Birmingham Walk of Stars

Star for Ozzy Osbourne on the canal bridge pavement of Broad Street

The Broad Street Walk of Stars is a walk of fame-style installation on the pedestrian pavement of Broad Street, Birmingham, England, which honours notable people from the Birmingham area or with significant connections with it. The scheme is organized and funded by the Broad Street Business Improvement District.

Criteria

The criteria for a person to have their star added to the walk include that they must have performed at one of Birmingham's major venues such as the International Convention Centre (ICC), National Indoor Arena (NIA), Symphony Hall and The Rep theatre. They must also be originally from the area or have prominent links with Birmingham and the Midlands region. The walk honours the residents of the city who have made a significant contribution in the categories of music, television, film, radio, theatre, sport, business and literacy.

History

The idea for a Walk of Fame style tribute was first thought of by a local Birmingham man Garry Raybould, who then approached the Broad Street Business Improvement District who developed the idea and created the name Broad Street Walk of Stars together with a brand and registration of the original website, www.walkofstars.co.uk which quickly became very popular and was chosen by Radio 2 as 'Website of the Day'. The first star to be honoured was Ozzy Osbourne on 6 July 2007. The event was held in Centenary Square and introduced by Elliott Webb from Birmingham's commercial radio station BRMB and the star was presented to Ozzy by Lord Mayor of Birmingham Randal Brew.[1] The Ozzy Osbourne presentation created £1.7M worth of worldwide publicity for the area.

Comedian Jasper Carrott was the second person to have a star installed on Broad Street on 15 September 2007. The star was presented to him by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham during ArtsFest in front of a 10,000 strong crowd.[2] In December 2007, Noddy Holder became the third inductee on the Walk of Stars which was presented to him on a canal boat, during the Broad Street Christmas Canal Boat Light Parade.

The stars were briefly fenced off following safety concerns about their polished surfaces. Leicestershire-based Charcon Specialist Products, who produced the stars, was consulted over the situation.[3]

Murray Walker was inducted into the Walk of Stars. A joint induction took place on 12 September 2008 for BBC Radio 4 series The Archers and cast member Norman Painting. On 7 October 2008, the BBC announced that Julie Walters would be inducted.[4] The following month founder member of Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi was inducted.

On 26 March 2009, it was announced that each of five local football clubs (Aston Villa,[5] Birmingham City, Walsall, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers) would have a star commemorating their teams, a player, or a specific era. The presentation ceremonies will be staggered between May and August.[6]

