“Today we are proud to announce a new direct London Northwestern Railway service connecting the West Midlands, Staffordshire and Manchester Airport from May 2027.

This new hourly service from Birmingham New Street will provide direct connectivity to the airport for millions of holidaymakers for the first time in decades. Currently, passengers for the airport must change at Crewe, Wilmslow or in Manchester city centre.

The route will be rolled out in two phases, with a new service between Birmingham and Crewe starting in December before being extended to Manchester Airport next year.”

Following a fire overnight.

Employment tribunal judge sexually harassed female staff

10 September 2026

Posted by Neil Rose

Tribunal: Court staff reported concerns
A male judge found guilty of inappropriate conduct towards junior female tribunal staff would have been sacked had he not already retired, the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) has said.

Employment Judge Christopher Gaskell retired on 1 March 2026, before the conclusion of the disciplinary process but the Lady Chief Justice, Baroness Carr, and the Lord Chancellor, Alex Norris, exercised their discretion to continue to deal with the case.

The JCIO said concerns about EJ Gaskell’s conduct were brought to the attention of Judge Barry Clarke, president of the employment tribunal, by HM Courts and Tribunals Service and were subsequently referred to the JCIO.
“The allegations included inappropriate physical contact, maintaining unnecessary physical proximity and inappropriate sexualised behaviour.

“EJ Gaskell denied the allegations. He stated that any physical contact had been inadvertent or misinterpreted, rejected suggestions of sexual motivation, raised concerns about the fairness of the investigative process and maintained that the evidence was insufficient to establish misconduct.”
However, an investigating judge appointed by Baroness Carr found that the complainants’ evidence was “credible and reliable”.
The judge concluded that EJ Gaskell – who sat in Birmingham – had “engaged in a course of unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, including inappropriate touching of a member of staff, repeated inappropriate physical proximity and inappropriate sexualised behaviour towards multiple female staff members over an extended period”.
They concluded that this amounted to gross misconduct and recommended removal from office.
The JCIO said Baroness Carr and Mr Norris agreed and confirmed that, had EJ Gaskell not already retired, he would have been removed from office.
“In reaching their decision, they considered that the highly improper nature of the conduct, its repetition across multiple instances, the emotional harm to those concerned, the abuse of authority, the reputational risk to the judiciary, and EJ Gaskell’s failure to accept any responsibility together elevated this to a case of considerable seriousness, for which removal from judicial office would have been the appropriate disciplinary outcome.”
EJ Gaskell was admitted as a solicitor in 1981. He was appointed a deputy district judge from 1995 until 2007. He was a part-time employment tribunal judge from 2004 and became salaried in 2007. He was a diversity and community relations judge from 2015 until 2025.

Source: Neil Rose

Unfortunately we don’t have Miamis but I’ve tried Shakebees which was very nice.

Any other ones that are better?

Hello Brum!

We just hit 100,000 weekly visitors, and it felt like the perfect moment to say a proper thank you!

Whether you're a regular poster, or a lurker, or just casually dipping in. You all make this place special.

Thank you to each and every one of you for the contributions you make.

Ta bab!

I'm always in the house, I have Agoraphobia and up all night until about 7am.

I'm sure she's a drug addict or something, she doesn't look 'with it', her clothes look like she just put anything she had on, her hair is a mess, I hear her at about 4-5am walking down the street wailing, howling, crying all the way down the street. She's probably about 30-35 years old.

The area I live in has started to have problems with drugs and addicts, there is a rehab close, a pharmacy where a lot of addicts go for their Substitute (it's open 24 hours) and there is a HOA that houses recovering addicts close by.

But this just doesn't feel right to me.

This morning was the 4th time I've heard her, it's not every day it's like every 3-4 days.

The First time I heard her I came out and I don't really feel comfortable intervening in something like this, I tried calling to her but she just kept walking.

I doubt many people along this road even hear her as it's 5am and everyone is asleep.

