set to go under the hammer in December.
Aston Council House and Pype Hayes Hall are coming before CPBigwood’s next sale on December 8 in the Holte Suite at Aston Villa FC, starting at 11am.
Bigwood director Ian Tudor said: “These are two outstanding public buildings from when Birmingham was in its pomp.
“They may both have seen better days but, with vision and regeneration zeal, they could once more prove tremendous assets to the city.”
Aston Council House, in Albert Road, Aston, is a substantial and imposing late 19th Century four-storey freehold office with a guide price of £195,000.
Formerly used as a library and offices, it is locally Listed and consideration is currently being given to statutory Listing.
It is the second attempt to find a buyer for Pype Hayes Hall, 997 Chester Road, Erdington, which failed to sell at the last auction.
A 17th Century Grade II listed building, it was last used as offices.
There is a guide price of £350,000. Constructed in 1630 and known as the house of 13 Gables, a number of extensions were added in the 19th Century.
A section, formerly the stables, has fallen into disrepair. It is situated in a public park and its access is via the park entrance off the Chester Road.
Moseley Road Methodist Church, Moseley Road, Balsall Heath, dating from the 1950s is also up for auction and has had significant standing in its community. On a site of 0.25 acres, it is thought it may have potential for alternative uses or redevelopment.
Equally stand-out is 9 Regent Street, part of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. It once formed part of a large former button factory occupying the whole of the corner site on Frederick Street, Regent Street and Vittoria Street.
The property has planning permission to change part of the ground floor from light industrial use to a café. Considered to have refurbishment potential, there is a guide price of £150,000-£175,000.
Birmingham has once more been transformed into a little corner of Frankfurt after the traditional German market officially opened for business
Dozens of traders this week hit the streets selling their wares as well as warming winter refreshments for thousands of shoppers.
Stall worker Gloria Recio, said: “I really like the city, the people are friendly, they come after work and really enjoy having a gluhwein.”
The 44-year-old Spaniard, said: “My Christmas is here. There will be not one day off – so it’s a long Christmas, I promise.”
Marlis Loewenthal, from Frankfurt, who owns all the market’s alcohol and food stalls, is back in Birmingham for the 11th time this year.
AN artist from Wordsley is launching a new exhibition which mingles words and pictures with Black Country themes.
Robert Perry is launching a new exhibition featuring works based on a salvaged car engine as well as more familiar landscape images.
He has added an extra dimension to his latest works by adding newsprint to represent both commercial life in his home community and also the passage of time.
The engine is pictured in life-size to examine the history of top class engineering in the Midlands and its decline in recent years.
Although the new show, at the in the Birmingham's jewellery quarter, takes Robert Perry into new artistic territory, he is still showing works produced in his unique mobile studio which includes the "umpire's chair" - and elevated seat on the roof of his vehicle which gives the artist an elevated view the world.
PLANS by the Jesus Army to open a drop-in centre for drug addicts, prostitutes and asylum seekers in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter are likely to be approved after police chiefs raised no objection.
The proposal to convert offices in Lionel Street into a church, meeting rooms and cafe resulted in objections from the owners of up-market bars, restaurants and hotels who fear their businesses will suffer from an increase in anti-social behaviour.
More than 250 residents and businesses signed petitions urging the city planning committee to throw the application out.
The protest was backed by the Jewellery Quarter Heritage and Regeneration Group which claims that “the Jesus Army will lead to unacceptable anti-social behaviour and an acceleration of crime”.
Residents were “worried and distressed” by the proposal, the group claimed.
Solicitors acting for the owners of Cornwall House offices in Lionel Street are threatening legal action against the council if the application is approved.
But a report by West Midlands Police raises no objections and stated that a similar Jesus Army outlet in Coventry has “generated hardly any offences”.
Planning committee members will be recommended to approve the drop-in centre at their next meeting.
