In this February issue we find out what makes Sutton Coldfield Town Centre so vibrant. Find out why Birmingham is the top UK city for investment. We catch up with Steve Ward, exiting chairman of Hearts of England Association Charity. Find out how to prepare for a visit to Cuba. Lifetrain is helping teach tots safety awareness, read all about it on page 12. The BBC's Andy Akinwolere gives GEM readers an update on page 14. If you would like to hone your Spanish, read about Birmingham's Spanish Meetup Group. We say farewell to Philippe Boucheron in this edition. Read about another mystery murder in Birmingham's past and get your garden ready for spring with the Birmingham Botanical Garden.

Welcome to our fi nal edition of GEM.
It is with sadness that I have to announce that this will be our fi nal edition of GEM. Th is has not been a sudden decision, it is something I have been agonising about over the last two years.

Th is fi nal edition is dedicated to all the people that get caught up in places and events where they cannot escape; the young, the elderly and the vulnerable. 

Our PR, Events and Marketing division is growing exponentially and I feel it is time to put the magazine to bed so I can dedicate all my time to the growing side of my business. 

Print is in transition, as you all know. It is sad, but print has been around for over 500 years, so it’s hardly a surprise that it is at a crossroads...
Th e fi rst magazine I published was in September 2009, so it is fi tting that the fi nal one is in September 2017. I have enjoyed publishing the magazine and have made a lot of friends on my journey. 

From the whole GEM team, we wish you all, our readers and advertisers, the very best. 

Enjoy your autumn!

Evelyn Armstrong
GEM Managing Editor

Welcome to the first edition of our quarterly edition of GEM.

Whilst we were putting this issue together we had some really fantastic sunny weather, which was just amazing, especially in May. I hope it will be repeating itself when you pick this copy up.

This is a very personal edition for me, as you will have noticed on the cover. I hope you enjoy reading about my journey on pages four to seven.

I would like to thank the Park Regis Birmingham for giving us space to photograph the cover story images in their Sky Bar on the 16th floor.

I fell in love with Birmingham when my husband and I came for the first time and the love affair has continued unabated.
 
Enjoy your summer!

Evelyn Armstrong
GEM Managing Editor

In this issue  we are featuring the much-loved Des Coleman as our cover
story - read all about him on pages six and seven.

Our very own Roy G Hemmings (the longest serving member of the original Drifters) is due to perform in concert in Birmingham on July 14, 2017, at the Birmingham REP  eatre, a show not be missed. Read about him on page 10. 

We catch up local independent filmmaker Carl Timm on page 28. Whatever your plans are for this Valentine’s Day, we hope you enjoy them.

Here is to you and your special Valentine!

Enjoy!

Our cover story this month features Noreen Khan. Read all about her latest venture into stand-up comedy on pages six and seven.

We interviewed the BBC’s Jenny Wilkes in this issue. Read our In Conversation With… piece on page 10.

And read about the ‘Bubble Car’ in auctioneer Nick Davies’ antiques article on page 28.

March is quite a busy month for interesting folklore and curiosities, as you will see in the article on page 32.

Richard Jaffaa, who has been a Feature Writer with GEM for the past two years, has moved to London and it is with sadness that we say goodbye to him, and we wish him and his family all the best.

We welcome Carmen Capuano back to GEM as a Feature Writer picking up on Richard Ja a’s remit of food reviews.

And finally, we would like to apologise to  filmmaker Carl Timms for the error of his surname appearing as Timm in the February 2017 edition. Whilst we strive to have an error-free magazine, errors sometimes creep in, and in this instance we hope we have not caused too much
of a problem.

Wishing you a marvellous March!

I am sitting on the edge of my seat as I write this due to excitement about our new phase for GEM Magazine. As you all know, GEM is a monthly publication - and has not missed a month since it changed to this A4 glossy version in July 2012.

But it is time for change and we are now going to publish GEM seasonally, so four times a year.  This edition is the last one in the monthly series.

enext GEM will come out in May 2017, covering June, July and August 2017 – this will be the Summer GEM.

