They fish you a ‘Merry Chipmas’! Local takeaway to serve free Xmas dinners for the homeless on the 25th

Christmas can sometimes be a lonely and unforgiving time when you’re on your own - or struggling to make ends meet.

To spread a little festive cheer, one chip shop is Birmingham will be opening its doors on Christmas Day to feed the homeless and elderly.

Brothers Asef and Hamid Faqiri – who run The Classic Fish Bar in Erdington - are digging into their own pockets and will be dishing up a turkey dinner with all the trimmings for their local customers.

Asef said: “I’ve been here for two years, and I’ve seen many homeless people here.

“There’s also alot of older people and they probably would love to have Christmas dinner. They haven’t got Christmas dinner to eat on the special day so we thought we would treat them. It’s a small thing but we want to do it and we hope it makes them happy. We want to help the poor and homeless. We’re doing it for God and the greater good.”

There will also be free fish and chips for those wanting something simpler, or for those who follow a pescatarian diet.

Staff will prepare, cook and serve up a steaming traditional turkey dinner in takeaway boxes to hand out to anyone who turns up between 1pm and 4pm.

A sign has been put up in the shop window advertising the event.

It has been shared widely on social media and the brothers are also urging their customers to spread the word.

Asef added: “We are cooking it up in the kitchen and it’s not all going to be fish and chips or donner meat! It’s going to be a proper traditional dinner. This will be the first time we’ve done this but I’m sure it won’t be the last!”

Unlimited free Supercharging ends for new Tesla owners

Tesla has announced that it will start to charge owners for using its Supercharger network from next year.

When the Supercharger network was first announced in 2012, the company offered its customers free use of the rapid-charging network. However, Tesla has now said that customers ordering vehicles after 1st January will only receive 400kWh of free energy per year – enough to power one of its vehicles for around 1,000 miles.

There is no word on how expensive the Superchargers will become, but a Tesla statement said customers would have to pay “a small fee, which will be changed incrementally”.

The company also said the new charge would cost less than filling up a comparable petrol-engined car.

According to Tesla, the pricing allows the manufacturer to “reinvest in the network, accelerate its growth and bring all owners the best Supercharging experience”.

Further details of the scheme will be revealed later this year, and though Tesla is keen to point out that the network will “never be a profit centre”, it does admit that “prices may fluctuate over time and vary regionally based on the cost of electricity”.

Customers who already own vehicles are not affected by the change, while those who place orders before January 1, 2017, will only dodge the charge if their vehicle is delivered before April 1.

As a result, it seems that customers will have to move quickly if they want to take advantage of free Superchargers. At present, a Model S ordered today would be expected to arrive in late February, while a Model X ordered now would not be expected to be with the customer until late March.

Become an entrepreneur today

Free expert advice and grants of up to £50,000, are being offered to small business owners and would-be entrepreneurs by Birmingham City Council’s new Enterprise Catalyst Business Support initiative.

The £9.3 million scheme is part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and is helping to build an entrepreneurial culture in key communities; and provide dedicated support to social enterprises and existing businesses in some of the city’s most disadvantaged areas.

As part of the Council’s drive to regenerate priority neighbourhoods, Enterprise Catalyst will, over the next two years, support 3,500 businesses and entrepreneurs with free independent expert advice, as well as provide up to 50 per cent grant investment - to help get businesses off the ground and grow.

One happy business owner who took advantage of the scheme was former solicitor, Kauser Parveen, who launched her own recruitment agency after spotting a gap in the supply of locum doctors in the NHS as well as private hospitals in the Middle East.

Initially, unsure whether her idea could turn into a business, Kauser was given a confidence boost by some of her early clients who praised the service they received.

ENTREPRENEUR: Kauser Parveen launched her own recruitment agency thanks to the financial support of Enterprise Catalyst

After just months of work, Kauser got in touch with the team at Enterprise Catalyst, who helped shape her future plans with match-funding of more than £10,000 to handle the growing demand of the business.

Now, just two years later, Kauser employs eight workers and supplies staff across a range of sectors.

Enterprise Catalyst’s next Support Roadshow is taking place at the Beaufort Sports & Social Club in Hodge Hill, Birmingham on 29th January between 10am and 2pm, to support individuals looking to start their own business or develop an existing venture.

To be eligible for Enterprise Catalyst support; individuals must live, or have a business trading in northwest, central and southeast Birmingham, which makes up the scheme’s target boundary.  As part of the eligibility criteria, businesses must demonstrate that they are or will trade within eligible ERDF business activity areas.

Councillor Tahir Ali, Cabinet Member for Development, Jobs and Skills said: “Entrepreneurs and small businesses that create growth are one of the keys to economic recovery.

“For us to be an Enterprise City, we need to encourage greater growth in private sector businesses and social enterprises that employ and train local people and make a positive contribution to the communities in which they operate”.

Financial backing can often be the most daunting prospect to overcome, which is why Enterprise Catalyst not only provides financial support for entrepreneurs and start-ups at varying stages of the business development journey, it also offers much needed mentoring and advice throughout the whole process.

To find out more about how to become part of Enterprise Catalyst call 0121 675 7584,
visit http://www.enterprise-catalyst.com/ or text EC to  80800