Sunday, January 19

Once More Into The Bleach!

Friday 18th January 2014 and the first Hub Marketing bout of the New Year sees D9 Domestos and the WME Toilet Duck cleaning up around East Birmingham and North Solihull...

- Bleach Beginnings -
A crowded rush hour tram gets the day underway, with members alighting at the Jewellery Quarter so that the Chairman can stage an appropriate christening shot accompanied by an empty bottle of Domestos. Our morning ferret then commences with some Hockley hoovering, seeking out photos of the Woodman on Well Street (no longer a pub) followed by Holdens' White House.

- The St George's Hub -
Making our way towards Newtown, we happen across the St George's Community Hub based off Great Hampton Row. There are backstreet weavings aplenty as we skip across Summer Lane and negotiate Newtown Row, getting to grips with the Globe before catching the No. 8 Inner Circle by the Bartons Arms.

- The Meadway Cafe -
The Chairman was getting very excited about the prospect of a sleeve greasy spoon, and the Meadway Cafe on Bordesley Green Road certainly looked the part with its vintage Pepsi advertising. The cafe interior looked fairly authentic too but the closest we got to sampling it was peering through the windows - sadly the place was closed so it was a case of bald spot but no breakfast :(

- Bird Bothering Bald Spot at Ward End Park -
With a fry up off the menu for the time being, we needed a contingency ferret to get ourselves back on track. The Secretary's trusty A to Z came in useful to plot our way through Alum Rock and Ward End, where we enjoyed a stroll by the park lake and made the acquaintance of the local waterfowl.

- LDV Remains at Washwood Heath -
We always like a bit of industrial history so we were in our element down on Drews Lane, surveying the few remaining remnants of the former LDV works. The factory site has been comprehensively cleared as the land is primed for regeneration but we could still pause at the old works gates and reflect on bygone days of vehicle production.

- Bromford Drive Community Centre -
Bromford Bridge awaits us next, passing the wreck of the Bromford pub as we join the estate along Bromford Drive. The M6 motorway is a constant presence as we explore the local precinct complete with residents club, members club and the local community centre. A wait for the 72 bus gives Chairman D9 chance to watch the various planes making their way to Birmingham Airport.

- The Farthings -
The 72 provided a welcome connection to Castle Bromwich where Jane's Cafe is on hand for a most enjoyable belated breakfast. The Chairman has definitely done his research for this outing and from his pink-papered printouts we locate the Farthings on Green Lane for our opening half of Greene King IPA.

- Shard End Regeneration -
Despite the Chairman's erstwhile preparations, there was still scope for the Secretary to score some sleeve successes around Shard End - to this end the Trident will go down as one of WME's finest frightful finds, even if poor D9 is likely to have nightmares about it for the rest of the year. Elsewhere, it was fascinating to see how Shard End Crescent has been transformed by the complete overhaul of the local shops, whilst the grotty former library on Shustoke Road has been replaced with a genuinely eyecatching new facility that forms the centrepiece of the estate's rebirth.

- Mountfort Mourning -
Our Chairman was just about recovering from his post-Trident trauma only to be crushed by two devastating blows in quick succession. First comes the Heathway at Buckland End, scene of a discount stealing £1.50 round for a jubilant WME wallet - the pub itself made a good impression whilst setting the Secretary up for spreadsheet domination. Then, as we caught an instant TUAG 55 to Kingshurst, the tin lid is applied by the realisation that the Mountfort is no more. To see that our most coveted dive destination had been bulldozed before we'd even set foot in it was almost too much to take, but courageously a very solemn D9 summoned up the strength to pose with his Domestos, aided and abetted by the former pub's car park bollards.

- The Centurion -
How does one recover from the shock of the Mountfort's passing? Well, some darts action in the Punchbowl at least provided some solace, although the Chairman's mood isn't helped when the Secretary emerged narrowly victorious by three legs to two. D9's spirits are only properly lifted once we move to dusky Forth Drive where the Centurion provides some comforting Chelmsley Wood hospitality.

- WME victorious at the Iron Horse -
Although in recovery, the D9 brain was still somewhat addled, hence the decision to catch the 14 back towards Birmingham via the pub desert that is Kitts Green. A bladder emergency is only averted thanks to the Iron Horse on Flaxley Road, Stechford where the Secretary secures his darts victory courtesy of a deadly 31 checkout (a rare double 9 finish). The Yardley Arms, a 97 bus and the Bull Ring Tavern (surprisingly presentable) complete a job well done with all bleach properly accounted for.

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