Community News

A document providing a vision and principles to protect and enhance the environment as well as inform future investment of the area around Edgbaston Reservoir is set for approval on October 11. The Edgbaston Reservoir Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) was drawn up after the Birmingham Development Plan (BDP), which was itself adopted in 2017, identified Greater Icknield as an area for growth  with the reservoir specifically described as one of the city's most significant areas of open space.

An adrenaline seeking bride and groom enjoyed their dream wedding this week by tying the knot at one of the UK’s favourite theme parks, Fantasy Island.

Self-confessed thrill-seekers Leanne Smith, 33 from Derby, and Lee Churchill, 39 also from Derby, enjoyed the b-ride of their lives on September 27th, as the pair committed their vows to each other at Fantasy Island theme park, Lincolnshire. The newlyweds are huge fans of the Skegness theme park, visiting regularly and enjoying all the thrills on offer from the site’s 30-plus attractions.

From Monday 10th October 2022, every household in the UK is invited to access a free 45-minute workshop dedicated to showing  households how to cut their annual energy costs, courtesy of Utilita Energy.

The free-to-attend ‘Bill Buster’ sessions will be delivered by Utilita Energy - the UK’s only energy supplier created to help households use less energy.

The Royal College of Anaesthetists welcomes Black History Month as an opportunity to celebrate the huge contribution of Black anaesthetists and other healthcare workers to the NHS throughout its 74-year history. 

They value the rich diversity of their membership and recognise that Black healthcare workers are a fundamental part of their specialty, their College and their community.

NESCAFÉ, Nestlé's largest coffee brand and one of the world's favorite coffees, outlined today its extensive plan to help make coffee farming more sustainable: the NESCAFÉ Plan 2030. The brand is working with coffee farmers to help them transition to regenerative agriculture while accelerating its decade of work under the NESCAFÉ Plan.

A far-reaching blueprint setting out what is needed to level up the region was launched by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham. The ‘Levelling Up Growth Prospectus’ aims to fire up the regional economy by driving forward a new, green industrial revolution while attracting major private sector investment.

Mary McLeod Bethune was an educator, an activist for civil rights and women’s rights, a college president and an adviser to U.S. presidents. Recently, a statue of her was unveiled in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.

She was born in Mayesville, South Carolina, a decade after the Civil War ended. Her parents had been enslaved.

Every dog owner knows it, autumn and winter are the seasons we dread most when taking our pups out for a walk – and it’s not just getting stuck in the rain and wind we don’t like, but getting covered head to toe in mud!

In fact, new research by personalised pet brand Yappy.com has revealed that two thirds of us don't like our dogs getting muddy on walks and many of us will even choose a mud-free path to avoid our dogs getting dirty.

West Midlands bus fares are to be frozen at current levels until 2025 under a new plan agreed with operators to assist new and existing passengers with the cost of living - saving the average commuter £250 a year.

This means that people will be able to hop on and off the region’s buses all day for the same price they would have paid in 2013 – currently £4.20 for a multi-operator day ticket.

Global climate action NGO WRAP has produced a report for the G7 in support of the seismic shift in international strategies tackling greenhouse gas emissions expected to take place soon, and to help address the massive volume of greenhouse gases linked to ‘consumption’ currently passing unchecked into the atmosphere every year.

The National Pensioners’ Annual Convention heard calls for all four UK nations to have Older People’s Commissioners as more are plunged into poverty.

The NPC’s first public conference since before Covid (yesterday, 21 Sept) was expert given evidence of how our oldest and most vulnerable are facing increasing hardship in the face of soaring prices and growing ageism.

Homelessness charity, St Basils, is celebrating its 50^th anniversary by hosting a fundraising Gala Dinner at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham. Taking place on Friday 7^th October, the event will kick-start an exciting year of fundraising to build on the success of St Basils’ award-winning Live and Work scheme in Sandwell.

Business leaders and experts from across the West Midlands came together to discuss how to better secure and manage energy supplies at a more local level helping to shield households and businesses from sudden and massive price hikes in the future. The event, sponsored by SSE Energy Solutions, showcased Energy Capital’s mission to implement a place-based approach, meaning the challenges for energy are dealt locally so the West Midlands can handle its own energy supply and help keep future energy bills low for their residents and firms.

The £24 million development of a new Dudley Interchange station has achieved another major milestone after securing full planning permission.

Partners in the scheme, Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) and Dudley Council, will now move onto the next stages including securing remaining parcels of land and finalising the detailed designs to appointing a construction contractor, before building work can begin.

As members of Birmingham Faith Leaders’ Group – comprising of leaders from the city’s six major faith communities, who have met regularly for more than twelve years, to mould and develop mutual trust, fellowship and understanding – we share the pain and bewilderment of faith communities in Leicester following violence and unrest in parts of your city. We stand in unity with the communities of Leicester in condemning violence in the name of one’s faith.

Royal fans poured into the heart of London to experience the flag-lined roads, pomp-filled processions and, above all, brave a miles-long line for the once-in-a-lifetime chance to bid adieu to Queen Elizabeth II, who died after an unprecedented seven decades on the throne. And while in the capital, they’re packing hotels, restaurants and shops.