A Birmingham PR agency has made two new appointments to strengthen its team after winning several new clients. Barques PR, based in the Jewellery Quarter, was launched by directors Paul Skipp and Jilly Cosgrove just 10 months ago.
It operates alongside sister company Barques Design which has gained a reputation for delivering excellence locally, nationally and internationally over the past two decades.
Laura Butler, senior account executive, has joined from a Leamington Spa-based agency to help manage the new company’s growing client base. Since graduating from Wolverhampton University with a degree in journalism and editorial design, Laura has worked at a communications agency, writing and editing publications for clients such as Empire Cinemas, New Look and NFU Mutual.
Laura said: “Coming from an editorial background, I know what makes a good story and can relate to the challenges that journalists face. I’m currently getting to know our existing clients’ businesses inside out and building up relationships with key media contacts in their target sectors.”
Read More - http://www.creativeboom.co.uk/west-midlands/news/two-join-team-at-barques-pr/
Graffiti artist Victor X has created an image of the Birmingham skyline filled with crows to commemorate the arrival of the a cult film club in the city this week.
The Jameson Cult Film Club will be screening Alfred Hitchcock's classic horror film The Birds at St Paul's Church, in the Jewellery Quarter, on Thursday.
The film club brings its screenings to life through actors, props and extra surprises to give audiences a more involved experience of movies.
The future of the Birmingham Assay Office has been safeguarded following a Jewellery Quarter land deal with the city council.
Council property officials agreed to sell a site off Icknield Street to enable the 340-year-old business to build modern offices and remain in Birmingham.
The sale, at an undisclosed price, means that the Assay Office will scrap plans to relocate to Redditch, saving 150 jobs.
Members of the cabinet property sub-committee heard that the Assay Office’s existing five-storey premises, dating back to 1877, were unsuitable for a modern business and hampered future growth plans.
A cabinet report added: “The layout and configuration of the current Victorian building over five levels imposes significant operational constraints upon the efficiency and effectiveness of its services.
“The building is no longer fit for purpose and therefore the Assay Office is looking to relocate to new premises that marry operational efficiency and flexibility with the organisation’s heritage and status.”
The Birmingham Assay Office was established by an Act of Parliament in 1773 and has been in its current premises at the corner of Newhall Street and Charlotte Street in the Jewellery Quarter since 1877.
Operations now extend far beyond traditional hallmarking of gold and silver, making it the largest assay office in the world.
The new site, bounded by Icknield Street, Pope Street and Moreton Street, will be leased to the Assay Office by the city council.
The Assay Office says it will build a new “state of the art” building and sell its old headquarters.
Cabinet property sub-committee member Coun Randal Brew (Con Northfield) said: “I am delighted that we can keep the Assay Office in Birmingham. It is very important for the city and this is a major achievement.”
A Birmingham technology start up that helps simplify social media for business has claimed an industry first by incorporating Google+ into its software.
CrowdControlHQ’s buzz monitoring feature now searches Google+ public posts as well as Twitter, Facebook, Google news and blogs.
The company’s development team, based in the Jewellery Quarter, has also built a free tool for brands to search Google+ public posts independently of their service.
The tool allows brands to listen to what is being said about them across Google+ public posts providing demographic information around gender and location of the users and their mentions.
DAPPER cyclists went back in time by sporting 1920s and 30s period costumes in Birmingham’s first Tweed Ride.
The group rode together from St Paul’s church in the Jewellery Quarter, through the city centre and ended up at the Adam and Eve pub in Digbeth for a celebratory pint.
Cyclist Zsuzsi Mayer, who took part, said: “It’s always great fun to ride together and celebrate the joy of cycling, but the clothes really gave it some extra style.
“I’m glad so many people turned up and got into the spirit of the ride.
“I was really impressed by some of the costumes,” she added.
The ride was organised via Facebook and was inspired by earlier Tweed Runs in other cities.
The Tweed Run was first held in London in 2009 and now various events, have been launched across the world.
The rides have proved particularly popular in the US, having been held in San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia.
