Community News

Thousands of tree saplings are being given away across the region to celebrate more than half a million trees planted as part of the West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) Virtual Forest initiative.

The Christmas Challenge utilises Big Give's ‘pledge’ model of match funding.

Lyle Bignon, Night Time Economy Ambassador (NTE) for Birmingham, working on behalf of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), described the Chancellor's Autumn Budget Statement as 'a missed opportunity to support the UK's fifth biggest industry', saying: "The Night Time Economy (NTE) is the fifth-largest industry in the UK.

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has announced Perry Barr Residential Scheme as the winner of the Award for Excellence in Planning for Communities for large schemes and Joshua Singh of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council as the Young Planner of the Year at the Awards for Planning Excellence 2023.

City of Wolverhampton Council has submitted a planning application for the redevelopment of Bilston outdoor market.

A new study of 35 Christmas markets across the UK has revealed that Birmingham is one of the best.

Wolverhampton’s streets and parks will become both cleaner and greener as the council starts to operate three new electric waste collection vehicles.

A region-wide plan setting out a raft of measures to significantly improve air quality and the health of local people was launched by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) which began with a series of priority measures that will be delivered with £1 million of government air quality funding and include:

• Installing a network of air quality sensors that will provide real-time, publicly accessible data on pollution levels across the region
• Education and awareness campaigns in communities, including schools, to improve knowledge and understanding of main sources of pollution and their health impact
• Development of an alert system when pollution levels are high
• Research into the potential to positively impact air quality through speed limit reductions on high-speed roads and in urban centres
• Devising regional targets that exceed current national and international guidelines on levels of PM2.5 and PM10 particulates, and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)

From Gloucester’s twinkling forest lights to the festive markets of Cambridge, a getaway to any of these spots will leave you in the Christmas spirit.

The Prevention First Citizens' Panel, a group of volunteers that has supported Birmingham City Council’s commissioning process for 20 years, has been awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

Mermaids, selkies and fairies flying through enchanted forests feature in Bamburgh Castle's breathtaking Christmas Kingdom. 

While Christmas is said to be a time for connecting with loved ones, for many it can mean loneliness– particularly for those later in life.

More than 1,500 digital devices such as Chromebooks and laptops have been given to residents and community organisations in Walsall as part of a £500,000 project to help more people across the region get online.

As the cold weather kicks in, many households will start to crank up the heating to keep their homes comfortable.

Transport costs are keeping 5 million people (8% of the UK population) below the poverty line, first-of-its-kind tracker shows.

Amid the soaring cost of living crisis, The UK ranked 17th in a comparison of disposable household income among different countries, according to a recent study by CityIndex.