Community News

As his cortege left Birmingham City’ St. Andrews ground, with fans and loved ones setting off flares and waving blue and white balloons, hundreds of mourners turned out for the funeral of much-loved community anti-gang campaigner Barrington 'Baz' Patterson. Boxing legend Frank Bruno was among the guests seen attending the service at St. Philips Cathedral.

Birmingham’s iconic water feature – The River – was officially switched back on in Victoria Square in the city centre. The fountain has been repaired and refurbished as part of a £12.395m city centre public realm scheme – the first phase of which has seen improvements to Victoria Square.

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) are on the lookout for disabled volunteers who can help trial a new journey planner aimed at removing barriers on public transport for those with long term health conditions.

The new service will look to allow better coordination of personal travel assistance needs, between the transport operator and the destination host, by alerting each stage of a journey when a person is on the way who needs additional support.

City of Wolverhampton Council shared the new Wolverhampton Investment Prospectus for the first time at the UK Real Estate, Investment & Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF). The Council is showcasing Invest Wolves opportunities to thousands of investors, funders and developers at the event in Leeds between 17 and 19 May, ahead of some major development announcements this year.

A man with severe learning difficulties was among at least 20 people who were facing deportation to Jamaica on a Home Office flight scheduled for yesterday (Wednesday). Half of the detainees – held in Brook House, Harmondsworth and Colnbrook immigration removal centres – have direct links to the Windrush Generation and most arrived in the UK when they were children, campaigners claim.

BBC Gardeners’ World Live has shortlisted three inspiring landscapers for a prestigious national award, celebrating the best in garden design. BBC Gardeners’ World Live - which takes place from 16-19 June at Birmingham’s NEC - is an inspirational day out for gardening enthusiasts and budding designers.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently visited the newly transformed Alexander Stadium to hear about legacy funding for national governing bodies for sport and to meet with volunteers, batonbearers and medal designers who are all part of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Caribbean hospitality employees are invited and encouraged to apply for admission to the Caribbean Hospitality Professional Development Program sponsored by Les Roches Global Hospitality Education, one of the world’s leading hospitality business schools, and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Foundation (CHTAEF).

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has unveiled the highly-anticipated route that the Queen’s Baton Relay will take through England this summer.

Travelling via land, air and sea, more than 180 communities in England will experience the Queen’s Baton on a route spanning 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometres).

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) has been awarded a £17 million Government grant to boost active travel and make it safer for people to cycle, walk and wheel. It will fund the delivery of 12 schemes which will form part of the Starley Network, including protected cycleways, school streets and safer crossings.

Residents in Stirchley and Moseley are from today being given the opportunity to have their say on names for their new railway stations. Construction work on three new stations on the Camp Hill line in south Birmingham is due to start later this year – but only the name of Kings Heath Station is agreed.

A Jamaican national was awaiting the outcome of his application to remain in the UK when he was unexpectedly swooped upon by seven immigration enforcement officers.

James Matthews, who says he has been wrongly detained ahead of a deportation flight, is launching legal action against the Home Office.

A new study of Brummies aged 65 plus has revealed a list of interior trends for retirees that are IN and the ones that are well and truly OUT. The study, by leading developer of retirement communities, McCarthy Stone, has found that today’s over 65s in Birmingham are after top spec home security systems (a must for 55 percent), electric vehicle charging points (43 percent), Alexa (41 percent) and hive heating (29 percent).

Almost three quarters (71%) of SME businesses are not currently acting to reduce their carbon emissions, as Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance is downgraded and digitalisation, employee wellbeing, cost inflation, and recruitment take priority.

The latest Azets SME Barometer Spring 2022, which surveyed 1,093 SMEs from all sectors in the UK, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, reveals ESG is on most company radars but specific action lacks urgency, with sharper focus on people, technology, and cost amid economic turbulence.

Residents and businesses in Wolverhampton are encouraged to attend engagement sessions to find out more about the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games event happening in the city.

On Thursday 4 August 2022, the City of Wolverhampton will proudly host the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Cycling Time Trial with the race starting and finishing at our spectacular West Park.

Proposals for a monument to honour Caribbean men and women who have served in Britain's armed forces have been submitted. The National Caribbean Monument Memorial is planned for Staffordshire's National Memorial Arboretum.

The proposals have been drawn up by the National Caribbean Monument Charity. Its application said that the aim was to strengthen the bonds with the UK's Caribbean community, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.