VISITORS can enjoy a rare chance to see glittering treasures from the city for one day only.
The Birmingham Assay Office office is inviting the public to see their silver collection and library.
Staff will also be giving talks on the history of hallmarking and the office in general.
Visitors will receive refreshments before the visit, and the chance to buy gifts and silver items all made in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter and hallmarked at the Assay Office.
The Silver Collection Visits will take place on December 6 at the Birmingham Assay Office, with the option of a morning visit at 11am or an afternoon visit at 2pm.
Places are limited to 25 for each of the visits, so early booking is advised.
To book a place or for further information, please call us on 0871 871 6020 or email silver@theassayoffice.co.uk.
A charge of £10 per head is payable in advance and non-refundable.
MEASURES to cut the rising seagull menace in Birmingham city centre by replacing their eggs with fakes are unlikely to succeed, councillors have been told.
A pilot scheme to stop the birds breeding on the rooftops of the Jewellery Quarter saw 35 eggs replaced with sand-filled replicas in a bid to prevent gulls hatching chicks in the spring and summer.
But environmental health officer Mark Croxford admitted controlling the city’s rising herring gull population was too tall an order for the council’s pest control team.
Officers were asked to look at the issue following increasing complaints that the squawking shattered the peace and bird mess was ruining buildings.
There were also fears over “mobbing” – where large numbers of birds attack people with food or those passing near nests.
Pest controllers had ruled out shooting the birds in an urban area, while a trapping system was also rejected because in tests the first birds caught warned others away.
So the fake egg method was adopted.
But the council officers found that some nests were inaccessible and, in many cases, building owners refused to allow them onto rooftops because either they did not see the gulls as a problem or did not want to risk damage.
BUSINESS leaders fear traders will quit Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter if a controversial church group which has been branded a cult sets up a base in the area.
The Mail revealed last month that the Jesus Army wanted to redevelop a former office block in Lionel Street with plans for a worship centre, cafe and a walk-in facility for prostitutes, drug addicts, the homeless and asylum seekers.
The move has infuriated companies based in the Quarter, which houses some of the city’s top bars and restaurants and is in the running to be named a UNESCO world heritage site.
And officials working to boost the area said they had been told several firms would quit the area if the scheme, which is currently on hold, went ahead.
Chris Booth, chairman of the Jewellery Quarter Association Heritage and Regeneration group, said: “I have already discussed with at least a dozen business owners who have commented that they will vacate the immediate area if planning consent is granted. This area will be blighted.”
The upcoming Pocket Watch & Accessories auction on Monday 15th August is set to be one of the most exciting this year. Not only will it be Fellows’ first ever standalone pocket watch auction, but there will be over 250 lots including special items from Patek Philippe, Charles Frodsham and Benjamin Steele.
Some of the highlights include lot 88- an early 20th century Patek Philippe & Cie continental metal keyless wind full hunter pocket watch which has an estimate of £1,800 – £2,200. Lot 147, a 14k gold keyless wind open face pocket watch by Hamilton was presented to Samuel Watson by delegates of the American Federation of Labor and has an estimate of £240 – £340.
A particular item to look out for is lot 10, a George III 18ct gold key wind pair case pocket watch by Benjamin Steele of London. With an estimate of £2,500 – £3,500 there is bound to be plenty of interest from collectors in the rare timepiece. There is also a Victorian 18ct gold keyless wind full hunter quarter repeating pocket watch by Charles Frodsham of London with an estimate of £1,200 – £1,800 as well as an Omega base metal keyless wind open face pocket watch estimated at £120 – £180.
Estimates range from £100 – £3,500.
To view the catalogue visit: www.fellows.co.uk
Viewing Times:
9th – 12th August 2011 10.00am – 4.00pm
13th August 2011 10.00am – 3.00pm
15th August 2011 8.30am -10.00am
URBAN artist Scribbleffiti will unveil his debut collection created using reclaimed material from Birmingham streets in an exhibition at a coffee shop.
