Digbeth

So that's when we first met.

And then my interest was sparked when Paul said, oh, she lives in a pub in Digbeth.

And so...

We used to go to the White Swan, which is just around the corner from here.

But yeah, but it was great.

It was fantastic.

And so was it then about 98 that the parade route was moved, 98 or 99, to Digbeth itself?

It could have been, yeah.

No, seriously, seriously.

Also, before we go, again, a big thank you to our principal partners, Davison's Law, also the big Bald's Head down in Digbeth.

If you can get down there pre or post-match or watch a game, live game midweek you'll get a warm welcome and it's a great place to be and one final reminder if you can have a look at the website the Forever Blues website become a member that would be fantastic be eternally grateful and obviously we have the live event on September the 25th you can find all the details about that on this site as well so thank you very much for your company for your support and we will bid you goodbye and keep right on.

As you rightly say, there is so much momentum in the city at the moment.

We've got the Knowledge Quarter, Sports Quarter, Digbeth, Smithfield with HS2 arrival.

It really feels like a moment in time for the city and it's brilliant to be part of that movement.

So the reason I got into the role was that I've been working in the West Midlands for quite a number of years now, and I think it's a really exciting place to be working, particularly with all the development.

I think being close proximity to the city centre, 15, 20 minute walk to all major train stations in the city, close proximity to what will be the HS2 terminus, being able to leave the site and get on the Aston Expressway within two minutes, it's a huge plus for the site as well.

And also the fact that you're really close to the canal.

We're literally sort of next to the canal here, being able to access two sides of the city, going to the Jewelry Quarter and being, you know, accessing the Digbeth site, the HS2 from there.

And then the wellness aspect of it, which is what we're sort of tapped into quite a lot in our strategy for investment, reinvestment into the site.

I'm True Crime Caitlin, and this is Philip Smith.

In November 2000, 35-year-old Philip was working at the Rainbow Pub in the Digbeth area of Birmingham.

Here he would sort of do odd jobs and he worked as an unlicensed taxi driver.

If the customers inside had had one too many to drink, Philip would always drive them home.

It's probably right, actually.

and also thanks to Davison's Law again and also our other partners the Big Balls Head in Digbeth if you're post-match pre-match get down there it's always a good time to be had okay on to Wolverhampton Wanderers lost in a could be quite a defining game at the start of a season already to West Ham United, two teams you'd imagine would be vying for the top two automatic spots come the end of the season.

Fair or not?

Yeah, absolutely.

You know, some very feisty atmospheres there.

That walk down from New Street through Digbeth and past the McDonald's at the roundabout.

All kinds of projectiles coming over from Newham.

And, you know, Birmingham City is a very different place now, that stadium.

But they were on the up, the mood was positive, the atmosphere was positive, and everyone was just really friendly, really nice.

UB40 was playing in the background, everyone's jamming out, you know, so... um so i really enjoyed that aspect of it and then i think again because um the stadium is not that far from the city center like i remember um meeting up with some folks in the old crown which is the oldest pub in birmingham i'd interviewed a couple of guys for my podcast uh at the time And then just walked up from there, from Digbeth up to the stadium.

And it just felt like, yeah, this is an extension of Birmingham in a way that for me, where I live in Birmingham, it's a bit of a hike to get to Villa Park.

So I'm saying this very begrudgingly, but yeah, I definitely will say that I really felt like a part of Birmingham that day when I went to the Blue Stadium.

And, and howdy do on the back.

Is that the sort of stuff, the sort of brand that you'd have to go up to Digbeth or something? You'd have to go to ...

You'd have to go to, you know, somewhere in Birmingham to-

Yeah, but I think, I think they were London based I think or somewhere like that.