News and Events 2025

​

Group Meeting Dates

​

The Group Meetings for 2025 will all be held at St John’s Church Hall, Greenlands and commence at 7.30pm.

​

Wednesday 9th April - see below 

Wednesday 11th June  - Community First Responders/ Jane McBryde

Wednesday 13th August  - normal Training

Wednesday 8th October – AGM  

Wednesday 10th December  – Christmas Sherry & Mince Pie

​

December

​

Wednesday 10th December.

​

St John the Evangelist Church Hall Greenlands Ave Greenlands Redditch B98 7PZ. St John the Evangelist Church Hall.

We are again having an event with a choir. we have invited the Arrow Vale Singers, a long established Redditch choir.

​

There will a buffet and wine to enjoy with the usual raffle. Come along and enjoy an evening of food, drink (inc. soft drinks) and song.

 

We are looking for donations for the raffle. If you have anything suitable, please bring it along to your exercise class and hand it to a Committee member.

Raffle tickets will be on sale shortly at your exercise classes or from committee members.

​

November

​

Please look at the Committee members page to see the latest information on committee members.

​

​

A view from a heart bypass patient.

​

 When you are alone and have a heart attack, what are you going to do? 

 

1. Take a 2 minute break and read this:

Let's say it's 5:25 pm and you're driving home after an unusually hard day's work.

 

2. You are really tired and frustrated.

All of a sudden your experience chest pains. They are starting to radiate in the arm and jaw. It feels like being stabbed in the chest and heart. You're only a few miles away from the nearest hospital or home.

 

3. Unfortunately you don't know if you can make it..

 

4. Maybe you've taken CPR training, but the course didn't include how to help yourself.

 

5. How do you survive a heart attack when you're alone when it happens? A person who is feeling weak and whose heart is beating hard may have only a short time  before losing consciousness.

 

6. But you can help yourself ! by coughing repeatedly and very strongly! Deep breaths before every cough. Coughing should be repeated every second until you arrive at the hospital or until your heart starts to beat normally.

 

7. Deep breathing gives oxygen to your lungs and coughing movements boost the heart and blood circulation. Heart pressure also helps to restore a normal heartbeat. That’s how cardiac arrest victims can make it to the hospital for the right treatment.

 

8. Cardiologists say if someone gets this message and passes it on to 10 people, we can expect to save at least one life.

 

9. FOR WOMEN: You should know that women have additional and different symptoms. Rarely have crushing chest pain or pain in the arms. Often have indigestion and tightness across the back at the bra line plus sudden fatigue. 

​

​

October

​​

8th - The AGM - brief overview. 

​

The first part of the AGM was spent discussing the proposed new constitution.

There were many questions from the floor regarding the wording of the document and it was decided by a vote to defer accepting the new constitution until it could be reviewed and amended where required.

​

The aim was to simplify the constitution and not create a tome that covered every eventuality which may occur. Common sense being the byword for interpretation.

 

The existing constitution remains in place.

​

The chairpersons report followed and stated that the club was in a good place with new members joining and being welcomed by existing members.

Exercise classes were well attended especially at Bromsgrove scout hut.

​

Thanks were extended to our instructors for all their hard work in making the classes enjoyable and entertaining with frequent changes/ additions to the exercise routines.

​

Martin, the treasurer, gave his annual report, copies of which were distributed to attending members.

The report showed that the financial position of the club was robust.

A question from the floor asked if the reserves the club held were not a little in excess of those need to run and administer the club.

The treasurer stated that the reserves were considered about right for the existing climate. The covid virus's effects on the club finances were dramatic and whilst it was not expected to reoccur, being prepared for the unexpected would seem to be prudent. Replacing some exercise equipment in the near future is likely to bring down reserves quite considerably.

 

Following procedure the committee resigned en-bloc with the ex-committees agreement they were re-elected for another term.

