Community News

New research has revealed the areas in England and Wales most susceptible to cybercrime, with Greater Manchester coming out on top. The study by cyber security experts CloudTech24 analysed the latest data available from the National Fraud & Cyber Crime Reporting Centre to see which areas reported the highest levels of cybercrime for every 10,000 people.

WaterSafe, the UK national accreditation body for approved plumbers, has put together its five top tips to help people moving home in The Midlands. The plumbing register asked its members for their top advice for customers moving into a new home.

Elder fraud is where fraudsters target your parents, grandparents and those from the elderly community. Fraudsters often take advantage of those who aren’t tech-savvy, so familiarizing yourself with scams can lead to preventing the fraudsters from being successful.

Cybersecurity expert Brandon King from Home Security Heroes has compiled a list of tips to spot and prevent fraud. Fraudsters target seniors in elder fraud by tricking them into giving sensitive information or offering fake financial benefits.

Readly, the digital magazine and newspaper app, has launched a collection of magazines to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III on Monday 6 May. The collection includes ‘Coronation special’ digital magazine issues from its portfolio of 1200 publishing partners and will be available to subscribers as part of the unlimited digital reading subscription.

After three successful editions in Paris, the most colourful experience of the year is coming to Manchester this May. The exhibition - which is a co-production between Fever and Colors Festival - plunges visitors into an artistic universe of colour, creativity and diversity. The exhibition is making its UK debut at the Regent Retail Park in Manchester with tickets on sale now. 

Are you an eco-preneur with a unique solution to combat climate change? Do you want to compete for a cash prize of $100,000 and showcase your innovative eco-friendly fintech solutions to a panel of expert VCs and judges? Then we have some great news for you - the "Europe's Got Access" pitch battle organized by Money 20/20 is back, and the deadline has been extended to tonight!

For the fifth year in a row, footballers of all ages will take part in the Nick Mowl Cup, in memory of a former Solihull footballer. 41-year-old Nick Mowl was a former Solihull Moors coach and player who took his own life in May 2017.

Nick was a friend of current West Bromwich FC Senior Professional Development Phase Manager, Richard Beale and through football was known by many across the region, having played for Knowle FC, Solihull Borough, now Solihull Moors, as well as Stratford Town and Bedworth United.

St Basils, a youth homeless charity based in the West Midlands, has teamed up with Decision Lab, an award-winning technology company that solves real-world challenges for some of the biggest and most respected businesses in the UK, to work on a project that will help develop their understanding of the factors that influences positive outcomes for the young people they support. 

On Friday (April 21), the Rt Hon. Johnny Mercer, Minister of State for Veterans’ Affairs, attended a kit presentation to a group of Army veterans who are running an ultra-marathon for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.

On the 20th May, 25 veterans will be taking on the gruelling 110km ultra-marathon across the volcanic island of São Miguel in the Azores, to be completed in two days. Members of the team have done a combined 70 operational tours in war zones including Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Bosnia, Kosovo, Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Ukraine.

FIJI Water, an artesian water from the Fiji Islands, is furthering its commitment to environmental sustainability with the transition of its best-selling 500 mL and 330 mL bottles to 100% recycled plastic (rPET), excluding caps and labels, in the UK and EU markets starting in Spring 2023. This move is a significant step towards reducing plastic waste and replaces nearly 70% of FIJI Water's bottle volume* worldwide with recycled material. The company is committed to transitioning its entire bottle portfolio to rPET by 2025.

While millions of people across the UK heard an alarm on their phones at 15:00 BST yesterday (Sunday), many others did not. The government was testing an alert that could be used to warn about dangerous situations including fires, flooding or terror attacks.

The alarm lasted for around 10 seconds on 4G and 5G devices, but many people on social media reported that the alert went off one minute earlier or later than planned, when a loud, buzzing alarm rang out and the words "severe alert" flashed up on their phones' screens.

It’s Stalking Awareness Week between 24th and 28th April: a national campaign raising awareness about stalking and the dire effects it can have on victims.

Stalking is when someone carries out a pattern of repeated and persistent unwanted behaviour against you that makes you feel scared and threatened. It is a crime and is not something you should have to put up with. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that 2.5 million people every year experience stalking in England and Wales.

Stephen Lawrence's mother, Baroness Lawrence, says her son's story "remains as important and relevant as ever" on the 30th anniversary of his murder. The 18-year-old was stabbed in a racist attack by a gang of white youths as he waited for a bus in Eltham, south-east London, on 22 April 1993.

A report into the failed investigation found "institutional racism" in the Met Police. A private memorial service earlier took place to mark the anniversary.

St George's Day will be marked across England today, as the annual celebration of the country's patron saint – mythologised as a dragon-slaying knight – commemorates the anniversary of his death in 303 AD.

St George's Day was declared a national feast day and holiday in 1415, following England's victory at the Battle of Agincourt, a key battle in the Hundred Years' War. It took on less significance when England unified with Scotland in 1707 – leading to the creation of the UK – and is no longer marked as a national holiday.

Academics advising the Jamaican government on plans to reinstate its disused railway network have visited Birmingham on a fact-finding mission to meet rail industry experts and view progress on the construction of new stations.

The team from the University of Technology, Jamaica are collaborating with the Ministry of Transport and Mining to restore the island’s previous network, which includes plans to upgrade Kingston Railway Station and a three-and-a-half mile route through the city. The station has been mothballed since services stopped in 1992.

Some of the country’s busiest railway stations, including Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly and Birmingham New Street, now have British Sign Language travel announcements.

From the start of April, touchscreens have gone live for deaf passengers at eight Network Rail managed stations* showing signed travel information of the latest advice for travellers. Euston station was the first to pilot the technology in 2021, and now all four stations in Network Rail’s North West and Central region have installed the screens – the first region to achieve the milestone.