The one after that one will be the Autumn GEM which will come out in August covering September, October and November 2017.  The last issue of the year will be the Winter GEM which will be out in November 2017 covering December 2017, January and February 2018. In the new year
the Spring GEM will be out in February 2018 covering March, April and May 2018.  Then the cycle will repeat.

This will allow us to truly reflect each season in our editorial and advertising content.

In this issue our cover story is Tim Andrews, chairman of the much loved Hollywood Monster signage company. Read all about him on pages six
and seven.

I have had personal experience of the type of company Hollywood Monster is and I can wholeheartedly recommend them for all your signage needs.

Carmen, our food critic, visited Del Villaggio recently – read her review on page 28.

We shine a spotlight on Community Flow Community Interest Company on page 31.

It is also good to see Becky Danks in GEM this month following her move back to the UK after living in Italy for a while. Welcome back, Becky. Read her article about poetry in motion on page 30.

Enjoy!

Evelyn Armstrong
Managing Editor

Happy New Year to all our GEM readers! In this issue we catch up with Kara Tointon pages six and seven.  As most of you know, last year I undertook a rather significant and very public weight loss journey with you, our readers, starting in February 2016. I lost 3.5 stones thanks to Court House Clinic’s Alevere programme. 

I have to say that is has been very easy to  buy clothes. I normally shop at Classy Rags in Bearwood purely because I secretly despise shopping, and this goes for food shopping too.  I find it a rather tedious task but Helen and her team at Classy Rags make it an absolute pleasure to shop. So when I was looking for various outfi ts to wear at the many year-end functions, I did not have to settle for a certain rail. As a size 10, everything looks good on you.

I have managed to keep the weight off  six months on and am revelling in my new-found appreciation of all things green and protein. Th e weight loss was without any exercise so, as my new year’s resolution, I would really like to do some gentle exercise. 

Happy Reading!

Evelyn Armstrong
GEM Managing Editor

I have to say that after September every month seem to speed towards Christmas.  And now Christmas is almost here.  We are very pleased to see John Barrowman on the cover of this month’s GEM. Read all about him on pages six and seven. This month we also take a closer look at the manufacturing industry that is in the Jewellery Quarter. See pages 30 and 31.

Carmen Capuano went to find out what the fuss was all about at Umami in Harborne. Read her review on page 12. Whilst on the subject of food, our recipe this month is from our favourite and Birmingham’s first Michelin Star restaurant, Simpsons. Read the recipe, and wine pairing article by our very own Tony Elvin from Hotel Du Vin, on page 20.  We shine a Spotlight On… Made in the Middle exhibition this month on page 26. From all of us here at GEM, we wish you health, wealth and happiness over this festive season. Happy Reading!

Our cover story this month is Luke Crane, Jewellery Quarter Business Improvement District's Manager, read page six and seven. This month’s recipe comes from Adam’s, a restaurant according to TripAdvisor that is the ninth best in the world! Try out the recipe on page 22. On the same page find out what Tony Elvin, GM at Hotel Du Vin Birmingham, recommends you drink with this month’s recipe. Read about Folklore, customs and traditions: Laxton, Nottinghamshire in our history article on page 28. Staff at  Birmingham Botanical Gardens write about jobs we need to focus on in our gardens now that autumn is here. Find out more on page 26. We shine a spotlight on Tomorrow’s People, one of the charities supported by the Women of the Year Awards, that were held on Friday October 7, 2016, on page 32. This month our correspondent from the BBC is Richie Anderson. Read his article on page 21. Enjoy!

Meet Genelle Aldred and read all about her career in media on pages six and seven. Read Simon Topman MBE’s article on page eight and Jacqui Frances writes about the rise of the machine on the same page. As GEM are media partners to the Vitalise Women of the Year Awards and Luncheon 2016, we have had the pleasure of  interviewing some very
inspirational women and this month is no different. We caught up with Mindy Sawhney, Chairman of Revitalise,  on page 12.  Read our regular BBC update from the desk of Patrick Burns this month on page 19.
Richard Jaffa, went to sample the Japanese cuisine at Rofuto Restaurant, based at the Park Regis Hotel, enjoy reading his  review on page 26.
Our local Historian Dr Colin Harris writes about an ancient Warwickshire custom, Wroth Silver, on page 28. Happy Reading!

