Hello Solihull 👋

What a weekend it’s been in Solihull. 🌈🏃

Yesterday saw Solihull Pride bring plenty of colour to the town centre, before runners took over the roads this morning for Run Solihull, with the half marathon, 5K and junior race all starting and finishing at Malvern Park.

And there’s no slowing down over the next couple of weeks.

This edition has an important update on what the new ‘Grey Belt’ assessment could mean for Solihull, a brilliant community project getting recognition, two food finds worth knowing about, and a packed list of things to do: from free activities in Mell Square and a huge inflatable village to pickleball, Knights School and Peter Rabbit in Brueton Park.

But there’s something else too…

We’ve been working on a new addition to Solihull Spotlight that could save you money at businesses across the borough. There’s a little first look further down. 👀

Grab a drink, get comfortable and let’s get into it…

— Max

Solihull Council has published an updated independent assessment of Green Belt land across the borough as work continues on the new Local Plan.

The review takes account of the Government’s newer definition of “Grey Belt”, which could potentially allow some land currently within the Green Belt to be considered differently when councils plan where future development should go.

However, importantly, land being identified as potential Grey Belt does not automatically mean it will be built on.

The assessment is evidence rather than planning permission, and potential development sites would still need to go through the Local Plan and normal planning processes.

There will also be further opportunities for residents to have their say as the new Local Plan progresses.

👉 Explore Solihull’s updated Green Belt Assessment

Solihull town centre was transformed into a sea of colour yesterday as Solihull Pride returned for 2026.

The free event began in the town centre before the Pride parade made its way through the High Street and Touchwood towards Mell Square.

Entertainment then continued on the Mell Square stage, there was also a street food market and activities across the town centre.

👉 Brilliant to see another major community event bringing people into Solihull town centre 👏

If you've spotted runners or road closures around Solihull this morning, this is why!

Run Solihull returned today, Sunday 9 August, with runners taking on a half marathon, 5K or junior race.

Starting and finishing at Malvern Park, the half-marathon route took runners out through areas including Barston, Eastcote and Knowle, with much of the race taking place on closed roads.

The event supports Acorns Children's Hospice, while runners are also able to use their place to fundraise for other charities including Age UK Solihull.

👉 Best wishes to everyone who ran today🏃👏

A programme providing free water-safety education to children in north Solihull has been shortlisted for a national award.

The initiative was designed to make potentially life-saving water-safety lessons more accessible to children outside school hours.

It particularly focused on areas where children might otherwise have fewer opportunities to access swimming and water-safety education.

👉 A brilliant local initiative — particularly at this time of year when so many families are heading to pools, lakes and beaches.

Citizens Advice Solihull Borough has been awarded a new multi-year contract to provide community advice services across Solihull from 1 October.

Support will cover issues including benefits, debt, housing, cost-of-living pressures, disability, social care and immigration.

One of the biggest changes is that advice will increasingly be available across all 17 Solihull wards, rather than residents always having to travel to a central location.

Services could be delivered through libraries, GP surgeries, community centres, colleges and faith venues.

Citizens Advice will also work alongside organisations including Shelter, Gateway Family Services, Colebridge Trust and Entraide.

👉 Hopefully making vital advice much easier for residents to access closer to home

If you've walked through Touchwood recently and wondered what Beleza Rodizio is all about, here's your excuse to give it a try.

The Brazilian steakhouse on Lower Jubilee Walk serves food rodizio-style — which basically means a procession of flame-grilled meats including beef, lamb, chicken and Brazilian sausages are carved directly at your table.

You simply use a double-sided card to tell the servers whether you want them to keep the meat coming or give you a break, while you can also make unlimited trips to the restaurant's salad bar and Brazilian hot sides.

It feels a little more like an experience than your normal meal out, so could be a particularly good shout for a birthday, date night or group dinner.

👉 Beleza Rodizio — Touchwood, Solihull. Come hungry. 🥩🔥

Here’s a good one to know about during the summer holidays.

Hillfield Farm on Cranbrook Way in Shirley is currently offering two free U12s kids’ meals with every paying adult, Monday to Friday until 28 August and each children's meal comes with a free scoop of ice cream too.

The family-friendly Farmhouse Inn is probably best known for its carvery, served every day, but there are also pub classics, breakfasts, huge slices of cake and an indoor play area if you need to keep younger diners entertained.

👉 Two kids eat free with each paying adult — Monday to Friday until 28 August.

Talking of finding a good local deal…

We’ve been working on something new behind the scenes.

Imagine being able to open Solihull Spotlight and find exclusive discounts at cafés, restaurants, pubs, activities, gyms, beauty businesses, shops and attractions across Solihull.

That's what we’re building.

The new Solihull Spotlight web app will give members access to local offers and discounts, while helping more of us discover and support brilliant businesses across Solihull.

So instead of searching Google, checking half a dozen Instagram accounts or wondering where to go…

You'll be able to find it all in one place.

