A trip to Birmingham aged 92

Gerry Kreibich, retired Midlands newspaper editor and respected journalism trainer, has just paid his first visit to Birmingham city centre – at the age of 92. And it was an experience he enjoyed.

“I’m a 92-year-old Mancunian – and I have only just discovered Birmingham. What a great place! And that famous Bull Ring is a lot bigger than I thought it was.

“I have strolled around Paris, Vienna, Prague, New York – and London, of course. But, until now, all I had seen of Birmingham was the underground railway station, as I scuttled from one train to another.

“What led to this belated visit, you may ask. Simple – I wanted to get a piano accordion repaired, and a bit of research led me to the far-famed Birmingham Accordion Centre, tucked away just off Garrison Street in the city suburbs. A friend who was familiar with the city ferried me there and then suggested that, instead of just going home, I should have a look at the city centre. And I’m really glad I did.

“Right from the start I was impressed by the ground beneath my feet – gentle slopes of smooth, clean paving that still looked newly laid. Then New Street, which has always been just a railway station to me, revealed itself as a wide, magical avenue doubly lined with majestic trees. I can’t say for certain where this whirlwind tour took me, but I know I saw the Town Hall, the impressive library and the eye-catching museum.

“I gazed down at traffic from a slender curved bridge somewhere in the Bull Ring, and then squeezed into one of the very busy elevators to be rewarded by a memorable ninth-floor view of the city spread below.

“At no time was there any sign of the disturbing behaviour that is often associated with city-centre crowds today. I saw plenty of smiles and generally felt I was in the company of good-natured shoppers – including two cheery ladies who asked us to take a picture of them posing in front of (you’ve guessed it) the huge bull that graces one of the squares.

“Altogether, an all-round delightful experience. But wait – there’s more.

“Feeling a bit peckish we popped into the spacious Franco Manca pizzeria. I mentioned to the chatty waiter that I was visiting the city for the firdt time in my 92 years…..and when, at the end, he returned with the bill, he sowed us the magic word ‘Complimentary.’ How’s that for a welcome to Birmingham!

“I am greatly indebted to my wonderful friend Monika who showed me around. And she’s not a local herself; she’s from Lithuania!”Gerry is a former editor of the Matlock Mercury and journalist with the Derbyshire Times. He was one of the first NCTJ journalism training lecturers at the now-closed Richard College of Further Education, Sheffield, teaching for nearly two decades in the 1970s and 1980s. Described by colleagues as a “proper Matlock institution,”