In this edition we catch up with comedian Janice Connolly on pages  six and seven. This month’s BBC update comes from Noreen Khan, read page 19.  Our history article on page 28 is about the annual Church-Clypping tradition at Painswick. Author AA Abbott writes on page 20 about why thriller writers set their books in Brum. Our in conversation piece this month is with drama scriptwriter William Gallagher, featured on page 10. Nick Davies from Fieldings Auctioneers is back with his quarterly antiques feature on page 16. Until next time. Happy Reading!

In this months issue our cover story is Professor Charlie Craddock CBE, read about his mission to cure blood cancer on pages six and seven. Simon Topman MBE writes about holiday for entrepreneurs and Jacqui Francis poses the question; do women make better leaders,  on page eight. Our In Conversation...  piece on page 10 is with Arti Halai as she discusses her involvement with the Vitalise Women of the Year Luncheon and Awards. Our cocktail of the month is frozen gingerbread & cinnamon diaquiri on page 13. Find out why Tim Andrews is our Rising Star... on page 14. The BBC's Paul Franks writes about football on page 16. TOA Taxis pays tribute to former Lord Mayor of Birmingham Freda Cocks CBE on page 20. Our recipe of the month hails from Marco Pierre Whites Steakhouse in the Cube, give it a try on page 22, especially with the wines Tony Elvin GM at Hotel Du Vin is recommending on the same page. For all gardeners read page 23 about the important tasks for August. We shine a Spotlight On... the Birmingham child poverty commission on page 26. Our history article is about Felix Dennis - his heroes and villains on page 28. Our travel piece this month about Leipzig is on pages 30 - 34. Enjoy!

In this issue we catch up with James Cliffe, Head of HSBC Business Banking UK, ahead of the opening of the new One Centenary Square building, created for the newly formed HSBC British ring-fenced bank on pages six and seven. Simon Topman MBE writes about the importance of place on page eight. Jacqui Francis gives advice on what to say at an interview when applying to become a board member. We caught up with Baroness Helen Newlove on page 10. LoveBrum supports Summerfield Stables this month, read all about it on page 12. We pay tribute to the legend that is Muhammad Ali on page 16. Our Interior design feature this months is about bringing the outdoors indoors, see page 20. This month's recipe is braised Herdwick lamb breast see recipe on page 22 with the wine pairing article from Tony Elvin GM at Hotel Du Vin on the same page. Richard Jaffa went to find out what all the fuss is about by reviewing Praza's Indian afternoon tea on page 26.  Our cocktail of the month is Monaco Royale on page 27. Our BBC update is from the desk of Joe Godwin, Director BBC Academy & Director BBC Midlands on page 28. Read about the Wardmote of Arden on page 29 in this months history article. We shine a spotlight on the Birmingham and Solihull Jazz & Blues Festival on page 30. The wedding of Rebecca Gemmell and John Kernaghan is featured on page 32. Enjoy!

In this edition we speak to Maxine Brooks, Musical Director of Birmingham Community Choir, see pages six and seven. We welcome Jacqui Francis from AdinaMay as a regular contributor on page eight. The next Colmore Food Festival is on 8 July 2016,  see page 10 for more information. We catch up with Gary Topp, the new Director of Culture Central on page 12. LoveBrum's chosen charity this month is Balsall Heath CATS read about this wonderful charity on page 16. Read all about the Wobbly Worms of Willaston and other June Customs in this month's history article on page 18. Try your hand at making this month's recipe of Jerk Salmon on page 26 and find out what wine, Hotel Du Vin's General Manager, Tony Elvin suggests for this spicy fish dish on the same page. Richard Jaffa our food critic has been sampling Hotel Du Vin's spring menu on page 34. We also welcome back Nick Davies from Fieldings Auctioneers with an antiques article on page 36. We celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's 90th birthday with an article written by Simon Topman MBE, Dept Lieutenant, West Midlands on pages 38,39 and 40.  Happy Reading!