Jo Hartland is unable to remain in the role and has resigned, thanks were expressed to Jo for the hard work and commitment Jo showed as a member of the committee. 

​

Thanks were extended to various members who, although not part of the committee, helped in various ways to support the club.

​

Anne and Jan need special mention for the refreshments provided at Group Meetings.

​

Al West who runs the clubs website and manages/maintains the clubs equipment asked if anyone was interested in becoming his backup to help with the above. 

 

With AGM business completed David Monro ran a quiz with three successful teams being awarded cash prizes.

​​

​

 

 

 

 

​​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​​​​​​​August

​

15th August

​

What a great day at the Arboretum. Which we must thank Martin for organising. 

​

It was good to know that the King will be following in our footsteps when he visits the Arboretum today. His visit is being shown on BBC 1 today. A few of the memorials were out of bounds due to the Kings visit but about 95% were available. The security people were getting ready, I've never seen so many Police and Services personnel in one place before, all very friendly though. Some of our group had photos taken with them.

It was a really great day with the weather being kind to us. 

If you visit yourselves by Car there is an all-day parking fee of £8, The Arboretum itself is free of charge.

There was great excitement all round  due to the Kings visit tomorrow with many of the bands and services personnel were practising their routines. 

We had a presentation by one of the many volunteers at the site regarding the origins of the park which was very interesting. The park, 150 acres, was bought for £1 per year on a 999 year lease.

Quite a few of us went on the road train which enabled us to see most of the memorials albeit some a little fleetingly. This allowed us  to pick out the ones most interesting to ourselves and go back later on foot.

​

They have ample eating facilities, we had casseroled beef with chips and cauliflower...Nice!

​

 

   

​

​

​

 

 

​​14th - Thursday - Visit to Memorial Arboretum, Burton on Trent

 

HH have hired a 49 seat coach from Johnson's for the visit and have pickups in Redditch and Bromsgrove, the first in Redditch at 9.00am and in Bromsgrove at 9.20am at the scout hut. On arrival at the Arboretum we will have tea/coffee and an introductory talk by a member of the Arboretum staff, then plenty of time to explore the Memorials. There are 50 minute Land Train tours costing £6.50 per person. Mobility scooters can be hired for £10 per person per day or on the day if available.

​​

​Cost is £16 for members and £18 for guests.

​

To Reserve your seats: Email Martin at 'haleandhearties@gmail.com'

or phone 07470957033. To pay: bring a cheque made payable to Redditch Hale and Hearties or cash to your exercise class or pay directly to Barclays Bank Account Name: Redditch Hale and Hearties Sort Code 20-71-45 Account Number 80349712

​

June 2025

​

HH have purchased a replacement Cross trainer for the Oakenshaw site due to a safety issue on one of the existing cross trainers. Also being replaced are the trampoline covers.

 

April 2025

​

22nd CPR/Defib training.

A well attended evening with instruction being given by a team from 'Community First Responders', a group of volunteers whose purpose is to provide emergency medical care by responding to 999 calls until the ambulance service resource arrives on scene.

As well as responding to emergency 999 calls, CFRs promote health and wellbeing in their local community by raising the awareness of the importance of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of a defibrillator. Donations from HH and attending members were made to the CFR team.

​

​9th  - ​Group Meeting on 9th April.  St John Redditch.

​

Glyn Cardy talked about his role in delivering aircraft around the world. A brilliant meeting with a speaker who has certainly lived a life in both the forces and civilian aspects of Flying. Helicopters no problem, Fixed wing no problem, Jets no problem C10's no problem. Just about anything that can fly he's flown it and at 79 he's still doing it. Fantastic!

​

Feb 2025 

​

​​CPR and Defibrillator training is available on the 22nd April at the St Johns site (Redditch) 7pm. Please contact a committee member if you would like to attend.. ​​​

​

Jan 2025

​

Donations to the Air Ambulance from our meeting collections amounted to £276.60

​

​​

 

 

 

 

​

​

​

​

​