Reclamation – An Exhibition of Urban Art, which runs until the end of the month, features the work of the Castle Bromwich artist, real name Carl Booth. The exhibition, which begins tomorrow at the Urban Coffee Company in Jewellery Quarter, is his first solo venture.
The artist, who is dyslexic, left school with no qualifications. But he took a course in graphic design at Bournville Centre for Visual Arts, which led to a 25-year career at the BBC as a designer, working on shows such as Goodness Gracious Me and Doctors.
He said: “I salvage lots of materials from skips and building sites. I struggled to communicate my feelings when I was younger but my art helps me do that.”
Cath Crockford, cafe manager, said: “This reflects the creativity of Jewellery Quarter.”
On Monday 18th July 2011, Fellows Auctioneers will be holding one of the UK’s largest auctions of Vintage and Modern Wrist Watches this year to comprise 600 items. The Auction takes place in Birmingham's famous Jewellery Quarter and pieces include Rolex, Omega, Cartier, Breitling, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe.
Whether you are a watch collector or looking for that perfect timepiece, there will be something of interest with estimates ranging from £200 up to £50,000.
Stephen Whittaker, Managing Director at Fellows said: “This is one of the largest auctions of wrist watches in the UK this year and is certainly our largest ever wrist watch auction. We are really excited that we can bring an event of this size and quality to Birmingham; helping the Jewellery Quarter to gain global exposure as a part of the UK that is open for business. There is something in this auction for any watch collector and there are some sensational lots to view in the online catalogue”.
One particular lot with exceptional rarity is a 1969 Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, the ‘Paul Newman Daytona’ estimated at £30,000 - £40,000. Described as ‘the vintage sports watch to own! This is one of the original early models, with a highly sought after black and cream exotic dial.
Those looking for a more elaborate purchase could consider the large selection of diamond dialed and encrusted watches by Frank Muller and Jacob and Co.
Another spectacular item is the gentleman’s Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date watch with diamond dial and bezel estimated at £40,000 to £50,000.
Birmingham jewellery designers and manufacturers featured strongly at a glittering event to launch the Commemorative Hallmark for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Key members of the jewellery industry, including retailers, designers and manufacturers, gathered in Goldsmiths’ Hall in London at an event jointly hosted by the Goldsmiths’ Company and the four UK Assay Offices, London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Edinburgh. The launch was attended by HRH Princess Michael of Kent who witnessed the first Jubilee marks being formally struck. The creation of a celebratory Diamond Jubilee Hallmark follows a tradition established in the twentieth century when commemorative hallmarks recognised the Silver Jubilee of George and Mary in 1935, the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, her Silver Jubilee in 1977 and Golden Jubilee in 2002.
There was also a special mark for the Millennium which proved popular, being stamped on over five million pieces. Examples of pieces bearing these special marks, taken from the Assay Offices’ own private collections, were on display at Goldsmiths’ Hall. The event was an opportunity for Birmingham to showcase its skills, with displays of articles already marked with the new Jubilee mark since it became legal on July 1. The Birmingham Assay Office had selected items to demonstrate the wealth of talent in the Birmingham jewellery trade, including rings, pendants and necklaces by Birmingham based international designer Fei Liu who uses cutting-edge technology to produce distinctive statement pieces. Established designer maker James Newman showed contemporary rings in gold and platinum and family firm Broadway and Co, founded in 1900, offered an elegant silver collared decanter, proving their ability to bring a stylish modern twist to a classic item.
Over 600 Fine Watches To Go Under Hammer On Monday 18th July 2011, Fellows Auctioneers will be holding one of the UK’s largest auctions of Vintage and Modern Wrist Watches this year to comprise 600 items. The Auction takes place in Birmingham's famous Jewellery Quarter and pieces include Rolex, Omega, Cartier, Breitling, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe. Whether you are a watch collector or looking for that perfect timepiece, there will be something of interest with estimates ranging from £200 up to £50,000.