In this issue we talk to Piali Ray, Director of Sampad; read our cover story on pages six and seven. On page eight, Simon Topman MBE writes about the virtues of entrepreneurial-ism and we catch up with Caroline Horton, BBC's Writer in Residence. We chat with Richard Chivers on page 12. Tis the merrie month of May is the title for our local history article on page 18. Seared Hake with Saffron is our recipe of the month on page 26 with Tony Elvin's wine suggestion for this lovely dish. Richard Jaffa writes about his meal at Jiyaan, Ramada Solihull's new Indian Restaurant on page 34. Our Rising Star this month is Aiofe Mannion from Birmingham City Ladies Football Club on page 38. We shine the spotlight on the Solihull Tourism Forum on page 40. Enjoy!

In this April issue we speak to Birmingham's own cricket legend Dennis Amiss. Simon Topman MBE, answers the question about where start-ups go to start. BBC's David Jennings tells GEM readers why breakfast radio is still the most important time of the day. We catch up with ITV's Sameena Ali-Khan. LoveBrum members support Beyond the Horison Charity, that helps children to cope with loss. Dr Colin Harris, writes about the Knutsford Merrie May Day Parade. Rising Star Tara Tomes, speaks frankly about her business and other interests. Tony Elvin, GM at Hotel Du Vin extols he virtues of Late Harvest Gewürztraminer as the wine of choice for this months Indian desert recipe Phirni. Richard Jaffa reviews a book The Stranger at the Window. We find out why Castle Bromwich Hall Garden is such a hidden GEM. This summer's biggest event in Birmingham, the Harborne Carnival is back on 19 June 2016 read all about it in this issue.

In this March edition meet BBC's WM presenters Adrian Goldberg and Mollie Green, and find out how these two radio dj's are waking up the Midlands back to back. Apparently its official that we are happy, so says Simon Topman MBE in his article this month on page 8. BBC One's weather presenter for Midlands Today shares her thoughts with GEM readers. LoveBrum shows support for Sampson Road residents. Dr Colin Harris in his first installment of Midlands Traditions, shares insight about their curious backgrounds. For all those cocktail lovers see page 23 for PRAZA's Gatsby 94. Marco's New York Italian Restaurant at the Holiday Inn, Birmingham Airport has a new seasonal menu so Richard went to find out just how good it is, read his review on page 28. Happy Reading!

In this first edition of GEM in 2016 you can find out why BBC Birmingham is just the job for Joe Godwin. Catch up with the West Midlands Women's Institute Chairman Jackie Gregory. Find out what's happening in Southside for the Chinese New Year 2016. In Philippe's final wine piece he extols the virtues of Sam Bacha's Magret of Duck recipe. The Birmingham Botanical Gardens gives advice on how to care for your garden this winter and find out why Birmingham is becoming a film marketplace.

In this festive issue GEM helps Deakin & Francis celebrate 230 years of Christmas Sparkle. Catch up with Simon Topman MBE, Entrepreneur In Residence at the Library of Birmingham. See the fun side of dos and dont's for Christmas. Find out why the Epicurean Restaurant is a new favourite of Brummies. LoveBrum shares another success story of feeding homeless Brummies. For all our foodies, Nathan Eades of Simpsons Restaurant has got just the recipe to get you in the festive mood and Philippe ensures that this will be a meal to remember with his wine choice for the lamb belly. Join in the celebration of 10 years of Civil Partnership with Rabbi Dr. Margaret Jacobi. Find out why Southside's Green Wall is such a success and learn about Birmingham's Young Poet Laureate scheme and why it may be phased out.

