Solihull Council Heritage & Local Studies Service

Solihull Council held the "S-Factor" exhibition and online poll in 2006 to find the borough's favourite Silhillian. The eventual winner was the actor Stephanie Cole, who was born in Solihull. Other local heroes featured include all those mentioned in the sections above, plus: Balsall Common artist Trevor Boult, whose work has been presented to the Queen; squash player Jonah Barrington; tennis player Jeremy Bates; athlete Daniel Caines; athlete Patricia Cropper MBE; ice skater John Curry OBE; Kingshurst artist Steve Farley; Berskwell suffragette Lettice Floyd; motorcyclist and former Shirley resident Harry 'Rem' Fowler, winner of the first Isle of Man TT Race in 1907; boxer Jack Hood; rugby player Martin Johnson CBE; Olton resident and engineer F W Lanchester, credited with building the first British petrol-driven four-wheeled motor car in 1896; judo champion and former Kingshurst resident Sharon Lee; racing driver Nigel Mansell OBE; golfer Peter McEvoy MBE; motorcyle racer and Shirley resident Ted Mellors; singer Maggie Moone; show jumper Ann Moore MBE who grew up in Chadwick End; Holocaust survivor Paul Oppenheimer MBE; cartoonist and illustrator 'Larry'; athlete Mike Rawson; ceramic artist Vinitha McWhinnie; sculptor Ian Walters; tennis player and winner of the fist Wimbledon ladies' singles title in 1884, Maud Watson MBE; and metallurgist James Fern Webster, who carried out the world's first commercial production of aluminium at his factory in Solihull Lodge.