Stars honoured

Number Recipient Induction date Profession Comments Location
1 Ozzy Osbourne 6 July 2007 Musician Member of Black Sabbath 52°28′40″N 1°54′40″W / 52.47786°N 1.91099°W / 52.47786; -1.91099 (Ozzy Osbourne)
2 Jasper Carrott 15 September 2007 Comedian Presenter of Goldenballs 52°28′31″N 1°54′51″W / 52.47539°N 1.91416°W / 52.47539; -1.91416 (Jasper Carrott)
3 Noddy Holder 9 December 2007 Musician Member of Slade 52°28′37″N 1°54′43″W / 52.47706°N 1.91200°W / 52.47706; -1.91200 (Noddy Holder)Coordinates: 52°28′37″N 1°54′43″W / 52.47706°N 1.91200°W / 52.47706; -1.91200 (Noddy Holder)
4 Murray Walker 28 June 2008 Sports commentator BBC/ITV Formula One coverage 52°28′42″N 1°54′32″W / 52.47847°N 1.90880°W / 52.47847; -1.90880 (Murray Walker)
5 The Archers 12 September 2008 Soap opera Long-running BBC Radio 4 serial 52°28′42″N 1°54′35″W / 52.47825°N 1.90978°W / 52.47825; -1.90978 (The Archers)
6 Norman Painting 12 September 2008 Actor Voice of Phil Archer in The Archers 52°28′42″N 1°54′35″W / 52.47822°N 1.90985°W / 52.47822; -1.90985 (Norman Painting)
7 Tony Iommi 23 November 2008 Musician Member of Black Sabbath 52°28′42″N 1°54′36″W / 52.47827°N 1.91012°W / 52.47827; -1.91012 (Tony Iommi)
8 Aston Villa F.C. 1982 Team 4 May 2009 Football team 1982 European Cup-winning team 52°28′41″N 1°54′38″W / 52.47810°N 1.91054°W / 52.47810; -1.91054 (Aston Villa F.C.)
9 Tony 'Bomber' Brown 17 May 2009 Footballer Professional footballer from West Bromwich Albion F.C.52°28′39″N 1°54′42″W / 52.47739°N 1.91158°W / 52.47739; -1.91158 (Tony Brown)
10 Frank Skinner 1 August 2009 Comedian Co-Host of Fantasy Football League 52°28′38″N 1°54′41″W / 52.47727°N 1.91132°W / 52.47727; -1.91132 (Frank Skinner)
11 Gil Merrick September 2009 Footballer Professional footballer from Birmingham City F.C. 52°28′37″N 1°54′44″W / 52.47683°N 1.91230°W / 52.47683; -1.91230 (Gil Merrick)
12 Ray Graydon September 2009 Footballer Former manager of Walsall F.C. 52°28′43″N 1°54′32″W / 52.47848°N 1.90879°W / 52.47848; -1.90879 (Ray Graydon)
13 Julie Walters 27 October 2009 Actress/Comedian Star of Educating Rita & Harry Potter Films 52°28′28″N 1°54′57″W / 52.47434°N 1.91575°W / 52.47434; -1.91575 (Julie Walters)
14 Gary Newbon 10 December 2009 Television journalism Sports Reporter 52°28′42″N 1°54′32″W / 52.47845°N 1.90880°W / 52.47845; -1.90880 (Gary Newbon)
15 Lenny Henry 19 December 2009 Actor/Comedian Presenter of Tiswas52°28′43″N 1°54′32″W / 52.47849°N 1.90879°W / 52.47849; -1.90879 (Lenny Henry)
16 Beverley Knight 20 March 2010 Singer 52°28′42″N 1°54′32″W / 52.47846°N 1.90880°W / 52.47846; -1.90880 (Beverley Knight)
17 Joan Armatrading 4 May 2010 Singer 52°28′42″N 1°54′35″W / 52.47828°N 1.90970°W / 52.47828; -1.90970 (Joan Armatrading)
18 Chris Tarrant August 2010 Broadcaster Host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire52°28′42″N 1°54′33″W / 52.47841°N 1.90921°W / 52.47841; -1.90921 (Chris Tarrant)
19 Birmingham Royal Ballet September 2010 Dance 52°28′42″N 1°54′34″W / 52.47844°N 1.90947°W / 52.47844; -1.90947 (Birmingham Royal Ballet)
20 David Bintley September 2010 Dance 52°28′42″N 1°54′34″W / 52.47842°N 1.90955°W / 52.47842; -1.90955 (David Bintley)
21 Roy Wood November 2010 Singer Musician Member of Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard and The Move 52°28′42″N 1°54′37″W / 52.47824°N 1.91024°W / 52.47824; -1.91024 (Roy Wood)
22 Bev Bevan February 2011 Singer Drummer Member of Electric Light Orchestra and The Move 52°28′41″N 1°54′36″W / 52.47817°N 1.91004°W / 52.47817; -1.91004 (Bev Bevan)
23 Nigel Mansell August 2011 Racing driver 1992 Formula One World Champion 52°28′41″N 1°54′37″W / 52.47810°N 1.91021°W / 52.47810; -1.91021 (Nigel Mansell)
24 Malkit Singh May 2012 Musician "King of Bhangra"
25 Harry Moseley August 2012 Fundraising/Charity
26 Jaki Graham October 2012 Singer
27 Ellie Simmonds December 2012 Paralympian Multiple Gold Medal winning swimmer
28 David Harewood July 2013 Actor Actor famous for his role in Homeland
29 Jeff Lynne March 2014 Singer/Composer/Musician Member of Electric Light Orchestra and The Move
30 Trevor Francis November 2014 Footballer Professional footballer from Birmingham City F.C.
31 Ian Lavender 22 June 2015 Actor Private Pike in Dad's Army
32 Dennis Amiss Cricket Played for England and Warwickshire and was ECB Deputy Chairman
33 Ann Haydon Jones Tennis First left handed female Wimbledon winner
34 Toyah Willcox 11 December 2016 Singer Actress
35 Don Maclean 11 December 2016 Comedian Actor

Nominees

The Walk of Stars website lists other potential nominees on which the public are invited to vote. These include:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Ozzy's Coming Home - 6 July 2007 3pm - 4:30 pm". Birmingham Walk of Stars Broad Street. Archived from the original on 24 October 2007. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  2. ↑ Carrott on Brummie Walk of Stars, BBC News, 15 September 2007; retrieved 6 November 2007.
  3. ↑ Walk of Stars is fenced off, Birmingham Mail, 26 October 2007; retrieved 6 November 2007.
  4. ↑ BBC Birmingham - Julie Walters
  5. ↑ Greatrex, Jonny (18 April 2009). "Aston Villa legends take place on Walk of Stars". Birmingham Mail. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  6. ↑ "We’re all about football this summer!". Walk of Stars. Retrieved 2009-03-26.
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