In the November GEM we introduce you to Jaz Bal, CEO of BritAzia TV and let you in on how this channel and the BritAzia TV World Music Awards are raising Birmingham's profile on the media map. Simon Topman MBE tells us what the Google Garage at the Library of Birmingham is all about. First in our Life After series is Baroness Lorely Burt of Solihull and she tells us about her Life After the Commons. Birmingham Botanical Gardens offers advise to all those gardening enthusiasts. What a busy month October has been check out more social GEMs this month. Try your hand at making Birmingham's favourite Chow Mein dish, but don't worry Philippe Boucheron will even suggest which wine to buy! And if cocktails are your thing try the Sharabi Lassi recipe, courtesy of PRAZA. We catch up with GEMs correspondent Down Under in Perth, Sarah Firnberg and wish the world's oldest press club, the Birmingham Press Club a happy 150th anniversary.

In the October GEM Simon Topman MBE, shares a case study from his role as Entrepreneur in Residence at the Library of Birmingham. You can also find out more about the High Sheriff of the West Midlands, Jonnie Turpie. Get the juice on the Solihull BIG TASTE food and beer festival. Try your hand at making a masala mai tai cocktail. Find out why Anita Shervington is a science enthusiast on a mission and read about the last public hanging in Birmingham. Check out who has been out and about on the social scene in our Social GEMs and see what charity is making its mark. Try your hand at making an authentic tapa in your home, with a wine to match by our wine connoisseur Philippe Boucheron. Live the dream with local las Jalleh Alizadeh, lead in the stage adaptation of Meera Syal’s much-loved novel Anita and Me and find out why the head of Daytime Drama at the BBC, Will Trotter has an eye for drama as they celebrate a double achievement.

In this September 2015 edition we catch up with Dad's Army star Ian Lavender.  Simon Topman MBE writes about the first manufacturing city in the world. Jack Tasker discovers the hidden spaces in Birmingham; miles of sprawling tunnels underneath the city centre. We catch up with Dylan and Oscar Rees from Bromsgrove, two youngsters who managed to send a teddy bear successfully into space. Venessa Morgan writes about another Birmingham mystery murder of the past. Philippe Boucheron extols the virtues of Oloros Seco Faron wine as a partner to the marinated three salmon tartare with melba toast recipe. Bryan Manley-Green puts El Borracho de Oro to the test on page 28. Happy Reading!

In this issue we find out why Melanie Palmer is BIDding to be the best, Director of Solihull BID on pages four and five. 

We are pleased to have Simon Topman MBE, writing for GEM in his capacity as Entrepreneur in Residence at the Library of Birmingham, read his first installment on page six. 

Our cocktail of the month is Lemon Cheesecake Martini try it out on page 10. Read about Carmen Capuano's latest book Split Decision on page 11. Rebecca Danks our Foreign Correspondent in Italy writes about Rome vs Birmingham on page 12. Read about the historical mystery murder of Peter Coffey on page 16. Our recipe of the months Duo of Duck is on page 22 with Philippe Boucheron's suggestion of wine for this amazing dish on the same page. Read a restaurant review of Cafe Rouge on page 28. For all those would be writers, read page 30 to find out about the five hats of publishing your own book that you will have to wear. Read about Garden Visiting on page 32. 

Happy Reading!

GEM Magazine - Birmingham & Solihull  Cover - Autumn 2017 Edition

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GEM Magazine - Birmingham & Solihull 
From the City that changed the world we live in today, comes a magazine for the discerning reader.

Social GEMs, Little GEMs, what’s on, in conversation with… GEM celebrates the lifestyle and entrepreneurship of the people of Birmingham and Solihull - whether they live there, grew up or are looking to move there, are going to visit or would love to have all the wonders of a big city, at the pace of a friendly village. This is the magazine to read. 

With regular interviews and profiles of Birmingham and Solihull movers and shakers. Every issue contains carefully researched what’s on, social GEMs to keep you in the know, fantastic reviews and and a mixture of articles; including heritage, food and wine and many more that will keep you entertained and informed.

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GEM Magazine - Birmingham & Solihull - February 2016

GEM Magazine - Birmingham & Solihull - February 2016

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