👀 More very soon

If you run a restaurant, café, pub, shop, gym, salon, attraction, activity or other independent business in and around Solihull and would like to be part of the new Solihull Spotlight web app, we’d love to hear from you.

We’re currently speaking to local businesses about offering exclusive discounts and perks to Solihull Spotlight members, helping drive new customers through the door while giving our readers another reason to shop and support local.

👉 Interested in being involved? Simply reply to this email and tell us a little about your business.

Inflatable Village — Heart of England Conference & Events Centre
A giant summer Inflatable Village has taken over the Heart of England, with loads of inflatables for children to bounce, climb and slide their way around. Sessions include unlimited inflatable play, with other activities including crazy golf and pedalos also available on site. It runs throughout August until Sunday 30 August.
👉 Inflatable Village at Heart of England

Malvern Park junior parkrun — Malvern Park
A brilliant free way to start a Sunday morning, Malvern Park junior parkrun is a friendly 2km event for children aged 4–14, whether they want to run, jog or walk. It takes place every Sunday at 9am, with families just needing to register for parkrun beforehand and bring their barcode.
👉 Malvern Park junior parkrun

English Open Pickleball Championships — NEC Birmingham
One of the world’s fastest-growing sports takes over the NEC this week as the English Open Pickleball Championships arrive from Tuesday 11 to Sunday 16 August. More than 2,000 players took part last year, with this year’s tournament expanding across 60 courts in Halls 6, 7 and 20 — and spectators can head along to watch the action too. Tickets are currently listed from £10.
👉 English Open Pickleball Championships

Knights School — Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens
Calling all budding knights! Children can learn the code of chivalry, practise their sword skills and even design their own coat of armour at Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens’ free Knights School. The next sessions run on Tuesday 18 and Thursday 20 August from 11am–12pm, with further dates on 25 and 27 August. It’s aimed at children aged 5–12 and spaces are limited, so booking ahead is recommended.
👉 Knights School at Castle Bromwich Historic Gardens

The Core Outdoor: The Tales of Peter Rabbit — Brueton Park
Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny are heading to Brueton Park for a magical outdoor family theatre show from The Core. Bring a picnic, blanket or camping chair and settle down for a new adaptation of two of Beatrix Potter’s best-loved stories on Saturday 22 August at 5pm. Tickets are £16 adults and £11 children.
👉 The Tales of Peter Rabbit — The Core Outdoor

There’s loads happening in Mell Square over the next couple of weeks, with free activities for teenagers, markets, street food, football, gaming, beauty workshops and more. On Monday 10 August, 3pm–6pm, Robocode is running a free game-development workshop for 13–17-year-olds, followed on Tuesday 11 August by Gaia Roots’ beauty and enterprise sessions from 12pm–4pm and Strike9T’s gaming, boxing, fitness, DJ workshops and mentoring from 2pm–6pm. Strike9T returns on 18 and 25 August, while Robocode is back again on 17 August.

There’s plenty for everyone else too. Mell Square Market Week runs from Tuesday 11 to Thursday 13 August, 10am–4pm, with artisan food and drink on Tuesday, crafts and collectables on Wednesday, and fashion, accessories and vintage on Thursday. Then on Thursday 13 August, 11am–8pm, Easy Streat brings some of the Midlands’ best independent street-food traders into the square.

The free teenage programme continues with Ordinary Magic offering creative activities, youth mentoring and wellbeing support from 3pm–7pm on 13, 20 and 27 August, while Solihull Moors Foundation arrives on Friday 21 August, 2pm–5pm, giving young people the chance to meet Solihull Moors players and get involved in football-based activities. All of the youth sessions are free for ages 13–17 with no booking required — just head to the former Taste Collective unit in the centre of Mell Square.
👉 See everything happening at Mell Square this summer

Solihull Moors kicked off their 2026/27 National League campaign away at newly relegated Harrogate Town yesterday, eventually falling to a 5–2 defeat in an entertaining opener. Moors had actually fought back brilliantly from 2–0 down, with Jacob Wakeling and Tyler French making it 2–2, before three late Harrogate goals put the game beyond them.

They’ll now be hoping to bounce back in front of the home supporters, with Boston United visiting Damson Park on Saturday 15 August at 3pm for Moors’ first home league game of the season.

👉 Solihull Moors v Boston United — Saturday 15 August, 3pm at Damson Park.

• Bin collections: https://digital.solihull.gov.uk/BinCollectionCalendar/
• Council news + updates: https://www.solihull.gov.uk/news
• Travel disruptions (West Midlands): https://disruptions.tfwm.org.uk/

Thanks for reading Solihull Spotlight 💙 let’s chat again on Thursday! Hit reply and tell me what you want more of next week: family, events, food, deals, walking routes, live music, sport, or hidden gems.

P.S. Want your business in front of local Solihull readers? Reply with SPONSOR and I’ll send over our options.

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