Community News

Leading Oxfordshire developer David Wilson Homes has crowned the first two winners of its specially designed award programme at a school in Abingdon. The developer’s Building Buddies Award aims to get children interested in the industry and raise awareness of the variety of roles available in construction.

Gabrielle Hutchinson, 23, who was working as a security contractor that night died in hospital early yesterday.

The concert, by Afro-pop singer Asake, at the Brixton Academy, was cut short after people tried to force their way inside, the Met Police said.

Birmingham City Council has announced a new grants scheme to help enhance the growing network of Warm Welcomes across the city.

A £210,000 funding pot can be accessed by community, faith and voluntary groups to enhance existing Warm Welcome Spaces, by applying for a grant of up to £5,000. In addition, a limited number grants of up to £10,000 will be made available to establish a series of Warm Welcome Hubs, which will be larger sites offering a wider range of services and support.

This year's Orange Wolverhampton campaign came to a moving end on Saturday 10 December, 2022, with a minute's silence in memory of all the lives lost to, or affected by, the crimes associated with gender-based violence.

The safeguarding campaign is held annually between 25 November, the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and 10 December, UN Human Rights Day, and supports the United Nations’ Orange the World campaign to end violence against women and girls.

Festive shoppers are still planning to ‘give the gift of local’ this Christmas to support British farmers and independent businesses, new research from leading rural insurer NFU Mutual reveals.

While 38% of people surveyed said they planned to spend less this Christmas, seven in ten said they will still shop with independent retailers this year.

Britain must prepare for a new era of high immigration caused by UK domestic need and changes in global economics and politics, a new think-tank paper says. The post-pandemic immigration rate of 1.1 million arrivals a year could be the start of a trend towards historically high migration levels in the coming decades, according to the Social Market Foundation.

Birmingham City Council is seeking a High Court order to ban street cruising from all city roads, with an interim application to be heard in the Royal Courts of Justice in London tomorrow (20 December)

If successful this interim injunction will prohibit people from participating in, which includes spectating, at a street cruise in Birmingham. Anyone breaching the order could be arrested and face up to two years in prison, a fine, or have their assets seized.

A vigil was held for the four boys who died after falling into a frozen lake, as hundreds of people turned out at Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, in the West Midlands, to pay tribute to the victims. As tributes were left, there was a two-minute silence, before applause and then a choir burst into heart-felt song.

Martin Reid from Leamington Spa, Warwickshire with his dog, Get it With Eager To Work (Selfie), a two-year-old Shetland Sheepdog, beat hundreds of dogs and their handlers to win the small Agility Stakes final on Friday 16 December.

Martin and Selfie competed in qualifying heats across the country to earn their place in the small final at The Kennel Club Agility Stakes, one of the most prestigious agility competitions in the world, held at The London International Horse Show at ExCeL London.

Fly tippers who thoughtlessly dump their rubbish will now see their images shared in public as City of Wolverhampton Council launches a crackdown on the crime.

Photographs of fly tipping offenders will be shared on lampposts to appeal for information to help identify the culprits. The crackdown is being introduced after statistics revealed that in the period between 1 January 2022 and November 30 2022, the council dealt with 2,945 incidents of fly tipping on the highway.

Among the items dumped were 484 mattresses, 419 fridge/freezers, 390 pieces of furniture, 606 other types of bulky household items and 196 tyres. Of the 2,945 incidents, 574 fly tips included more than five bags of waste and in some cases, more than 100 bags were dumped. Fly tipping costs taxpayers more than £260,000 per year in Wolverhampton and officers attend an average of 12 fly tips every day, ranging from individual items to large scale fly tipping.

But identifying offenders in order to fine or prosecute them is not always easy. Under the new crackdown, the council will be positioning CCTV in key hot spots across the city to catch offenders in the act.

Images will then be shared locally on posters which will give local residents information on how to ‘Shop a Tipper.’ If the information given helps to identify culprits under our Shop a Tipper scheme they could get a £100 reward following the payment of a Fixed Penalty Notice or a successful prosecution.

Outcomes of enforcement action will also be shared through the council’s social media channels in a bid to encourage perpetrators to dispose of their waste properly. This will also remind residents that fly tipping is a crime and there are consequences to getting rid of waste in this way. By law, residents are responsible for making sure anyone collecting waste is a licensed waste carrier.

Councillor Steve Evans, City of Wolverhampton Council’s cabinet member for city environment and climate change, said: “Fly tipping is not just anti-social, it’s a crime. Tipped rubbish can be dangerous, it causes pollution and costs the taxpayers of the city significant amounts of money to clean up.

“Our Environmental Services team works really hard to respond to reports of fly tipping and clean up as quick as possible. But we are not always able to identify the culprits, as quite often the rubbish is dumped overnight or in hidden spots. By positioning camaras at sites around the city and sharing images of fly tipping offenders in public, we hope that we’ll receive information that will help us catch the culprits.”

“People need to think carefully before they fly tip. Not only could you be fined or prosecuted, but your images will be shared in public and we’ll be appealing for information to catch you. Fly tipping is a national issue and Wolverhampton is no different to the rest of the country but we are determined to make a difference in the city with our approach.”

Residents are reminded that waste can be disposed of free of charge at our Household Waste and Recycling Centres (tips) which are open 7 days a week from 8am – 4pm. Centres are at Anchor Lane, Lanesfield, Bilston and Shaw Road, Wolverhampton. A bulky item collection service to dispose of big unwanted items is also available, find out more at www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/recycling-and-waste/book-bulky-item-collection

The £5 million works include the refurbishment of Brierley Hill Library and upgrading the public toilets, as well as improving transport links and access. It will also see new seating, plants, trees and cycle facilities installed along the street to improve its appearance for visitors.

There will also be improvements to the area around the Brier Rose sculpture and the locally listed drinking fountain, as well as at St Mary’s Church.

As the Christmas holidays approach, leading developers Barratt and David Wilson Homes have enlisted one of Santa’s little helpers to send out an important message encouraging children to think about elf ‘n’ safety.

Busy Barratt and David Wilson Homes staff are working on new developments across Leicestershire, many of which have families with children living nearby.

Those looking to get out and about this Christmas and New Year were reminded today that they will still have a large number of buses, Metro and even local train services to choose from despite on-going rail strikes.

Those travelling to visit relatives, do some Christmas shopping, or heading out for some festive cheer will have a comprehensive network of services to consider.

Following the issue of a Level 3 Cold Weather Alert by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) covering all of England until the end of the week, Severn Trent is reminding customers on how they can protect their home this winter.

Head of Water Treatment, Stephanie Cawley, said: “As the weather gets colder the likelihood of customers experiencing frozen pipes on their property increases.

As forecasters predict an end to freezing temperatures next week, leading rural insurer NFU Mutual is warning to people to beware of the signs of frozen pipes and take steps to avoid repair bills which can run up to £8,000 and beyond.

Extreme cold weather greatly increased the chance of water in pipes around the home freezing. When the water in pipes freezes, it expands, causing the pressure inside the pipe to build up.

Ngozi Fulani returned to Buckingham Palace to receive a face-to-face apology from her interrogator, Lady Susan Hussey. In a statement, the palace said Ms. Hussey, who served for more than six decades as a lady in waiting to Queen Elizabeth II, pledged to deepen her awareness of the sensitivities involved.

British born Ms. Fulani accepted the apology, with the palace stating that it appreciated that no malice was intended, adding that there was “warmth and understanding” during the meeting.