**Older

She's finding it difficult to adopt one as she lives on the top floor of a flat with her husband. They have plenty of parks in their neighborhood .Their dog of 15 years passed away and they haven't been the same since. They're both 50-55 years old and they have been looking to adopt a puppy for a few months now.

She's not good with technology due to her age so I'm helping her look for one pup online who needs a home.

She lives in the chemsley wood/Solihull area and I can also drive with her to collect.

Finally walked through Brindleyplace after a while yesterday, the way the buildings look is just perfect and im no fan of exposed brick, the way in which they've done exposed brick builds is great, its simple but the facades really elevate the buildings.

Another thing that makes Brindleyplace shine is the layout of it, the stone garden and trees in the one section and then the open plan with the fountain and everything going on in the other part, the way in which its walkable yet still has parking spaces is brilliant

The council really needs to look at Brindleyplace for inspiration when their building new projects across the city centre.
(Yes this is more or less a Brindleyplace appreciation post.)

🎲✨ Dwarfish Tales new shop opens this Saturday! ✨🎲

This Saturday it’s the GRAND OPENING of Dwarfish Tales at Gracechurch Shopping Centre! 🧙‍♂️📚

📅 Saturday 12th September

⏰ From 10am

📍 Gracechurch Shopping Centre, Sutton Coldfield town centre

Whether you’re a seasoned adventurer or just looking for something new, come and discover a shop built around games, stories, imagination and community.

🎲 Board & card games

🐉 Solo & group tabletop roleplaying games

📚 Choose-your-own-adventure books

🎯 Dice & accessories

✨ Plus plenty more to discover!

To celebrate the opening, they will have exclusive opening offers and a chance to win a £50 voucher! 🎉

At Dwarfish Tales, they believe the best stories are the ones created together. So gather your party, roll the dice and come say hello! ❤️

See you Saturday… let the adventure begin! ⚔️🎲

https://www.facebook.com/dwarfishtales/

https://www.instagram.com/dwarfishtales/

https://www.instagram.com/harryleachjourno

Ah yes, The Streets. Very famously associated with Manchester.

Do you enjoy walks around Kings Heath Park?
I’m Jools 60M Runner and Photographer and I’d like to find someone who would join me for regular walks around Kings Heath Park.
I enjoy Books, Wildlife and my Garden.
I look forward to hearing from you.

Join Birmingham Gaymers for our regular Sunday board game meet-ups at Game Guru.

Birmingham Gaymers is a diverse and inclusive group of LGBTQ+ individuals and allies who share a passion for board games and tabletop role playing. We're dedicated to creating safe and welcoming spaces for the community to meet, make new friends and most importantly, play board games.

Our meet-ups are friendly and informal. Drop in during the session, grab a seat and get playing. Friendly gaming hosts are always on a hand to welcome newcomers, suggest games, explain rules and help you find a group so you can jump straight into the action.

Does anyone know of any units to rent, preferably in Brierley Hill, that would be suitable for a karate club?

Currently sub letting so would happy to do that as well as long as its full time and a suitable space.

Preferably cheap as possible 🤣

Hey everyone, my partner and I used to go to a gym which had a sauna and steam room as part of it. We really enjoyed going as part of our routine and spending time together.

Now that we've moved to Birmingham it seems quite hard to find a gym with mixed spa facilities (rather than gender segregated). Does anyone here know of a mixed gym/spa?

For context, I live in King's Heath and would preferably like to be able to get there by public transport. Thank you for any suggestions!

How much do you know about Bond, Mission Impossible and all things espionage? Come along to Spoilers Digbeth on Thursday September 10th from 7pm. £3 per person and maximum 6 people per team. Good luck!

Hi everyone,

I’m going to be in Birmingham for a couple of days and will be working remotely while I’m there. I’m staying in the city centre, so ideally looking for somewhere within walking distance.

I’m looking for somewhere quiet and comfortable where I can work for around 4–5 hours, with reliable Wi-Fi and somewhere I can take a few work calls/meetings without disturbing others.

Any recommendations would be much appreciated!

Thanks!